The Company’s Safety Code of Practice is the basic document that sets out the minimum standards required by all operators to ensure that their employees are protected against risks arising from their work, machinery, equipment, or environment. This document has been drawn up to serve as a reference document for each operator using equipment owned by the Company in its operations. It has been prepared with the following objectives:
1) To guide the safe operation of cranes and other lifting devices owned by the Company;
2) To guide the safe operation of lifting apparatus owned by the Company;
3) To guide how work should be planned, conducted, measured and reported at sites operated by this company;
4) To guide how particular tasks must be performed before any crane may begin working at a site;
5) As an aid to training all new employees during induction periods, it provides practical examples of typical problems encountered in work conducted under normal conditions.
When you hire a crane for any work, it is important to be aware of these regulations to be legally compliant and generally safe.
Cranes and tower cranes
In Australia, the use of cranes and tower cranes is governed by state regulations. These vary from state to state, so it’s important that you check with your local authority before any crane hire.
Some examples:
- You must ensure that the operator is competent enough to operate a crane safely
- You must ensure that there is adequate space around the crane for anyone working on it
Tower cranes are machines used to lift heavy objects into place. Tower cranes can be used for construction, repositioning and transport. They are frequently used in the mining industry because of their ability to lift up to 5 tonnes of material at once.
In Australia, tower cranes must meet all Australian Standards AS 3760:2011 (Australian Standard for Safety) as well as comply with other relevant state or territory legislation such as Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 (Vic), Queensland’s Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 (Qld), South Australia’s Occupational Health & Safety Act 1997 (SA).
Crane hire purposes
Construction companies often require cranes to help them build buildings, houses or other structures that need to be lifted up into place. To do this efficiently, the crane operator must know how to use the equipment they’ve hired. They should also understand what they can expect from their crane hire company regarding safety precautions and maintenance requirements so they know what needs doing when things go wrong on site.
Know before hiring
- The weight limit of your project. The weight limit is the maximum weight that can be lifted on this particular piece of equipment and the type of operation required. If you need to lift more than this amount, you will need another piece of equipment.
- Safety features such as safety chains and wire ropes prevent accidents from happening when lifting heavy objects over long distances (over 100 metres). These things should always be checked before making sure everything else checks out ok too!
- Maximum speed at which they operate – usually between 5-20km/h depending on how fast winds blow at any given time during construction season (usually late spring through early fall).
Some Examples: Height Requirement
Victoria-No minimum height requirement. A person may operate a crane if they hold a Class 1 Operator’s Licence or higher and are qualified and competent.
New South Wales- There is no minimum height requirement for operating cranes on construction sites or at other locations where there is no risk of accidents from their operation (such as lifting tools).
Queensland Competent persons driving mobile equipment must be licensed by Qld Public Safety Ministerial Determination 501/2016 Operating Mobile Equipment on Roads and Special Places within Queensland.
