How Often do I Have to Inspect our Cranes?
Types of Cranes
To answer how often you need to inspect your cranes we need to understand what type of crane is involved.
Workplace safety regulations require operator licenses for various types of cranes such as:
Tower cranes
Self-erecting cranes
Derek cranes
Portal boom cranes
Bridge and gantry cranes
Vehicle loading cranes
Non-slewing mobile cranes
Slewing mobile crane (for 20, 60, 100 & >100T tonnes)
For the purpose of this article we will assume a bridge or gantry crane, but the principles will remain the same for all types of cranes.
General Duty
The Vic OHS and interstate WHS general duty of care includes requirement for employers to ensure their plant (including cranes) are safe, but of course we need more details to determine what action is enough to satisfy this duty
Regulations
Safety regulations impose requirements for employers to inspect plant and keep records eg Vic OHS Reg 105 & 106, but once again these regulations fail to tell us how often we need to inspect plant.
The harmonized WHS Regulation 213 requires plant is to be maintained and inspected by a competent person, and that the maintenance is to be in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations (or if none as advised by a competent person), and at least annually.
It is now clear that an annual inspection of plant is the absolute minimum, but more frequent if specified in the manufacturer’s manual for the crane.
Manufacturer Manuals
During safety audits and accident investigations we often find businesses have lost the manufacturer manuals, particularly for older plant.
Given the safety regulations prescribe inspection and maintenance be in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, we can now see the potential for allegations that the crane was not maintained as prescribed by regulation e.g. WHS Reg 213.
Australian Standards & Codes of Practice
Where the regulations or manufacturer’s manual is silent on any aspect, Australian Standards and Codes of Practice can provide guidance on safe use and compliance with the general duty of care.
For example, AS 2550.1: 2011 Crane, Hoists and Winches – Safe Use Part 1: General Requirements offers guidance on inspection and maintenance frequencies, if more frequent checks are not specified by regulation or the manufacturer.
| Crane Classification | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | C6 | C7 | C8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Hrs/Day | <.5 | <2 | <1 | <4 | <8 | <16 | >16 | > 20 |
| Routine Maintenace | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Mnthly | Mnthly |
| 3rd Party Annual Inspection | Annual |
Note: The above table matches the legislative minimum of annual inspections and suggests monthly to 3 monthly maintenance depending upon frequency of use of the crane.
Pre-Use Checks
In addition to the programmed inspections and maintenance by qualified personnel your crane operators should be trained to conduct pre-use or daily checks, to ensure the crane is safe every day.
