Image: Crane Association Chief Executive Sarah Toase.
A new code of practice for the crane industry is being developed to prevent accidents like overloads, tip-overs and powerline strikes and an online portal of incidents is being built up so lessons can be learned. By Hugh de Lacy.
The rolling out of a new Agreed Code of Practice (ACOP), aimed at “influencing businesses to do the right thing” for worksite safety, was updated for the Crane Association of New Zealand (CANZ) conference by Worksafe’s Regional Manager Southern Adrian van Dyk.
The conference was held in Christchurch from 23–24 July.
WorkSafe has 60-odd inspectors around the country charged with ensuring businesses have the right systems to protect workers from serious injury, illness or death.
“ACOP is a system of rules created by law, requiring businesses, with the support of workers, to plan and implement safety measures and practices throughout the construction industry which has 285,000 full-time workers, 11 percent of the total workforce,” Adrian told delegates.
“Our inspectors cover the civil, commercial and residential construction sectors, including cranes, and they can issue formal warnings but with no financial implications.
“The situations we’re trying to limit include falling from heights, being hit by a vehicle or falling object and exposure to hazardous substances – the most common types of incidents in the construction industry.”
Established under the Health and Safety at Work Act in the wake of the Pike River mine disaster, the ACOP for cranes sets the main safety framework to prevent accidents like overloads, tip-overs and powerline strikes.
While the ACOP is a strong official standard, it’s more of a practical guide than a strict law on its own. Its backing by the Act requires crane companies to either adopt it, or devise and implement an equally sound way of keeping workers safe.
The ACOP requires everyone operating or working with cranes to hold the applicable New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) unit standard as a minimum qualification and preferably the New Zealand Certificate in Cranes.
The general and prerequisite unit standards include 3787, which demonstrates knowledge of regulatory requirements relating to cranes; 30072, which covers the slinging of regular loads safely; and 3789, which covers dogman core competency.
Specific crane operator unit standards include 3800, covering remote-controlled overhead gantry cranes; 20208 or 20209, covering self-erecting tower cranes; 20526 for crawler cranes; 26505 for mini crawler cranes; and 24511 for non-slewing articulated cranes.
Advanced and rigging standards comprise 3801 for preparing and slinging complex loads, and 40834 for calculating irregular sling loads for lifting.
Adrian says there are a lot of former police staff in the WorkSafe inspectorate, which operates as the police do, with 90-odd investigations under way at any one time.
Crane Association Chief Executive Sarah Toase says the ACOP is being rewritten in sections and includes a page and a half on cranes capable of lifting over 450 tonnes, which is “completely inadequate for such a large crane.”
She says there will be close consultation with WorkSafe before the updated agreement guidance is endorsed and she expects “real progress” to take place over the next six months.
A separate session at the conference reflected the work CANZ is doing to build up a portal of the accidents that still occur.
Mike Brown from Transport Specifications Limited (TSL), Michael Clayton from Brian Perry Civil and Deane Manley of NZ Crane Hire recounted mishaps that had occurred in their companies. They’ll be posted on the portal to encourage the sharing of incidents so the lessons learned can be reviewed and the recommendations adopted.
Fixing the system