Cranes

General

Tower and mobile cranes must be erected, operated and maintained in a manner that conforms to the OH&S Regulation, CSA Standards, and the manufacturer’s specifications or Professional Engineer’s design and instruction where applicable.

Operators

Operators must be certified to operate tower or mobile cranes in accordance with the OH&S Regulation and are in complete control of all hoisting operations. Operators retain the right to cease any lifting practice determined to be unsafe or detrimental to the integrity of a crane, its components, rigging devices or the safety of the people affected by its operations.

Operators shall not pass loads overtop streets or sidewalks occupied by public vehicles or people and must ensure that areas below all loads are secured to prevent inadvertent entry by people or vehicles. Loads shall not pass overtop workers unless no practical alternative exists and only when workers have been warned by sounding the alarm or horn.

Operators must ensure daily, weekly or monthly load limit devices or general inspections for all cranes have been completed and documented as per the manufacturers’ specifications and Part 14 of the OH&S Regulation for Cranes and Hoists.

Tower  Cranes 

The base of a tower crane must remain free of debris or accumulation of water at all times and must be inspected on a regular basis to ensure the crane support integrity.

Limit testing devices must be inspected and tested daily to ensure that they are functioning as designed.

Non Destructive Testing (N.D.T.) of a tower crane must be conducted prior to the crane being erected as per Section 14.77 of the OH & S Regulation.

If a crane remains erected at the workplace for more than 12 months, the structural components must be inspected to determine their integrity by a qualified person using
N.D.T. methods meeting the requirements of the Canadian General Standards Board. After inspection, the crane, including all necessary repairs, must be certified by a professional engineer as safe for use.

Tower cranes must remain the specified safe horizontal and vertical clearances from any obstructions as per Section 14.85 of the OH & S Regulation.

Variances of applicable the OH & S Regulation regarding the use of tower cranes and associated equipment must be submitted and approved prior to cranes being erected or
 

operations commencing, where applicable. Examples of those variances required pertain to “thrust out platforms” and “line pull tests” for tower cranes.

Mobile  Cranes 

Operators must ensure daily, weekly or monthly inspections are performed as per the manufacturers’ specifications and the OH&S Regulation.

Log books must depict specific items relevant to a specific crane and must be completed daily with follow-up action on deficiencies or defects found.

Geotechnical data must be current and available on site for cranes situated close to excavations, structures, or other items which may be affected by the cranes operations and the stresses imposed by them. Documentation must be available for review prior to the crane operations commencing.

Outriggers must be deployed to their fullest extent as per the manufacturer’s specifications and / or a Professional Engineer’s instruction and design.

Components of a mobile crane, such as the boom, must be inspected annually (every 12 months) and certified safe for continued use as per a Professional Engineer, the crane manufacturer, or the crane manufacturer’s authorized representative. A decal or certificate of authorization and inspection must be readily available with the crane while it is in use.

Operators of mobile cranes shall not lift workers unless no other practical alternative exists. Where required, Site Specific Safe Work Procedures must be developed and reviewed by all workers involved. A ‘dry run’ must commence prior to the actual procedure occurring and not include people in order to ensure that the crane, rigging and related components can safely carry out the procedure without placing workers at risk. The jib of a mobile crane used to lift workers must be equipped with an “anti-two-block” device as specified by Section 14.25 of the OH & S Regulation.

Multiple  Cranes

On multiple tower crane projects, cranes which overlap one another must have assigned radio frequencies granted and approved by WorkSafeBC prior to commencing operations.

The jib of one tower crane must not be capable of passing overtop the cab of another crane below. The contractor responsible for the crane must conduct an assessment prior to erection to determine appropriate crane positioning so as to minimize crane overlap in all aspects where feasible. Where cranes do overlap, site specific procedures must be developed and all associated employees trained on these procedures to prevent potential crane contact due to overlap. Such procedures must be acceptable to WorkSafeBC before work begins.