Work Health and Safety Legislation, Duty of Care and Licensing
The framework you must know
Bridge and gantry crane operation sits inside a general work health and safety (WHS) framework. In Australia the model WHS Act and Regulations apply, with each jurisdiction having its own regulator and minor variations. Questions often test the hierarchy of duties: a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has the primary duty to ensure health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable; officers must exercise due diligence; workers must take reasonable care for themselves and others, follow instructions and report hazards. "Reasonably practicable" weighs likelihood and severity of harm against cost and availability of controls - it is not a cost-only test.
Licensing
High risk work licensing is competency-based. The CB licence class covers bridge and gantry cranes controlled from a pendant, cabin or radio remote. You must hold the licence, or be an authorised trainee under direct supervision, to operate. Traps: a dogging or rigging licence does not authorise crane operation; a licence is not transferable between people; operating outside the class (for example a slewing mobile crane) is an offence even if the crane is similar.
Duty of care in practice
Operators must conduct pre-start checks, follow the manufacturer's instructions, use the load chart, refuse unsafe tasks, and stop work when conditions change. PCBUs must provide information, training, supervision, maintenance and a safe system of work including exclusion zones and traffic management.
Worked example
A supervisor asks you to lift a load 10% above the chart capacity "just this once" because the crane looks strong. The chart is a limit, not a guide. You refuse, record the refusal in the logbook, and report it. The duty to take reasonable care overrides a verbal instruction.
Rule of thumb
If you cannot point to the licence class, the load chart figure, the maintenance record and the control measure, the task is not ready.