Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control
Hazard identification for tower crane work is continuous, not a one-off meeting. The standard process is: identify hazards, assess risk (likelihood and consequence), apply the hierarchy of control, implement, then review. The hierarchy runs from eliminating the hazard, through substitution, engineering controls (guards, interlocks, limiters, physical barriers), administrative controls (procedures, permits, signage, training), to personal protective equipment as the last line. Questions often reward answers that place engineering controls above administrative ones - for example, a physical exclusion barrier is stronger than a sign, and a sign is stronger than a verbal warning.
Typical tower crane hazards include: suspended loads and load drop; crane collapse or structural failure; contact with overhead powerlines; collision with other cranes, structures or aircraft (where applicable); people being struck by the slewing tail or counterweight; falls during erection, climbing or maintenance; manual handling during rigging; ground collapse or foundation failure; wind and weather; and ergonomic and fatigue hazards for the operator. A useful structure is to group hazards by source: plant, people, environment, and procedure.
Traps: treating a risk assessment as a document to be filed rather than a live process; listing hazards without controls; choosing PPE when an engineering control is reasonably practicable; and forgetting that residual risk must be reviewed after controls are applied, and again when conditions change (new crane, new load type, wind, night work).
Rule of thumb: if a control relies on a person remembering to do something every time, ask whether a physical or engineered control could replace it.