Legislation and Standards Applicable to Self-Erect Cranes
Self-erect (luffing or hammerhead) tower cranes sit at the intersection of several legal regimes, and exam questions test whether you can name the correct duty holder and the correct instrument rather than recite slogans.
Core framework
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 creates the general duties; MHSWR 1999 requires risk assessment and coordination of shared workplaces.
- LOLER 1998 governs lifting operations: strength and stability, competent people, planning, and thorough examination. PUWER 1998 governs the equipment itself: suitability, maintenance, inspection, and training.
- CDM 2015 allocates client, principal designer, principal contractor and contractor duties where the crane is part of a construction project - including the requirement to plan for safe erection and dismantling.
- BS 7121 parts on tower cranes and on safe use give the technical good practice that inspectors and courts treat as the benchmark.
Traps
- Confusing thorough examination (LOLER, by a competent person, before first use and at statutory intervals, plus after substantial alteration or exceptional circumstances) with routine inspection (daily pre-use checks by the operator).
- Assuming the crane hire company owns the lifting-operation duty - the user/controller normally plans the lift, even when the crane is hired with an operator.
- Forgetting notification duties for reportable dangerous occurrences.
Worked example
A crane is erected on a site and first used: thorough examination is required before first use, not simply "within 6 months". After storm loading exceeding design assumptions, a further thorough examination is required before returning to service.