Cranes under scrutiny over health and safety
People are afraid of having cranes too close to their homes. Photo: Jason Borg
The Occupational Health and Safety Authority is carrying out random checks to ensure cranes are being operated according to law.
This comes in the wake of a recent death and people’s fears of having cranes too close to their homes.
The authority said in a statement that if a crane was found operating in an unsafe manner, or was not covered by the necessary documentation, a verbal order would be issued and operations would be halted immediately until corrective action was taken.
Among other provisions in the law, cranes must have been thoroughly examined and certified by a competent person. The base of the tower must also be certified to withstand the weight of the crane and its maximum load.
The employer must ensure maintenance and repairs are carried out regularly and safety features are not tampered with.
No one may be lifted by a crane unless it is designed for this purpose and a suitable cage is used. Just last month, The Sunday Times carried a photo of a worker who put himself in a tower crane’s chain and, using a hand controller, transported himself over a seven-storey drop to get to a roof.
Cranes should not be operated in very strong winds and passing with loads over persons and third-party property should be avoided.
Also, pedestrians should have a clearly marked safe passage if the crane has been erected in the road.
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Peadar Farrell
Apr 3rd 2012, 17:37
As they say, a verbal warning is not worth the paper it’s written on. There is no or little legal strength to a verbal warning. It can and will end up in court as one person’s word against another’s. Something as dangerous and life threatening such as Tower cranes and indeed all health and Safety on building sites should have written warnings. Hand written with a copy would suffice until a typed one is sent out.
John Dee
Apr 3rd 2012, 10:10
No-one on a building site who has half a brain will walk below the load carried by a crane - so why is it only "advisable" for loads not to be travelled over "persons and third party properties"?
Peter Murray
Apr 3rd 2012, 11:11
Carrying loads over people is actually a violatio of regulations but most of these so-called crane operators don't even know the regulations and who would ensure or enforce that they confrom with them in any event?
Peter Murray
Apr 3rd 2012, 09:45
Such checks should have been robustly carried out before ,on a regular basis,as a matter of course and proactive duty of responsibility and obligation and not as a tardy reactive measure after fatalities and injuries have occurred.The crane operators COMPETENCE(what is thsi precisely and who determines and establishes it?)and qulaifications must also be stringently monitored and controlled-clearly not done at the present-along with ensuring that as per the LAW employees PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES-sadly this mostly is a joke as anyone with eyesight will readily confirm
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 4th 2012, 18:53
@ Peter Murray,
As the saying goes, "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man"
That's Malta for you.
Neville Roberts
Apr 3rd 2012, 09:28
Isn't it a grave pity that it takes "DEATH" to open the eyes of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority in 2012, DISGRACEFUL !
Please choose the reason of your report below: