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July 13, 2009

Consultation on crane register launched

The HSE is now inviting comments on proposals for new regulations requiring tower cranes to be listed on a national register.

The consultation follows a number of high-profile incidents and deaths involving tower cranes. Last year, the Work and Pensions Select Committee urged the HSE to push forward with the register in an effort to address public concerns about crane safety.

The proposed regulations will require employers who use ‘conventional’ tower cranes (those assembled in situ) on construction sites to send the HSE certain information about the crane. The Executive will then arrange for the information to be made available to the public in the form of a national register.

Matters open for consultation include what types of cranes should be covered; what kind of information should be collected for the register; how the information should be submitted; and the rules on access to that information by interested parties. Views are also sought on the impact assessment, which sets out the estimated costs and benefits of the plans.

The register would form part of a package of measures, which involves the HSE and the construction industry working together to address a range of issues around cranes, such as improving the competence of installers and operators.

On 13 July, a twin-boom rig collapsed on a container ship at Southampton docks, resulting in one man receiving crush injuries. Last week, a crane collapsed into a Liverpool apartment block.

To view the consultation, go to the HSE’s consultation pages. For details of how to respond, click here.

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