Mobile cranes must be used carefully
Media Release
15 March 2011
The fine of $22,000 imposed on a mobile crane company today for failing to prevent a crane from toppling over highlights the importance of this workplace safety issue.
“Nobody was injured in this incident, but this could so easily have not been the case,” says Mark Whatnall, the Department of Labour’s Service Manager in Hamilton.
”The company, Taslo Steel Security Limited should have made sure the crane feet were properly grounded on solid footing before trying to lift the load off the delivery truck when in fact, the feet were grounded in sand significantly increasing the instability of the whole rig.
“Cranes are potentially very dangerous machines and employers have to make sure that they are operated safely at all times”.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
- Taslo Steel Security Limited was convicted on one charge under Regulation 10(1)(b) of the Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes, and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the crane was operated safely.
- Regulation 10(1) of the Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes, and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 states: Every controller must take all practicable steps to ensure that equipment—
- (a) is safe; and
- (b) is operated safely; and
- (c) is operated within the limits that it was designed to operate within; and
- (d) is maintained in a safe condition.
- The Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes, and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 is available online.
