Britain Plans National Tower Crane Registry
As is happening in the United States, the proposed UK regulations now open for comments were prompted by high-profile incidents and deaths in the past decade.
Proposed regulations prompted by high-profile incidents and deaths since 2000 would create a publicly available national registry of tower cranes, part of a series of actions by Britain's Health and Safety Executive and the UK construction industry to raise the competence level of installers and operators and also improve crane designs.
HSE is asking for comments on its consultative document by Oct. 9. Responses should be sent to: Essien Ekpenyong, Construction Policy Team, Health and Safety Executive, 5SW Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS (phone 020 7556 2210, fax 020 7556 2102, e-mail [email protected]).
A select committee was created in 2008 to work on proposals for enhancing tower crane nationwide, and this committee recommended that HSE launch a proposal for a national registry. The HSE board agreed in January 2009. "The proposed regulations will require employers who use 'conventional' tower cranes (i.e., tower cranes that are assembled on site; the type involved in the high profile incidents) on construction sites to notify certain information about the crane to HSE; HSE will make arrangements for this information to be made publicly available in a national register. HSE has had preliminary discussions with some stakeholders over the proposed regulations, including members of the Construction Industry Advisory Committee, UCATT, the Construction Plant Hire Association and the Strategic Forum for Construction's Plant Safety Group," the agency's announcement said.