NOVEMBER 2022 Ӏ PAST REFLECTIONS


ANNIVERSARY


a regime that demanded mobile cranes be virtually stripped down to parts at 10 years' old. Politicians around the world demonstrated in this era a complete misunderstanding of how cranes differ from other equipment: these are perfectly balanced machines, designed for decades of use if well maintained. They are ballerinas, not quarterbacks. An age limit destroys their commercial viability. A more sensible demand of the


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regulators was the replacement of old diesel luffers with electric alternatives. This was sensible, but not for the reasons that seemed to motivate them. It had been meant as a second way to pointlessly scrap perfectly usable cranes. But it lead to major manufacturers developing electric 700tm machines, able to meet the demand of skyscraper developers around the world. That move, I believe, has


contributed to the broader electrification of the industry, by undermining the idea that only diesel can provide the fast and heavy lifting jobs like this require.


OPERATOR CERTIFICATION Another good New York contact, in my reporting on the US industry, was Robert Weiss. He has been a tireless advocate for safety, and had played a major role in the development of crane operator certification in the US, as a member of C-DAC, the Crane and Derrick Advisory Committee, along with Doug Williams of Buckner, and Bill Smith, of insurers NBIS.


Much of the drive for the adoption of operator certification in the US came from another former Cranes Today operator, Graham Brent. He explains his work elsewhere in this issue. It's something I've regularly had him explain to me, always patiently


34 CRANES TODAY


and with a clear explanation of the challenges of putting a scheme like this into practice. Closer to home, Søren Jansen was another patient and regular, interviewee. At ESTA, he did important work on both crane safety and operator certification. Working alongside FEM


members such as Klaus Meissner, Hans-Dieter Willim, and Martin Lottes, he helped produce and disseminate a series of best practice guidance that tackled many key risks facing the industry. He also, along with Ton Klijn, who has done much to push the project forward, helped launch the European counterpart of NCCCO, ECOL. While the structure of regulation and certification is very different in the EU, the programme is an important way both to improve safety, and to make it easier for skilled operators to find work across the region. In the UK, the CPA was a major


resource for me, as a writer, and for the industry. Tim Watson's work with the organisation's (mobile) crane and tower crane interest groups allowed them to put out a series of technical notes and best practice guides that helped reduce risks on site. Watson, who sadly passed away


in 2020, was regularly called upon as an expert witness. He was a great explainer of the root causes of crane accidents, and a big help as I sought to explain them. Colin Wood, who led the CPA


for much of my time at Cranes Today, was another important advocate for the industry. He'd started his career as a crane operator, so had a clear understanding of the importance of safety. But much of his focus was on presenting arguments against hasty and ill-considered regulatory changes. He was in many ways the


ideal interviewee. In one of our


first conversations, he told me something along the lines of "I'll talk, you use what you need," and then did so for the next hour, giving me enough material for a few issues of the magazine. In the UK, and other countries,


there has been considerable progress in developing apprenticeship and certification programmes that help create a career pathway through the industry. That's certainly also the case


in Australia. The country's crane association, CICA, developed into a truly national organisation, in part through the efforts of Charles Gillespie, during my early years on the magazine. The organisation's CraneSafe maintenance assessment scheme, for example, is one that deserves to be emulated around the world. My most recent work, here and in other publications, has often turned to electrification. I believe we will increasingly see emissions free lifting in all crane classes. But the industry will have to fight planners and electricity transmission firms to ensure power is available where it is needed. In my time on the magazine, I learned that this is an industry where dedicated experts around the world eagerly share their knowledge and experience. I hope that one result of this


tendency will be standards and certification regimes that parallel each other closely around the world, helping crane operators and other lifting crew work, in safety, where their skills are most needed. I hope Cranes Today will


continue, as it has done under my successors Sotiris Kanaris and Christian Shelton, to advocate for effective and efficient standards, certification, and regulation, as the original international magazine of the crane industry.


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