SAFETY AND TRAINING Ӏ ESTA INTERVIEW


were having problems with clients who didn’t understand what they were doing and why they wanted to do it and who didn’t understand why they had to give certain information and why they were responsible for giving it. If you are doing a lift for a client what kind of contracts do you have you have with that client and how are the responsibilities divided within those contracts?


How does the guide help clarify those responsibilities? The first thing we have done in this guide is to try to explain who is responsible for what. We set out a responsibility matrix between the client, the operating company and the crane manufacturer. It is actually a responsibility triangle, and it all starts with that. The manufacturer must make


sure that the right equipment is available and that it is clear how it can and should be used. The operating company’s


responsibility is to use the crane in the correct way and to take all necessary steps to assure that the lift can and will indeed be executed safely.


And it is the client who has to


give them the opportunity to do so. Only if the client provides the right information and gives an operating company the opportunity to do its work professionally can the safety of a lifting operation be guaranteed.


Do you encounter clients who don’t share enough information? Yes, that happens. For example, there have been clients who are reluctant even to tell the crane company the weight of the load that is to be lifted. Or they reveal the weight but then add 20 boxes of bolts to it before the lift without telling anyone, and that can add a tonne to the weight.


38 CRANES TODAY


AUTOMATIC BALLAST DETECTION SYSTEM FROM SPIERINGS HELPS REDUCE THE CHANCE OF ACCIDENTS


Another finalist in the ESTA Awards of Excellence was the Dutch crane company Spierings; this was also for an innovation for mobile cranes. The company’s Automatic Ballast Detection System is a system that is integrated into their new five-axle mobile crane. It introduces a transformative safety enhancement by addressing one of the most critical aspects of crane operation: accurate ballast configuration. The state-of-the-art system incorporates a dedicated load measurement axle to accurately detect and monitor the amount of ballast attached to the crane. By automatically selecting the correct lifting chart based on real-time measurements, the system eliminates the risk of human error and enhances operational precision. Key safety benefits include error elimination: by automating the ballast measurement and lifting


chart selection, the system removes any potential for operator miscalculations or manual input errors so reducing the likelihood of accidents caused by incorrect setups. It is also an aid to operator confidence: the system handles the complex calculations, leaving operators free to focus on their tasks with greater assurance. The end result contributes to a safer work environment and helps safeguard not only the operator but also surrounding personnel, equipment, and the construction site.


Does LORM also touch on contractual issues? Yes; we then look at the contract. It is hard to believe but there are countries in Europe that do not have specific conditions for contracts for transport or lifting work. At ESTA we laid out such conditions a long time ago: we actually followed more or less the British system of having contract lifts and having crane rental contracts, which have been used in the UK for many years. But the aim of the guide is not to


reissue sets of rules and regulations for the industry. Rather it is an attempt, by outlining different forms of contracts and listing existing regulations and incident prevention measures, to make users of lifting equipment aware of the risks of lifting operations and of protections against their consequences.


How does the guide help operators prepare for a lift? The next step is that the guide gives people all sorts of information on how to prepare


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