WIREDGOV

New tower crane register to improve safety

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS News Release (HSE-120) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 3 April 2009

The creation of a statutory tower crane registration scheme to improve tower crane safety and public confidence in their safety is announced today.

The new register has been agreed alongside a package of measures to improve tower crane safety and is likely to be in place by April 2010.

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said:

"It's unacceptable that people are dying directly as a cause of their work with tower cranes and I want to prevent this toll of human misery.

"It is also important that the package of measures is successful in both improving tower crane safety and improving public confidence in cranes. HSE will consult with both the industry and the public to agree how both of these ends can best be achieved."

The register is part of a package of proposals to improve tower crane safety, including working with the industry to improve the competence of those involved in handling tower cranes and carrying out targeted inspection work over the next 12 months.

A voluntary system will precede the statutory scheme, and should be in operation later this year.

Notes to editors

1. The proposals for a statutory tower crane registration scheme stem from the April 2008 report, by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, into the role of the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive. The report recommended that HSE should bring forward such proposals, to include information such as ownership, age, design type and other relevant factors.

2. The anticipated implementation date for the statutory scheme is April 2010. To this end, HSE will launch a regulatory consultation exercise this summer. The consultation will look to engage with all interested stakeholders, including the industry and the public.

3. The statutory scheme will be preceded by a voluntary registration scheme, details of which are currently being worked up between HSE and the plant safety group of the Strategic Forum for Construction. It is intended that the lessons learned during the voluntary period of registration will inform the detail of the statutory scheme.

4. Among the wider package of proposals to improve tower crane safety, HSE is:

* Working with the industry to improve the competence of those involved erection, operation, examination and dismantling of tower cranes

* Carrying out targeted inspection work over the next 12 months to ensure that industry is following the suite of guidance published last year aimed at improving safety in the use of tower cranes.

* Making better use of information gathered through the existing thorough examination system in order to improving targeting of inspection work.
_________________________________________________________________

Website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk
____________________________________________________________________