Hazard 2020 Webinar – Ground Conditions for Crane Risk Management – Videos and Additional Q&A

The Federal Safety Commissioner’s fourth Hazard 2020 Safety Campaign webinar was held on Thursday 23 September. This webinar focused on assessing and managing ground conditions to mitigate crane risks. Our data shows that mobile plant is the highest area of non-conformance and injuries over recent years. There have been improvements in mobile plant in the Hazard 2020 campaign data, however, companies are still struggling in the area of mobile cranes. In 245 audits reviewing mobile plant, companies failed the mobile crane sub-criteria requirements one-third of the time. Between 2003-2015, Safe Work Australia statistics show that 47 workers were fatally injured in incidents involving mobile cranes.

The OFSC holds regular webinars aiming to educate WHS professionals in the building and construction industry with shared learning in an open and collaborative forum. Federal Safety Commissioner David Denney hosted the webinar, with over 450 attendees from companies, regulators, and industry associations.

Ground Bearing Capacity for Crane Stability (37 mins)

The Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) is a peak national body for the crane industry. Boom Logistics specialises in crane hire and delivering lift solutions. CICA Technical Project Engineer, Alice Edwards, and Boom Logistics Engineering Manager, Nick Morris, jointly presented an expert overview on Ground Bearing Capacity for Crane Stability. The presentation covered factors that affect crane stability, understanding and determining ground pressure capacity, calculating loads and ground preparation methods.

The Scheme Requirements for Assessing and Managing Ground Conditions for Crane Work (20 mins)

Federal Safety Officer Craig Hutton gave a presentation on managing and assessing ground conditions for crane work in relation to the Scheme audit criteria. Craig discussed the importance of adequate planning and design with regards to lifts, which includes ongoing stakeholder consultation and rigorous documentation processes. Craig also highlighted areas where companies can better meet the Scheme requirements.

Q&A Session and Additional Information (8 mins)

Attendees were encouraged to submit questions throughout the webinar. Following the two presentations, Commissioner Denney moderated a Q&A session addressing some of the key questions.

Responses to the remaining questions not answered in the Q&A can be found in the Useful Documents and Downloads section of the website.

Feedback

Please send any feedback on the above videos and subject matter to ofsc@dewr.gov.au with a subject heading of “Hazard 2020 Online Forum.”