VAUGHAN, ONT. — The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) and partners have released the Construction Industry Code of Practice: Safe Use of Tower Cranes, a best practices guide to be used by builders and trade contractors when erecting, operating and dismantling tower cranes.
The document outlines what mechanical, electrical and structural inspections are required prior to erecting a tower crane on a building site, the methodologies and safe practices that should be followed and what functional and operational tests are needed before it is put into operation, states a release.
Playing a role in developing the guide were RESCON, its members, the Ontario Formwork Association and James Wilkinson, P.Eng. of Wilkinson Technical Services Inc. along with RESCON’s crane safety and health and safety committees.
It covers pre-erection inspections and reviews, initial erection on the project and safe operating practices, including climbing and dismantling procedures. It also outlines what inspections must be done, documentation requirements and engineering inspections necessary at the pre-and post-erection stages and what is required if multiple cranes are on a project. It includes a checklist of documents that must be retained at the project by the constructor and project management team.
The document is not intended to replace regulatory requirements or applicable codes and standards but will assist constructors in understanding proper procedures.
Although the primary focus of the guide is tower cranes, the general practices and procedures for hoisting and rigging set out in the guide may also apply to other hoisting equipment.
“Health and safety is our top priority. Through the use of a continuous improvement model, we will continue to focus on the safety of the residential construction sector,” said RESCON VP Andrew Pariser, chair of the association’s safety committee, in a statement. “By documenting best practices that exceed legislative and regulatory requirements, we can make meaningful safety improvements. The code of practice was put together with input from various associations, engineers, suppliers, and health and safety professionals.”
The guide will be distributed to all RESCON members and sent to the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. RESCON is also planning to host a crane safety event in January.
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