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Ainscough Crane Hire has undertaken a complex lifting operation at Royal Derby Hospital supporting its client Skanska in the installation of new chillers and a plant room on the hospital’s rooftop.
The challenging lift at the hospital – part of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton – was executed using a 500-tonne crane equipped with a 77-metre luffing fly jib.
The operation required meticulous planning and coordination due to the site’s live hospital environment and limited working space. The Ainscough team, led by Heavy Cranes technical manager Bob Beardmore, mobilised at the hospital on Friday night, with a ten-hour rigging operation carried out by a 60-tonne rigging crane.
Working on a gradient added further complexity to the setup. The team engineered a bespoke solution incorporating an ekki mat ramp and standard crane mats to safely distribute loads, taking into account a nearby underground service chamber. The precision of the setup left just 100 millimetres of clearance during rigging – a testament to the accuracy of the planning and on-site execution.
To ensure patient safety and minimal disruption, a large section of the hospital car park was temporarily closed, with an exclusion zone established throughout the lift. The 500-tonne crane slewed the prefabricated plant room, two chillers, and associated steelwork into position atop the building, with another contractor skating the units into their final locations.
The project benefited from extensive preparatory work by Ainscough’s planning and drawing office team, including Marcus Leyshon, who carried out multiple site visits and coordinated detailed lift plans, method statements, and risk assessments that saw the temporary removal of street furniture. Mark Brown supported with lifting tackle configuration, ensuring the eight-point lift accounted for the offset centre of gravity of the loads.
Despite the complexity, the operation was completed several hours ahead of schedule.
Bob Beardmore commented: “This was a highly challenging lift in a constrained, live environment, but the teamwork between our site crew, planning office, and the client ensured a safe and successful outcome. It’s a great example of Ainscough’s engineering expertise and commitment to delivering complex projects safely and efficiently.”
