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An international group of crane experts were brought together at an annual conference for a one-day seminar to learn the best ways to keep assets compliant, safe and effectively maintained. Reducing the risk of lifting accidents on construction sites and infrastructure projects. The annual conference was held this week at Birdcage Walk, London.
Crane Safety 2018 brought together decision makers across cranes and construction to discuss dynamic solutions available. Experts joined together to discuss and develop strategies to make lifting operations as safe, timely and as cost-efficient as possible.
Teams and delegates heard contributions from the regulators, construction companies and crane operators on their latest case studies and novel approaches. This was a unique opportunity to learn from those working across complex construction projects. Case studies included presentations on lifting in the construction of tunnels, bridges, offshore environments and tall buildings. Sam Pitt, Ainscough’s Special Projects Engineer took delegates through the planning and engineering phases by way of a case study following the complex project Installation of Scarborough Bridge, York.
‘Early involvement and getting everyone involved at the design phase is key, offering expert design and engineering solutions’ explains Sam Pitt ‘engineering out risk and offering the most cost effective solutions.’
Delegates took part in breakout sessions to gain interactive guidance on technical challenges including human factors, increased automation, non-destructive examination for cranes and the legal aspects of reducing risk. Crane Safety 2018 offered a unique opportunity to explore the practical challenges being faced in major construction projects, and identified methods to address them.
“As lifting projects continue to become more complex, crane owners and operators must understand how to maintain high levels of safety and compliance with industry regulations. A number of highly regarded speakers shared best practice and case study presentations on a variety of challenging lifting projects in the real world. There was interesting debate around risk and incident reduction and how to balance effective maintenance with existing budgets. Crane Safety 2018 was invaluable for anyone with responsibility for lifting operations.”
Tim Watson, Chair, Crane Safety 2018, and Technical Consultant, Construction Plant-hire Association.
