September 23, 2025
BC Crane Safety Newsletter
FALL 2025
DEP Endorsement Program Now Available
BC Crane Safety is pleased to announce the launch of the Dedicated Emergency Platform / Dedicated Evacuation Platform (DEP) Endorsement for provisional crane operators.
This endorsement allows provisional tower crane operators to perform DEP lifts in emergency situations without direct supervision under strict conditions and in compliance with B.C. Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
The endorsement is specific to the make, model, and serial number of the tower crane and requires an approved application supported by documentation.
To qualify for the endorsement, the operator must meet the following criteria:
- Must be registered with BC Crane Safety and have a valid provisional certification.
- Possess a minimum of 900 workplace hours and 500 seat-time hours on tower cranes, both verifiable through the SkillRecord Passport.
- Must have successfully completed the SkilledTradesBC Level 1 Standard Level Exam (SLE).
- Submit and maintain proof of 40 seat-time hours on the specific crane make and model, with a corresponding operator orientation on file.
- Have completed a documented dry run of the DEP lift under the direct supervision of a qualified supervisor with the documentation available for review on file.
- Maintain current inspection records, engineering documentation, and valid certification of the DEP on file and available for review.
A completed, signed, and legible DEP Endorsement Checklist and a supporting documentation package must be submitted to BC Crane Safety for review.
DEP endorsement is only valid once BC Crane Safety has approved the application.
To get started, download the DEP Endorsement Checklist form (includes instructions).
For full details, please visit Dedicated Emergency Platform / Dedicated Evacuation Platform (DEP) knowledge base page.
If you need more information about the provisional operator program, visit our Provisional Crane Operator knowledge base page.
Contact us at DEP@bccranesafety.ca if you need help with the process or submitting your application.
Rigger Competency: A Critical Safety Standard Under OHSR Part 15
Riggers are essential to safe crane operations, responsible for securing loads, preventing accidents, and ensuring smooth lifts. WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation Part 15: Rigging sets strict competency requirements. All rigging must be performed by a qualified rigger—someone with the knowledge, training, and experience to identify and control hazards, select proper rigging equipment, and use authorized signalling methods.
Key obligations include:
- Load Assessment and Equipment Selection: Riggers must calculate dimensions, weights and centre of gravity accurately and use properly rated slings, shackles and hardware.
- Inspection and Maintenance: Rigging components must be inspected before use and removed if worn or damaged.
- Safe Practices and Communication: From taglines to standard signals, clear coordination with crane operators is mandatory.
Employers must ensure riggers understand rigging fundamentals, signaling codes (including hand signals, audible signals, voice signals and new or non-standard signals), and safe lifting procedures. Qualified riggers save lives. Make qualifications and skills a priority on your worksite.
Read the full article to learn more about rigger qualifications and Part 15 compliance.
Rights and Responsibilities – Owners and Prime Contractors / General Contractors
The rights and responsibilities series in our newsletters started with workers, outlining the right to refuse unsafe work in our Winter 2024 edition, followed up in Spring 2025 by an article about the right to know about hazards in the workplace, and the right to participate in health and safety activities in the Summer 2025 newsletter.
This article is focused on the rights and responsibilities of owners and prime contractors or general contractors on the jobsite, including references to the Workers Compensation Act and WorkSafeBC regulation requirements.
The owner of a worksite is responsible for the health and safety of their jobsite or property. If the owner is also the employer, the responsibilities of both must be met to be compliant with OHS regulations and the Act (employer responsibilities will be reviewed in the BC Crane Safety Winter 2025 newsletter).
Responsibilities of the owner include:
- Maintaining the premises in a way that ensures the health and safety of people working on the site.
- Disclosing to employers or prime contractors the full details of any potential hazards in or around the workplace so they can be eliminated or controlled.
- Complying with occupational health and safety requirements and orders.
For jobsites that have more than one employer working at the same time, a prime contractor (also known as a general contractor) is required to be named in an official written agreement determined by the owner. In the absence of a documented agreement, the owner is considered to be the prime contractor. The documented prime contractor of the jobsite absorbs full responsibility for coordinating health and safety activities at the jobsite for employers, workers, and anyone else involved at the worksite.
It’s important to note that employers are still responsible for the health and safety of their own workers. The prime contractor systemizes the health and safety of the multiple employers on the jobsite to ensure all trades are informed and able to carry out their work safely. Prime contractors are additionally responsible for establishing and maintaining procedures to ensure occupational health and safety requirements and regulations at the jobsite they manage are being followed by their contractors. While every person on a jobsite has distinct responsibilities when it comes to health and safety, ensuring the jobsite runs in compliance by all parties involved is the responsibility of the owner or prime contractor.
You can read more about rights and responsibilities in our previous newsletters.
Q&A
Question: Is it acceptable for a site to intentionally direct additional surface water from surrounding areas on site into a tower crane base, taking advantage of the existing crane base pump system to manage the excess water?
Answer: OHSR 14.78: Structures Kept Clean states: Tower crane structures must be kept clean and free of concrete and other debris that can hinder inspection, and the base area must be clear of debris and the accumulation of water. Diverting additional water from other areas on site to the crane base is not permitted
Even a small accumulation of water at the base can hinder the structural integrity of the base/slab/pad itself, the anchors, the bolts etc. specifically if the water freezes and thaws.
The crane owner should be notified of this if they aren’t already and this should be noted in the operator log as a concern of the operator.
Question: Our site has decided to go digital with most of our site paperwork, from hazard assessments to pre-trip inspection checklists. Is it legal in B.C. to have the crane logbook stored in digital format? There is a digital system that allows you to access the full digital logbook and complete maintenance history of a crane via a QR code placed in the operator’s cab. This works well when a new operator arrives on site.
Answer: There is no regulation preventing the use of digital logbooks, however records must be available upon request and the system used must allow for daily and pre-use entries, and the ability to be signed off by those conducting the inspection and/or work. The requirements are covered in the following sections of the OHSR Parts 4 and 14:
OHSR Section 4.9 Inspection and Maintenance Records: If this regulation requires a machine or piece of equipment to have an inspection and maintenance record, then an effective written or other permanent recording system or log must be immediately available to the equipment operator and to any other person involved with inspection and maintenance of the equipment.
OHSR Section 14.14 Inspection and Maintenance Records: Records of inspection and maintenance meeting the requirements of Part 4 (General Conditions) must be kept by the equipment operator and other persons inspecting and maintaining the equipment.
Question: Is it compliant with WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation for a foreman who has been trained internally by staff that hold a General Radio Operator Certificate, to use the crane’s radio frequency to relay lift instructions to riggers?
Answer: OHSR Section 14.49: Dedicated Radio System
- A two-way radio system used for communications between the operator of a tower crane or a self-erecting tower crane and the riggers and signallers working with that operator, must operate on a frequency and at a transmitter power assigned and coordinated by the Board or by a person acceptable to the Board.
- Multi-channel radios are not permitted for use to direct crane or hoist movement.
- Only the operator of the crane and the riggers and signallers working with the operator may have the capability to transmit on the radio frequency assigned under subsection (1).
As per WorkSafeBC OHSR 14.49: Dedicated Radio System, there are specific requirements that must be followed when using two-way radios for crane operations:
- Dedicated Frequency: The two-way radio system must operate on a frequency assigned and coordinated by WorkSafeBC or a person acceptable to the Board. This ensures clear and uninterrupted communication for crane operations.
- No Multi-Channel Radios: The regulation explicitly states that multi-channel radios are not permitted for directing crane or hoist movement. This means users must not switch channels during crane operations, which can risk critical instructions being missed.
- Transmitting Rights: Only the crane operator and their assigned riggers/signallers may transmit on the crane operation frequency. This is to maintain the integrity and clarity of crane-specific instructions.
While training your foremen on proper radio etiquette and providing in-house instruction through a certified General Radio Operator is proactive, it does not override the restrictions in OHSR 14.49.
Even if your foreman is trained, they are not permitted to transmit on the crane’s designated radio frequency unless they are one of the authorized riggers or signallers working directly with the crane operator.
Additionally, crane communication channels must never be used for administrative purposes, coordination, or other non-crane operational discussions, no matter how relevant they may seem to the lift. Interference or unauthorized communication, even with good intentions, can cause serious safety risks.
Question: We have a new crane operator on site and the sponsoring employer on their card doesn’t match the employer that they are on site for. Can they operate the crane?
Answer: No, the operator should not run the crane on site until their sponsoring employer is corrected because the provisional certification belongs to the sponsoring employer and not the operator. The sponsoring employer may be correct in the BC Crane Safety system but not on the certificate, you can check this in two ways:
- Use the BC Crane Safety Credential Checker and search by operator last name and BC Crane Safety ID, or by credential number. The operator’s certification will be displayed on screen with the sponsoring employer.
- Contact BC Crane Safety via email: info@bccranesafety.ca or by calling 604-336-4510.
To change sponsoring employers, you will need to fill out a Level B – Change of Employer form from Fulford Certification. For more information contact BC Crane Safety or Fulford Certification.
Question: I am asking about the pallet forks regulations and the requirements on securing the pallet load to the forks (i.e. ratchet strap/rope). Is it a requirement or not to secure the load to the forks? I’ve always been taught to use a ratchet strap, and I am currently dealing with someone telling me it’s not a requirement?
Answer: OHSR Regulation 14.38 Safe Lifting (3) states the following:
A load must be secured during a lift to ensure that all or any part of the load cannot be dislodged.
As the load is being lifted by the forks (usually on a pallet), the load/pallet must be secured to them. Using a ratchet strap is a very acceptable practice for this.
Question: Can iron workers weld their own pick points to a piece of structural steel or angle iron? Let’s say the beams or angle iron did not come with engineered lift points and they have a welder on site. Can they weld the picking eyes onto the steel themselves?
Answer: Under WorkSafeBC OHS regulations, it is not permitted to weld any pick points (lifting eyes) onto structural steel without a professional engineer’s approval.
OHSR Section 15.28 Welding: Rigging and fittings which have been repaired by welding must not be placed in service until certified safe for continued use by a professional engineer.
