Having a dedicated emergency platform readily available on a site can significantly enhance safety and emergency response capabilities. In the event of an accident or structural failure, a DEP can be used to evacuate injured or trapped people.
Work at high angles requires specialized rescue and can be effectively performed using DEPs hoisted by a tower or mobile crane. Cranes can lift the platform and/or access areas that are otherwise challenging to reach.
Cranes also enable controlled movement and positioning for efficient rescue operations and help emergency responders avoid unnecessary risks associated with unstable structures, debris, and hazardous conditions.
Tower Crane Provisional Operator Dedicated Emergency Platform (DEP) Lifts
Provisional tower crane operators are not permitted to perform critical lifts without direct supervision. In an emergency, performing a DEP extraction lift is a common action on job sites in an emergency response plan.
Allowing provisional operators to perform this critical lift under specific requirements and conditions helps improve site safety and provides valuable learning opportunities for the operator.
A DEP endorsement is an industry supported solution to enable tower crane provisional operators to perform a DEP emergency extraction.
This endorsement is tower crane make, model, and serial number specific. Specified paperwork provided on the application must be available for on-site review if requested, for the DEP endorsement to be valid.
The DEP endorsement allows the provisional operator to perform a DEP extraction without direct supervision with the following conditions and restrictions:
- The provisional operator may perform this lift only in an emergency situation.
- All DEP endorsement requirements must be met (see DEP Endorsement Checklist).
- The DEP endorsement application has been approved by BC Crane Safety.
- The lift is performed on the specific tower crane make, model and serial number specified in the DEP endorsement.
You can use the BC Crane Safety DEP Endorsement Checklist to apply for a DEP endorsement.
The DEP Endorsement Checklist outlines the conditions for the DEP endorsement, including a requirement to have documented 40 seat time hours logged on the specific crane make and model with the operator orientation on file and available for review.
Once approved, you will receive a letter from BC Crane Safety via email confirming your endorsement.
If a provisional operator or the sponsoring employer of a provisional operator does not have documented approval of the DEP endorsement from BC Crane Safety, that operator is subject to the critical lift restrictions of using a DEP box including direct supervision for the task.
This DEP endorsement does not cover non-emergency lifts of a person in a work platform suspended from or attached to a crane or a hoist.
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CONTACT
BC CRANE SAFETY
PO Box 42066, RPO Guildford
Surrey, BC V3R 1S5
PHONE: 604-336-4699
FAX: 604-336-4510
EMAIL: info@bccranesafety.ca
