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Crane Employer Site Inspection Questions

Safe Work Practices
This page refers to Doc. No. 000001

Updated 2024-11-30

Overview

What is the "Level Up, Own Your Lift" Self-Planned Inspection Process?

The “Level Up, Own Your Lift” inspection program is a self-planned inspection process for worksites that use cranes (mobile self-erect and tower) to measure your responsible persons’/parties’ compliance with crane safety.

BC Crane Safety is constructing crane-process-specific self-planned inspection questions and support materials for:

  • Prime contractors
  • Crane employers
  • Crane owners
  • Crane supervisors
  • Crane operators

BC Crane Safety is providing these self-planned inspection questions to educate crane stakeholders for a better understanding of their health and safety responsibilities to comply with WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and relevant CSA standards.

This set of questions has been developed in conjunction with WorkSafeBC's Crane/Mobile Equipment Team. It is recommended that crane employers and owners refer to these questions to improve their company or site safety management systems.

Plan - Site Responsibilities Questions

Questions: Site PlanningNext Steps

1. Is the crane user the prime contractor or a sub-contracted employer?

WCA 24, OHSR 4.1, 20.3

  • If the crane is leased, review the lease to determine if an assembly supervisor has been assigned and how routine maintenance will be completed.

2. What company employs the crane operator?

WCA 21, OHSR 14.34

  • Use Crane Operator Questions.

3. Who is the crane operator’s qualified supervisor? Is the qualified supervisor at the worksite?

WCA21, OHSR 14.34

  • Use Provisional Crane Operator Supervisor Questions.

4. Has the employer adequately assessed and planned the worksite to identify the hazards and risks associated with crane operations and developed safe work practices?

WCA 21, 24 OHSR 4.1, 14.38(6), 20.3(4)(c)

  • Use the BC Crane Safety Tower Crane Pre-erection requirements checklist.
  • Site-specific hazard identification and risk assessment.

5. Has the employer ensured appropriate safe work procedures are in place to mitigate the identified risks?

WCA 21, 24, OHSR 4.1, 14.38(6), 20.3(4)(c)

  • Use the BC Crane Safety Tower Crane Pre-erection Requirements checklist.
  • Site specific hazard identification and risk assessment.
  • Site specific work procedures.
  • The assembly and disassembly of a tower crane, including mobile crane location, qualified assembly supervisor and workers.
    OHSR 14.73
  • BC Crane Safety Crane Assembly Supervisor Questions.
  • Loading and lifting zones for the duration of the job.
    CSA 2248-6.2.3
  • Site safety plans traffic control plans.
  • Crane selection and placement to minimize potential contacts with adjacent structures, cranes, pumps and other equipment.
    OHSR 4.1, 14.84, 14.85, 2.03(4)(b)
  • Site plans showing crane location and hazards.
  • Overlapping cranes to ensure contact does not occur.
    OHSR 14.84
  • Anti-collision, zoning, range limiting.
  • Site specific work procedures.
  • Overhead high voltage power lines and overhead trolley lines.
    OHSR 19.12, 19.24
  • 30M33 in place.
  • Anti-collision, zoning, range limiting.
  • Safe work procedures.
  • Emergency response planning for workers and crane operators.
    OHSR 4.13, CSA 2248-7.2
  • BCCSA Technical High Angle Rope Rescue Agreement.
  • Safe work procedures including Designated Emergency Platform (DEP).

How Many Types of Self-Planned Inspections Are There?

There are five types of inspections, including:

  • Crane Employer/Site Inspections
  • Provisional Operator Supervisor Checks
  • Preventive Maintenance Inspections
  • Crane Operator Qualification Checks

Inspection/Check Questions are available for download on the BC Crane Safety website.

Check - Documentation Program Questions

Questions - Maintenance Program

  1. 1.

    Who is responsible for collecting and organizing all relevant documentation for the crane in use at this work site?
    OHSR 14.13, 14.79

    Crane binder with table of contents.

  2. 2.

    Are the crane operator and crane supervisor familiar with the documentation and have they signed off on all relevant documents and site specific work procedures?
    WCA 24

    Are the crane operator and crane supervisor familiar with the documentation and have they signed off on all relevant documents and site specific work procedures?WCA 24
  3. 3.

    Is the crane documentation accessible for crane operators, the crane supervisor, riggers, maintenance workers and inspectors? Where are the records kept at the work site?
    OHSR 14.79

    Is the crane documentation accessible for crane operators, the crane supervisor, riggers, maintenance workers and inspectors? Where are the records kept at the work site?OHSR 14.79
  4. 4.

    Is the manufacturer's manual on site and available to the crane operator, riggers, crane supervisors, maintenance crews and inspectors?
    OHSR 14.12

    Is the manufacturer's manual on site and available to the crane operator, riggers, crane supervisors, maintenance crews and inspectors?OHSR 14.12

Plan, Do, Check & Act

BC Crane Safety’s Level Up SelfPlanned Inspections are education and awareness materials for crane stakeholders to us an informed approach to inspections as part of a safety management system focusing on worksite monitoring and continuous improvement.

Check - Crane Operations Questions

Questions - Maintenance Program

  1. 1.

    Describe how routine and preventive maintenance is carried out at the work site daily, weekly, monthly. Is adequate time being allotted for this?
    OHSR 14.13, 14.35

    BC Crane Safety Preventive Maintenance Workbook.

  2. 2.

    Do the site records confirm the name of the crane operator or other person carrying out this maintenance in detail, and record the date of the maintenance?
    OHSR 14.34, 14.79

    Do the site records confirm the name of the crane operator or other person carrying out this maintenance in detail, and record the date of the maintenance?OHSR 14.34, 14.79
  3. 3.

    Have there been any operational concerns identified and reported by the crane operator to the appropriate person?
    OHSR 3.10, 14.35, 14.79

    Have there been any operational concerns identified and reported by the crane operator to the appropriate person?OHSR 3.10, 14.35, 14.79
  4. 4.

    Has the employer confirmed the qualifications of third-party maintenance company and personnel carrying out structural welding and other repairs or modifications?
    WCA 21, 23 OHSR 14.35, 14.79

    Has the employer confirmed the qualifications of third-party maintenance company and personnel carrying out structural welding and other repairs or modifications?WCA 21, 23 OHSR 14.35, 14.79
  5. 5.

    Demonstrate an understanding of various types of rigging equipment, including selection, use and maintaining records of inspections.
    OHSR 15.2

    Demonstrate an understanding of various types of rigging equipment, including selection, use and maintaining records of inspections.OHSR 15.2

Act - Post-Inspection Discussion

Continuous Improvement Next Steps

During the post-inspection discussion, please encourage the worksite representatives to act on the key learnings or areas of improvement.

If unsure, help them to identify 1-2 measures that need to/must be corrected, changed, eliminated or modified to improve worker and worksite safety.

The Act stage of the Plan-Do-Check-Act process is where the worksite representative/superintendent implements an improved baseline of operations and remeasures implementation to ensure improvements/corrections. By measuring implementation i.e., identifying a lower level of risk, reducing hazard severity/frequency, the worksite is taking positive action towards improved health and safety.

Workers Compensation OHSR - Excerpts

WCB OHSR Excerpts

Included are some of the relevant parts of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) on crane employer and site responsibilities.

Manual and instructions – OHSR 14.12

  1. In this section:
    “engineer’s instructions” means instructions, approved in writing by a professional engineer for the assembly, erection, dismantling, maintenance, inspection and operation of the component parts of a crane or hoist and of the assembled crane or hoist.
    “manufacturer’s manual” means a manual prepared by the manufacturer of a crane or hoist that describes the approved methods of assembly, erection, dismantling, maintenance, inspection and operation of the component parts of the crane or hoist and of the assembled crane or hoist.
  2. A crane or hoist must not be used unless the following is reasonably accessible to the equipment operator and other persons inspecting or maintaining the equipment at the workplace where the crane or hoist is to be used:
    1. the manufacturer's manual for the crane or hoist;
    2. if the manufacturer's manual is not available, an engineer's instructions for the crane or hoist.
  3. A crane or hoist must not be used unless the following is readily available at the workplace where the crane or hoist is to be used:
    1. the portions of the manufacturer’s manual related to the assembly erection dismantling inspection routine maintenance and safe operation of the crane or hoist;
    2. if the portions of the manufacturer’s manual referred to in paragraph (a) are not available the portions of an engineer's instructions related to the assembly erection dismantling inspection routine maintenance and safe operation of the crane or hoist.

Pre-use inspection – OHSR 14.35

  • 1. Before an operator uses a crane or hoist the operator must ensure that
    1. the crane or hoist was inspected for that work shift, and
    2. the control and safety devices were tested for that work shift.
  • 1.1. The inspection and testing in Subsection (1) must be carried out in the manner specified
    1. by the manufacturer
    2. in the applicable design or safety standards set out in section 14.2 and
    3. in this Regulation.
  • 2. Any defects found during inspection or use of a crane or hoist must be recorded in the inspection and maintenance record system and be reported immediately to the supervisor who must determine the course of action to be taken.
  • 3. If a defect affects the safe operation of the crane or hoist, the equipment must not be used until the defect has been remedied.

Co-ordination at multiple-employer workplaces – WCA 24

  1. The prime contractor of a multiple-employer workplace must
    1. ensure that the activities of employers, workers and other persons at the workplace relating to occupational health and safety are coordinated, and
    2. do everything that is reasonably practicable to establish and maintain a system or process that will ensure compliance with the OHS provisions and the regulations in respect of the workplace.
  2. Each employer of workers at a multiple-employer workplace must give to the prime contractor the name of the person the employer has designated to supervise the employer's workers at that workplace.

For More Information

For more crane safety-related information, including operator certification, contact BC Association for Crane Safety (BC Crane Safety) or check the BC Crane Safety website at www.bccranesafety.ca.

 

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