New ISO standards on crane inspections aim to reduce the risk of accident both to persons involved in a lifting operation and those in the vicinity, as well as of damage to property. ISO 23814:2009, Cranes – Competency requirements for crane inspectors, specifies the competency required of persons who carry out periodic, exceptional, alteration and thorough inspections of cranes. It excludes the day-to-day inspection and checks performed by crane operators and maintenance personnel.
The standard addresses the following issues:
The objective of this International Standard is to achieve a uniformly high competency of crane inspectors worldwide. In some countries, there may be additional regulatory requirements that must also be taken into account.
Two other standards point out that to ensure cranes are operated safely, their proper working and operational conditions need to be maintained. Therefore, all cranes are required to undergo inspections to detect deviations from safe conditions. The inspections are the responsibility of crane users or owners.
ISO 9927-1:2009, Cranes – Inspections – Part 1: General specifies the inspections to be carried out on cranes, excluding inspections carried out prior to first use.
It covers:
ISO 9927-3:2005, Cranes – Inspections – Part 3: Tower cranes specifies the regular inspections to be carried out on tower cranes:
The introduction of new International Standards and the regular review of existing ones will have a direct and positive effect on general safety by reducing potential hazards, as well as helping to remove technical barriers to the international trade in cranes.
Actively involved in the elaboration of these standards are multi-national and national manufacturers, users, inspection bodies, institutions for higher education, insurance companies and government health and safety organizations from all five continents.
ISO 9927-1:2009, ISO 9927-3:2005 and ISO 23814:2009 were developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 96, Cranes, subcommittee SC 5, Use, operation and maintenance.
ISO 9927-1:2009, Cranes – Inspections – Part 1: General, ISO 9927-3:2005, Cranes – Inspections – Part 3: Tower cranes and ISO 23814:2009, Cranes – Competency requirements for crane inspectors, are available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details).
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