Fairfax, Va.-based SC&RA met earlier this month with representatives from the European Federation of Materials Handling (FEM), the Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) and the European Association of Heavy Haulage Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA), at Liebherr-Werk Ehingen Gmbh's facilities in Ehingen, Germany. Twenty-six representatives participated in the meetings. SC&RA was represented by a delegation of nine.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss current revisions to the European Standard (EN13000) and SC&RA's concerns regarding its impact on safety within the industry. Of particular concern were two key issues, including the elimination of the standard override key and reducing operating speed down to 15 percent when in an override situation. The SC&RA has been working with FEM to resolve differences of opinion concerning the EN13000 standard since a meeting at ConExpo in March 2008.
In addition to discussions regarding EN13000, particularly beneficial were sessions that enabled participants to compare how legal and regulatory realities of various nations affect safety and productivity. The group also examined ways to harmonize laws and regulations to foster international cooperation throughout the industry. As part of that effort, the group viewed a demonstration of a Liebherr crane with new EN13000 features specified by FEM.
While no specific changes to EN13000 were agreed upon, the four organizations agreed to continue discussions throughout the coming year. The next meeting of the four associations will be held in conjunction with the World Crane & Transport Summit, Oct. 22-23, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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