WorkCover NSW addressing crane safety

WorkCover NSW’s Crane Safety Roundtable was specially convened on 4 December in the wake of the crane fire and collapse at the University of Technology, Sydney Broadway, on Tuesday 27 November 2012. The purpose of the roundtable, which was attended by representatives of building industry, unions, crane suppliers and the NSW Industry Plant Consultative Committee, a joint initiative of WorkCover NSW, the Master Builders Association of NSW and the NSW CFMEU, was to prevent such incidents from happening again.

A commitment to maintain and improve tower crane safety and emergency evacuation procedures in the building industry was the key outcome from the WorkCover NSW roundtable which also provided a preliminary update on WorkCover’s investigation into possible causes of the recent incident in Sydney.

General Manager of WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division John Watson said that tower cranes are potentially hazardous plant machinery and the outcome of this recent incident could have been catastrophic. He said WorkCover’s investigation into the incident in Sydney was ongoing.

WorkCover officials provided a preliminary briefing in relation to possible root causes and preliminary actions in relation to reviewing and monitoring risk controls. While the actual cause of the incident is not yet known, a number of potential causes have been identified.

“WorkCover has taken possession of a number of relevant components and transported them to its Londonderry facility for testing and analysis in an attempt to identify the cause of the fire,” said Watson. “Any action taken by WorkCover will be dependent on the findings of the investigation.”

The roundtable agreed that all persons in control of tower cranes should address the following key risk controls:

Fire prevention measures

• Check fuel lines and hydraulic hoses are located away from ignition sources or guarded to prevent leaking fluid from contacting potential ignition sources.
• Do not store unnecessary quantities of combustibles on the machine deck.
• Enhance inspection and maintenance programs to prevent or minimise fluid leaks, including preventative maintenance to replace hoses before they fail.
• When replacing hoses ensure that they meet the crane manufacturer’s specifications.
• Ensure hydraulic systems are operating as designed and any malfunctions, including leaks, are repaired prior to the crane resuming service.

Fire control measures

• Ensure fire extinguishing equipment and fire detection and control systems are correctly maintained and serviced.
• Ensure operators understand the use of fire extinguishing equipment provided.

Evacuation procedures and systems

• Review site evacuation procedures to include consideration of structural collapse including tower cranes.
• Ensure emergency plans and communication systems are adequate and well maintained.

The roundtable was also reminded of the need to be vigilant about general site safety including falls from heights.

The WorkCover investigation into the fire is predicted to take some time to complete; however, as further, more detailed risk information comes to hand, this information will be disseminated to industry in a form which will assist industry in progressing prevention actions.