CPA Bulletin

34 CPA Bulletin > November 2021 www.cpa.uk.net ESTA: 1 ESTA ESTA is to set up a new working group to investigate creating a Europe-wide register of crane accidents. The decision was taken at the most recent online meeting of the organisation’s General Assembly - ESTA’s ruling body - on October 15. Concern is growing in the crane industry that governments and regulators are proposing new safety measures based on inaccurate or mistaken information. ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “As an industry, the crane sector will strongly support any measures to improve safety, but they have to be effective. “Without a register of accidents, we as an industry are open to the misinterpretation of accidents by ill-informed governments and regulators and the desire to improve safety can easily become a politically driven discussion, rather than one driven by science and professional analysis. “So it is very important that we in the crane industry have our own data so that new rules and regulations are based on fact.” Call for Crane Accident Register The International Crane Stakeholders Assembly (ICSA) has released new guidance on ‘Mobile Crane Ground Preparation for Wind Farm Construction’. The decision to approve the guidance for publication was taken at the ICSA’s most recent meeting. The guidance focuses on two construction areas, access roads and crane working areas: 1. Access roads - ground bearing pressure for crane weight on the road - route path (e.g., swept path analysis to assist the determination of dimensional and clearance requirements for the crane path). 2. Crane working areas - suggestions on hardstand construction - ground bearing pressure for different lifting configurations ground level requirements for crane working areas Road construction for transport of wind turbine components is not considered in this guidance document. In the introduction, the guidance says: “Since most of the vehicles used for wind farm applications are special-purpose vehicles or vehicles with heavy loads, the requirements and design standards of access roads and working areas should be specified by the controlling entity during the planning stage to ensure all construction activities can be conducted safely.” The new guidance is the fourth published by the ICSA. The others are: - Leaving mobile cranes unattended in [partially] erected mode - Lifting A Load With Several Mobile Cranes (Multiple Crane or Tandem Lifting) - Lifting of Persons with Mobile Cranes. All are available for free download from the ICSA website at www.icsa-crane.org or in the library section of ESTA’s website. The ICSA has seven members, including ESTA, bringing together crane users and manufacturers from Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and the USA. The members are: • Association of Equipment Manufacturers [AEM] • Crane Industry Council of Australia [CICA] • Crane Rental Association of Canada (CRAC) • The European association of abnormal road transport and mobile cranes [ESTA] • European Federation of Material Handling [FEM] • Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association [SC&RA] * ESTA is working on a second edition of its well-received Best Practice Guide for the Transport and Installation of Onshore WTG Systems. The second edition will also be available in French, German and Spanish, as well as English, and should be produced before the end of the year. The first edition of the ESTA Best Practice Guide can still be downloaded for free from the Library Section of ESTA’s website at www.estaeurope.eu . ICSA Publishes New Guidance on Ground Preparation During Wind Farm Construction