CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > November 2022 35 ESTA: 1 ESTA Crane and access platformmanufacturers - plus ESTA and European rental companies - have reacted with disbelief to a clause in the draft new European Machinery Regulations that requires all mobile machinery to be designed to prevent contact with overhead power lines or where the risk cannot be avoided, designed to ensure that all hazards “of an electrical nature” are prevented. Industry experts say they will support any practical measures to improve safety, but such requirements are impossible to deliver. When finally agreed, the European Machinery Regulations will update the existing Machinery Directive from 2006. This is one of the main pieces of legislation governing the harmonisation of health and safety requirements for machinery throughout the EU and is intended to promote the free movement of machinery within the single market as well as ensuring a high level of protection for workers and the public. The new disagreement concerns a proposal hidden away in the depths of the regulations - to be precise in Annex III, Part 3, point 3.5.4. The current version of the regulations states: “When the risk of contact or electric arc with an energised overhead power line to the persons operating machinery incurred by the contact cannot be fully avoided, mobile machinery or related product shall be designed and constructed so as to prevent any electrical hazards in the event of contact with an energized power line.” Klaus Meissner, chairman of CEN TC147/WG11 - the committee responsible for the EN13000 product safety standard for mobile cranes - said: “Neither remote control of mobile cranes, their isolation, nor grounding of the equipment as a whole can prevent all hazards when contacting electrical power lines or arcing. “Using the cabin as shelter would require blocking the doors in case of contact to power lines or arcing, which in itself bears the risk that persons could not leave the cabin in case of subsequent fire.” Similar concerns have been voiced by Luisa Parisotto, Senior Regulatory and Compliance Manager for Genie and MEWPs Product Group President for FEM, the European Materials Handling Federation. As currently drafted, the regulations would effectively forbid the production or import of any new cranes or mobile machinery as no technical solutions exist that would allow the regulations’ requirements to be met. Industry experts say that the way to improve safety is through effective and professional site management, common standards and high-quality training - not by making impossible demands on the equipment manufacturers and their clients. ESTA and manufacturers say parts of new EU machinery regs are “completely unworkable” ESTA is planning to launch an English-language version of the CO2 calculator developed by Dutch crane association VVT. It will only be available to ESTA members via the ESTA website. The tool will allow members to calculate the CO2 production of a specified crane when executing a project including the work involved in mobilisation and demobilisation. ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “It is already a requirement to compare the CO2 output of the various operational options of executing a project when asking for quotes from contractors as a government organisation or when working on Government instigated projects. Hence, crane operating companies need to have a method of calculating their CO2 production when quoting for a project.” ESTA planning CO2 calculator