Crane hire on residential construction sites in Australia

What it is

Crane hire on a residential build means bringing a mobile crane onto site to lift trusses, steel beams, precast panels or pool shells. In Australia the lift only goes ahead if the crane operator holds the right high risk work licence class, the load is rigged by someone with a dogging or rigging licence when needed and the crane itself meets the design and inspection rules in the AS 1418 series. The builder running the site does not get to delegate that paperwork to the hire company. Both parties carry duties under the model Work Health and Safety Regulations.

Licensing the people in the lift

Every mobile crane operator on a residential site must hold a high risk work licence in the correct class for the crane being used. Schedule 3 of the model WHS Regulations lists the classes. A non-slewing mobile crane up to 3 tonnes uses class CN. A slewing mobile crane is split into CV up to 20 tonnes, C2 up to 60 tonnes, C6 up to 100 tonnes and C0 over 100 tonnes. Pick truss with a vehicle loading crane and the operator needs a CV class licence if the unit has a rated capacity of 10 metre tonnes or more.

When a dogger is required

A dogger directs the crane operator when the load leaves the line of sight, or when slinging techniques are needed to attach the load. On a residential block that often means trusses being landed over a partly framed first floor, or precast steps craned into a sloping backyard. The dogger holds a DG class licence. If the work involves erecting cranes, hoists or precast panels the higher rigging classes apply, RB intermediate or RA advanced.

Plant rules under AS 1418

AS 1418.1 covers general requirements for cranes, hoists and winches. AS 1418.5 covers mobile cranes, including the stability factors a unit must comply with before it lifts. The hire company is the supplier of plant under the WHS Regulations and must give the builder information about hazards, design registration, last major inspection and rated capacity. A residential builder receiving the crane should ask for a copy of that plant safety information and the most recent annual inspection record before the lift goes ahead.

Ground assessment

Mobile cranes on a suburban block often set up on driveways, nature strips or compacted fill near a slab edge. Outrigger loads from a 60 tonne crane can exceed 25 tonnes per pad. The builder is responsible for the working surface. That means checking for buried services, sewer covers, soft fill near recent excavation and the bearing capacity of the ground. Timber bog mats or steel plates spread the load.

PCBU duties when hiring

The crane hire company is a PCBU. The residential builder is also a PCBU. Both share the duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate. On a small residential job that consultation usually happens in the pre-start meeting on the morning of the lift. The builder confirms the lift plan, exclusion zones, dogger and crane operator licence numbers and what the wind shutdown threshold is. Most lift plans in Australia stop work at 36 kilometres per hour wind speed at the boom tip unless the crane manufacturer specifies a lower limit.

What the lift plan should cover

A lift plan for a typical residential truss or beam pickup should record load weight, lift radius, slewing arc, ground conditions, exclusion zone size and how that zone will be controlled. It should name the crane operator and dogger and reference the relevant licences. SafeWork NSW publishes guidance on roles and responsibilities when hiring or using a mobile crane that small builders can use as a checklist.

Common residential failure points

The frequent issues SafeWork inspectors see on residential sites are operators working outside their licence class, doggers directing lifts without a current DG ticket, outrigger pads set on soft ground next to a fresh excavation and lifts continuing in marginal wind. WorkSafe Victoria has flagged vehicle loading crane deliveries on residential sites as a known risk because the truck driver, who may not hold a CV ticket, sometimes operates the crane when the licensed operator steps away. Builders should refuse the delivery if that happens.

Records the builder should keep

Keep copies of the high risk work licences for the operator and dogger, the lift plan, the daily pre-start check, the plant safety information from the hire company and the most recent annual inspection certificate. If WorkSafe attends after an incident those records are the first things they will ask for.