ALL LORRY CRANE OPERATORS TO BE CERTIFIED BY SEPTEMBER 2013

ALL LORRY CRANE OPERATORS TO BE CERTIFIED BY SEPTEMBER 2013
New course launched by WSH Council to enhance safe operation of lorry cranes

By September 2013, all lorry crane operators will have to be certified under a new training course aimed at enhancing safe operation of cranes. This course is a new requirement under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) (Operation of Cranes) Regulations 20111. There are currently about 3,500 lorry cranes2 being operated island-wide and they may pose potential risks to workers and members of
the public as they operate on the roads even during peak periods for landscaping and other activities.

Lorry Crane Operator Course

The WSH Council, in consultation with the National Crane Safety Taskforce,  has developed a new course and test for lorry crane operators. The Lorry Crane  Operator Course (LCOC) is a 2½ day course designed to equip lorry crane operators  with the basic skills and competencies required for the safe operation of lorry cranes.


 Enhancements to the Regulations were previously announced by Mr Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Education and Manpower at the 28th Annual Construction Safety, Health and Security Campaign, organised by Singapore Contractors Association Ltd on 19 July 2011. The Regulations that took effect in September 2011 will strengthen the safety of lifting operations by cranes by requiring the establishment and implementation of a comprehensive Lifting Plan, and training for different members of the lifting team, including the crane operator, lifting supervisor, rigger and signalman.


 Lorry Cranes are referenced in the Workplace Safety and Health (Operation of Cranes) Regulations 2011 as a lorry incorporating an articulated arm mounted on the lorry which is used for loading, unloading and lifting of materials or goods.


The WSH Council set up the National Crane Safety Taskforce in mid 2009 to review the safety of crane operations and make recommendations for industry-level mprovements. The Taskforce announced its threepronged strategy in Sept 2009 to enhance training, outreach efforts and new standards/code of practice.


Under the WSH (Operation of Cranes) Regulations, new lorry crane operators will  have to complete the LCOC and pass the assessments before he is allowed to  operate a lorry crane.


The new course will ensure that all operators are properly trained to be able to  operate lorry cranes competently and safely by September 2013. Besides training  the operators on the roles and responsibilities of a lorry crane operator, the course will also cover other key topics such as principal components of a lorry crane, how an operator can identify possible hazards, implement control measures and perform safe lifting operations.


Experienced lorry crane operators who have at least three years of experience in operating lorry cranes and can show relevant proof of his competency and/or experience will be exempted from the LCOC and allowed to take the Lorry Crane Operator Competency Test (LCOCT) directly. Those who do not pass the test will be required to enrol for the LCOC. The course is available for registration with the BCA Academy from January 2012. More details on LCOC and LCOCT can be found in Annex A.


Mr Ismadi Mohd, Deputy Director of Equipment Safety with the Ministry of  Manpower’s Occupational Safety and Health Division and a member of the Crane  Safety taskforce said, “Over the past five years, unsafe lorry crane work practices  resulted in 4 fatalities across more than 40 incidents. The Ministry’s investigations show that many of these incidents could have been prevented if lorry crane operators were better trained and adhered to proper safe work procedures while  carrying out crane operations. This shows the need to enhance the training and  competencies of our operators.”


Leading this enhancement is Mr Tan Wee Seng, Chairman of the WSH Council-led National Crane Safety Taskforce. He said, “Following extensive discussions with lorry crane stakeholders, we have found that training the operators will be pivotal to improving safety standards as they are primarily the ones in charge of the lorry cranes on-site. Crane accidents have potential risk on the lives of the public, workers and the crane operators. In order to give the industry sufficient time  to comply, lorry crane operators have nearly two years till 1 September 2013 to be  certified. However, we urge all lorry crane companies to send their operators for  training early so that they are better equipped to handle any lifting operations safely.”

Supporting this latest move is Mr Dave Ng, Honorary Auditor of the Singapore Cranes Association. Mr Ng said, “We have reviewed the ways we can enhance the safety of lorry crane operations. While we advocate the use of safe work procedures and the lifting plan, it was clear that the operators’ capability to perform the work safely was critical. Hence, the move to train the operators is the right thing to do.

Given the large numbers, it is good that we have been given almost two years to get  our operators trained.”

Lorry Crane Operator Course

Legal Requirement Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act Chapter 354A, Workplace Safety and Health (Operation of Cranes) Regulations 2011 Part 2 (General Provisions), states that:

4. No person shall operate a lorry loader unless –
he has successfully completed a training course, acceptable to the Commissioner, on the operation of a lorry loader; if required by the Commissioner, he attends re-training on the operation of a lorry loader and successfully com pletes such re-training; and
if required by the Commissioner, he produces a current medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner certifying that he is medically fit to operate a lorry loader

5. It shall be the duty of the responsible person to ensure that no person is allowed to operate a lorry loader unless the person satisfies the requirements referred to in paragraph 4.


Lorry Crane Operator Course Objectives

To meet the legislative requirements for safe use of lorry crane
To fulfill the duties and responsibilities of lifting operators
To learn about the principal components of a lorry crane
To recognise lorry crane operational hazards and implement control measures
To study about pre-lifting inspection requirements in lifting accessories
on a lorry crane
To understand more about the selection of appropriate rigging equipment
To learn how to estimate load and determine centre of gravity
To detect ground condition and proximity hazards
To learn how to set operational outrigger
To master safe loading / unloading, lifting and placing of materials
techniques using lorry crane
To learn about the factors affecting lifting capacity and interpretation of
load chart
To receive training on how to respond to lifting accidents and emergencies