Caltex fuel prices drop for three weeks in a row.
Association Members can gain additional discounts through the Association fuel scheme
Members can access the Caltex fuel scheme through the Members Portal here
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A recent incident involving a crane and power lines highlights the necessity to include overhead power lines  in any job planning process and must also be included in liftplans and toolbox talks. The Crane Association liftplans have a site plan that is drawn up by the operator. This ensures that there is a greater awareness about overhead powerlines and will ensure that the operator always looks up. Power is a major hazard for Cranes. Cranes must stay 4 metres away from any line. You should also use a spotter when working near power lines. Use non-conductive tag lines and if possible earth the crane.
Transpower Contacts.​If you intend to operate equipment near our transmission lines, please contact us at any of the numbers below to arrange a safety observer
•Transpower - 0508 LANDOWNER
•Service providers
•North Auckland/Northland: Ox Wightman 029 771 1825
•South Auckland/Waikato: Les McKenzie 021 945 284
•Bay of Plenty: Jessie Phillips 027 600 5377
•Taranaki and Central North Island: Andy Ward 021 357 935
•Lower North Island/Hawke’s Bay: Stephen Howard 027 490 9464
•Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast: Isaac Hurst 027 535 5255
•North Canterbury: Ron Mackenzie 027 435 6240
•South/Mid Canterbury: Myles Stichman 027 477 9693
•Otago/Southland: Jimmy Cormack 021 357 996

Worksafe has released the Good Practice Guidelines for the Safe Work with Precast Concrete to replace the Approved Code of Practice for the Safe Handling, Transportation and Erection of Precast Concrete
Importantly, this GPG aligns with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and moves the responsibility away from the crane operator to the upstream PCBUs. Click on image to download the GPG

Read the latest update to the RLB Index for cranes throughout New Zealand

One death and one critical injury is the result of an incident on a worksite in Victoria, Australia.
Worksafe Australia issued a notice that can be read here

CMEFU Construction have issued a safety notice recommending that all work stop on all Raimondi cranes. Read notice here

Raimondi have sent out a notice to all dealers and clients about the three incidents in Australia. Download the notice here 

Indicative crane access maps have been developed by NZTA to identify bridge constraints for information purposes for the crane industry. These will enable crane operators to identify bridge's status when planning routes to and from worksites.  These will be updated on an annual basis and they are available on the NZTA Maphub and on following link:
https://nzta.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=950bb82235f9488982767995fa028b94

President Trump's intention to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium has had an impact on the crane manufacturing sector . Terex announced that they cannot sustain the costs and have to pass it on to the customer. Their base price remains the same, so they will add a steel cost surcharge 

​Read more here    

REGISTERED FOR YOUR NZBN NUMBER?
siness advice
The New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) is a unique number used to identify a business. Whether you're a large crane company or a self-employed crane owner, all businesses in New Zealand can have an NZBN.
Your NZBN is linked to the business information you most often share with other businesses and government agencies, such as your trading name, phone number and email address. Because you own the information that’s held on the NZBN Register about your business, it’s easy to keep this up to date.  
Through the NZBN Register, your customers, suppliers and government agencies can see that your business is real and tangible. In turn, you can see the key information of businesses you work with, making it easier to transact with them.
Increasing numbers of businesses are building the NZBN into their systems and processes, in areas like tenders, reporting and finance.
Visit www.nzbn.govt.nz to find out more and to get your NZBN. Or call 0508 696 926.

The following are two Technical Advice Notices issued by NZTA that relate to the crane industry.

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8 February 2017, Hamilton, New Zealand
TRT Welcomes New Chief Operations Officer, Lawrence Baker
 
TRT has appointed Lawrence Baker to the role of new chief operations officer and part of the TRT executive team. Lawrence will be working alongside Robert Carden, engineering director and Bruce Carden, manufacturing director.  With them, Lawrence will be leading the team at TRT in Australia and New Zealand into the next 50 years. 
Lawrence’s appointment follows the announcement of managing director, Kevin Chubb’s resignation after 20 years at TRT. “This is a critical new role for TRT and we knew we had to find the right person to help Bruce and I lead the business,” says Robert Carden. TRT went through a lengthy international recruitment process to fill this position. “We were looking for someone that shared our vision for the future of TRT while acknowledging the rich business history and a legacy that Kevin helped to create. Lawrence is that person,” adds Robert.
“Lawrence brings a whole new skill set and experience to TRT and we are looking forward to drawing on Lawrence’s past experience from the automotive and steel Industries to enhance our capabilities and enable us to find new and innovative ways to solve problems for our customers,” confirms Bruce.
Lawrence brings a wealth of experience to his new role.  Lawrence and his wife have moved home to NZ after residing in Australia, Western Samoa and Japan for the past 19 years.  During this time, Lawrence has had senior roles in the automotive and steel industries. These companies include Yazaki Australia and Iveco. Lawrence moved in to the steel industry with Smorgen Steel, which later became BlueScope Steel.  He was most recently Flat Steel Products Operations Manager at BlueScope Steel, based in Wollongong, NSW.
Based at the head office in Hamilton, NZ, Lawrence started at TRT in October 2017 and has had time to get to know the business “What stands out the most is its people, its culture, its customers and its suppliers. I have to say from my first day everyone I have met has made me feel very welcome.”
Lawrence adds, “I love what I do and I'm always looking to improve the process. Many find this unpredictability daunting, scary and downright frustrating, but it’s this that I enjoy the most. This is a new role for TRT that gives me the ability to try new things, both internally and externally and to work closely with our suppliers and customers. I am very much looking forward to the journey …for the long haul”