Welcome to 2020 – and Happy New Year, even though it is now February. And yes, I’m still getting used to adding the second ‘2’ to the date.

Even though most of you may have worked through much of the Christmas and New Year break, I do hope you had some time to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends.

This will be short and sweet as, due to the ‘great Kiwi summer shut down’, many regulators and government agencies weren’t around to further any of the outstanding 2019 issues.

Case in point is the Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation’s (MBIE) discussion paper that sought feedback on how to improve protections for people working with plant, structures, heights and excavations.

Titled Implementing the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: Better Regulation – Plant, Structures and Heights, consultation closed in October 2019.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Seeking re-election for a Crane Association of New Zealand (CANZ) Council role at the upcoming 2020 Conference in Hamilton is Paul Berriman.

And he encourages everyone and anyone keen on seeing the industry raised to greater heights to do the same – or at least seek election, then re-election later.

Why? Because he lives and breathes cranes; from being on the ground and operating the big machines, to assessing training.

“I’ve always been around cranes, it’s my passion. And I joined the CANZ Council to give something back to an industry that’s given so much to me,” Paul says.

Growing up and attending school in England, Paul landed a gig operating and maintaining a crane and piling rigs at Bachy Soletanche Group Limited.

Since first cutting his teeth with the engineering contractor that’s been involved in many major private developments and public infrastructure projects, Paul has racked up a quarter of a century in the crane industry.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

With nearly a half century worth of industry representation under its belt, the Crane Association of New Zealand seeks to cement itself as one of the country’s foremost industry bodies.

And there will be no better opportunity to raise the bar than during the Association’s upcoming conference in Hamilton.

To be held at Claudelands Arena from July 22-24, the CANZ Conference 2020 will boast New Zealand’s largest collection of cranes.

Furthermore, the event will serve as an opportunity for the public to get up close and personal with the colossal machines – an opportunity only afforded a handful of times.

Following the successful 2019 event, CANZ is hoping this year’s calibre of exhibitions, displays and speakers will be an attractive offer for potential attendees.

Playing the Association’s continuing strength, this year’s conference is themed – Let’s build change, let the sky be our limit!

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

The Crane Association of New Zealand’s Past President, Scott McLeod, discusses what many in the industry are conscious of but must be vigilant about any way in this month’s The Technical Corner.
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Over the years, Scott McLeod has turned down work because of a particular job’s inherent risks – mainly, the proximity to power lines.

But even more concerning was the willingness with which other companies took those contracts.

“It’s important to stick to our industry’s guidelines,” the McLeod Cranes & Hiabs Managing Director says.

“If we all stick to the same guidelines, we all are – as an industry – better off for it. For example, if we always work within our Approved Code of Practice for Cranes and tell our customers the same thing, then we’re all operating on a level playing field.”

CLICK HERE to read the full article.