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 ‘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 (HSWA). The GPG reminds all upstream PCBUs, along with the crane driver, that even if they have no contractual relationship with another PCBU they may still share overlapping duties when they work on the same site. Where duties are shared, the PCBUs must consult, cooperate with, and coordinate activities with other PCBUs. (See Section 34 of HSWA for more information.)
Click on image to download the GPG

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