“Safety has always been at the heart of all the company’s operations and I am deeply concerned that after 30 years of crane hire without a single tower crane loss, we should be faced with two incidents within five months,” said managing director Doug Genge.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and they can be assured that everything that can be done to identify the cause of the accidents is being done. We are cooperating fully with the Health and Safety Executive both on the on-going investigations into the incidents and on the process of inspecting the cranes currently in service.”
The company plans to have 170 cranes inspected within two weeks, with the assistance of four engineers from crane manufacturers, plus assistance from classification societies and “other competent bodies,” the company said.
As soon as a crane has been inspected as clear from a Class A defect, the company said, an e-mail is sent to the HSE, who immediately release the crane back into use. A Class A defect is one that is likely to affect safety or structural stability. Falcon Crane Hire noted that of all cranes inspected since January 17, none have been found to have Class A defects as of 22 January.
Falcon Crane Hire was established in 1983 and employs 320 people.
“Stringent mechanical and electrical checks are carried out on all cranes before they leave the depot and after installation all cranes are subject to overload testing, as prescribed by law,” the company said.
