SINGAPORE’S Ministry of Manpower has ruled that crawler, truck or wheel mounted mobile cranes of 100t capacity and above cannot be used once they reach 30 years old unless a special service life extension permit is obtained. For mobile cranes that are above 50t and less than 100t the age limit is 25 years, and for 50t and below the limit is 20 years.
The law took effect from 1 June and was introduced after several accidents over the years were attributed to crane failures induced by fatigue stresses after prolonged years of service.
Mobile crane owners can apply for an extension of service life by submitting a case proposal and engaging an approved third party for an inspection and testing report and a final assessment and recommendation report.
It is possible that the United Arab Emirates may follow Singapore in introducing limits to the service life of mobile cranes if the government adopts a recommendation from the country’s National Consultative Council (NCC).
According to a report in the Gulf News, the call came from the NCC during a debate on safety measures at the workplace. After talks with the Civil Defence General Directorate and Labour Ministry officials, the House Committee for Internal and Defence Affairs prepared a report on the issue, recommending that the government instruct construction companies to replace ageing cranes that may pose fatal accident risks.
The committee also called for control of the increasing use of cranes in residential areas where passers by were exposed to dangers.
