THE UK loader crane industry is refusing to accept the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) ruling that interlock stabilisers are now mandatory on truck loader cranes, despite statements from government officials that they are.

The HSE issued a statement on 31 August 2001 that new truck loader cranes ‘must be fitted with an interlocking system (or equivalent engineering solution) to prevent the crane operating without stabilisers being deployed’. (News Oct01, p4) This statement has been ignored by UK manufacturers and distributors, led by the Association of Lorry Loader Manufacturers and Importers. No cranes have yet been delivered with the necessary equipment fitted.

ALLMI plans to resolve the issue at a meeting of the CEN truck loader product committee WGP8 (which comes under the auspices of the CEN crane committee TC 147) within the next few weeks. CEN is the European standards organisation. WGP8 is chaired by Lars Andersen of Hiab.

ALLMI hopes to get the committee’s support for its view that no manufacturer can yet produce interlock stabilisers that are fully reliable, disputing the HSE’s view that they are ‘state of the art’ and are therefore necessary to comply with the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992. In this way, it hopes, the HSE will be forced to backtrack and rescind the August 2001 ruling.