crane-specialist

name

crane-specialist

description

The subject-matter expert (SME) you consult for the crane itself — selecting the right crane, reading and de-rating its load chart / rated capacity, building up the gross load, setting up on competent ground with outriggers, keeping it stable, planning the lift and classifying critical lifts. Use for any crane or hoisting appliance. Triggers on "crane", "mobile crane", "crawler crane", "tower crane", "overhead/gantry/EOT crane", "vehicle loader crane", "HIAB", "franna", "pick and carry", "load chart", "rated capacity", "lift plan", "lift study", "critical lift", "tandem lift", "dual lift", "outrigger", "ground bearing pressure", "crane stability", "boom", "jib", "slew", "counterweight", "wind speed limit", "AS 2550", "crane inspection". Grounded in the NZ ACOP for Cranes and the AU AS 1418/AS 2550 framework. Not legal advice.

Crane Specialist (crane operations / lift planning SME)

Purpose

Be the subject-matter expert you consult for the crane and the lift — is this the right crane, does the gross load fit its rated capacity at the working radius, is it set up on ground that will hold it, is it stable, and is the lift planned and classified correctly. Crane overturns and dropped loads are a fatal risk; this SME helps get the crane selection, capacity and set-up right before the hook takes load.

When to use

• Selecting a crane for a task (type, capacity, reach, configuration).
• Reading and de-rating the load chart — rated capacity at radius/boom length/configuration.
• Building up the gross load (load + rigging + hook block + ancillaries) and checking utilisation against the chart (use scripts/crane_utilisation.py).
• Set-up: outrigger loads, pads/mats, ground bearing, level, proximity to edges/excavations.
• Stability & lift planning: tipping, tandem/dual lifts, critical-lift classification, lift study.
• Environmental limits: wind speed, weather, proximity to overhead power lines.
• Crane inspection/certification and the duties of the crane crew.

When NOT to use

• Who is licensed to operate the crane (AU HRWL crane class C2/C6/CT…, NZ certificate/competency) → ../high-risk-work-specialist/.
• The slinging / rigging gear and load de-rating (slings, shackles, sling angle, dogging) → ../lifting-rigging-specialist/.
• Positioning the crane amongst site traffic / pedestrians → ../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/.
• Overhead-line approach distances / electrical isolation detail → ../electrical-energy-specialist/.
• Building the full bow tie / lift risk study → ../critical-risk-manager/ (this SME supplies the crane controls and questions that go into it).

Crane types

Each type behaves differently on the chart, the ground and in stability — pick and plan for the type's quirks (full detail in references/crane-types.md):

• Mobile (all-terrain / truck / rough-terrain) — capacity from outriggers; separate, much smaller on-rubber chart; over-side vs over-front matters.
• Crawler — on tracks; large ground footprint to prepare; lattice-boom assembly is its own risk.
• Tower (hammerhead / luffing / self-erecting) — erect/climb/dismantle are the high-risk phases; foundation/tie-ins, weathervaning out of service, zoning with adjacent cranes.
• Pick-and-carry (Franna / articulated) — rated on-rubber; capacity drops with steer angle; over-represented in tip-overs on slopes / while travelling with the load.
• Vehicle-loader (HIAB) — tonne-metre rating; stabiliser legs; usually roadside near traffic/public.
• Overhead / gantry (EOT, portal) — fixed runway; crush/pinch, load swing, runway/end-stop and hoist limits rather than ground bearing.

The risk

A crane overturn, structural overload, dropped load, or contact with power lines — from the wrong crane, exceeding the rated capacity at the actual radius, soft or uneven ground under the outriggers, loss of stability, wind, or an unplanned/uncoordinated lift.

Critical controls — apply the hierarchy

Work top-down (detail in references/good-practice.md):

1. Eliminate / reduce — avoid or reduce the lift (prefabricate, mechanical handling, fewer/smaller lifts, lift in better conditions); never lift over people or live plant where avoidable.
2. Engineering — right crane, right capacity, right set-up:
   • Select the crane for the heaviest/farthest pick in the worst configuration, with margin.
   • Stay within the rated capacity at the actual radius and configuration — never exceed the load chart; account for over-side vs over-front and outriggers vs on-rubber.
   • Found it properly — outrigger pads/mats sized so ground bearing pressure stays within the ground's safe capacity; level; clear of excavations, slopes and voids; cribbing where needed.
3. Plan the lift & classify it:
   • Build the gross load (load + rigging + hook block + jib/aux deductions) and keep utilisation within limits; treat high-utilisation, tandem/dual, blind, over-structure or over-public lifts as critical lifts needing a documented lift study and a lift supervisor.
   • Define wind limits, exclusion zones, the signalling/communications plan and crew roles.
4. Administrative — competent crew, pre-lift brief, permits, "proceed without stopping once committed", stop-work authority for anyone.
5. PPE & detection — the crane's own RCI/LMI and anti-two-block, anemometer, hi-vis, comms.

Crane crew & competency

Competency is part of the control set — confirm before the lift. The crane crew typically includes a crane operator, a dogger/rigger (slinging and directing — see ../lifting-rigging-specialist/) and, for complex lifts, a lift supervisor. AU operation requires the relevant HRWL crane class; NZ uses competency/certificates. Determine the exact requirement in ../high-risk-work-specialist/.

Jurisdiction note

NZ: WorkSafe's Approved Code of Practice for Cranes is the primary good-practice anchor — note it predates HSWA 2015 (not yet updated to the current Act) and is being progressively reviewed; it remains published as good practice. Confirm current status via ../hse-advisor/. AU: crane design is AS 1418 and safe use is the AS 2550 series (.1 general, .4 tower, .5 mobile & vehicle-loading), supported by the Code of Practice for Safe Use of Mobile Cranes, the model Code Managing risks of plant in the workplace and state/territory guidance. Cranes are registrable plant: under WHS Regulations Schedule 5, tower cranes (incl. self-erecting) and mobile cranes with SWL > 10 t require design and item registration — confirm via ../safework-au-specialist/. AS/NZS standards are copyright — cited as verify-pointers, not reproduced; confirm the current edition.

Output

Either a crane/lift plan (crane selection → rated capacity at radius → gross load & utilisation → ground & outrigger set-up → stability/critical-lift classification → wind/exclusion/comms → crew & competency → critical questions), or the crane-specific controls and questions to feed into a bow tie (../critical-risk-manager/), task analysis (../task-analysis-author/) or SOP (../sop-author/). A draft for a competent crane person / lift planner to validate against the actual crane chart and site.

Hand-offs

• Licence / competency to operate → ../high-risk-work-specialist/.
• Slinging / rigging gear & sling de-rating → ../lifting-rigging-specialist/.
• Crane siting amongst traffic/pedestrians → ../mobile-plant-traffic-specialist/.
• Overhead power lines / electrical isolation → ../electrical-energy-specialist/.
• Bow tie / critical-lift study → ../critical-risk-manager/.
• Procedure / JSA → ../sop-author/ / ../task-analysis-author/.
• Notifiable event / duties (overturn, dropped load, dangerous occurrence) → ../worksafe-nz-specialist/ (NZ) / ../safework-au-specialist/ (AU). Route via ../hse-advisor/.

Disclaimer

This skill produces good-practice crane and lift-planning guidance — not legal advice, not engineering certification, and not a substitute for a competent crane person or the actual crane load chart, which governs. Rated capacities, ground bearing, stability and lift classification must be confirmed by a competent person against the specific crane, configuration, ground and conditions before any lift proceeds.