A new registration scheme regarding tower cranes on construction sites was laid before Parliament today, builders liability insurance holders have been told.
The new law has been set up in response to increasing concerns about crane safety and will require employers to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about any relevant information, such as the site address and the name and address of the crane owners, before work is carried out.
Judith Hackitt, chair of the HSE, said there have been far too many crane accidents in recent years and the new regulations will offer builders liability insurance holders better protection.
"In developing these regulations we have taken a common sense and proportionate approach to the registration scheme, building on valuable consultation with industry," she explained.
Recently, crane supplier Rossendale Group, of Ellesmere Port, in the Wirral, was fined £10,000. It was also asked to pay a further £10,000 in costs after a failing crane dropped a 1.8 tonne load which narrowly missed an operator.