Albury Crane Incident: Load Safety Lessons
ABC News spoke with Cranes Australia director Samuel Ho after a serious workplace incident near Albury involving glass panels and a crane. This independent safety commentary explains why the right lifting equipment, engineered lift planning and competent supervision matter whenever a suspended load is moved.
Buying a Used or Imported Crane: Certification and Pre-Purchase Checks
A used or imported crane can be excellent value, but it can also hide expensive problems and compliance gaps that only surface after purchase. The key to buying well is a disciplined pre-purchase process that verifies the crane's certification, history and compliance before money changes hands. This guide covers the checks every buyer should insist on.
EWP Inspection Requirements: Scissor Lifts, Boom Lifts and Major Inspections
Elevating work platforms carry workers at height every day, which makes their inspection regime as important as any crane in your fleet. Scissor lifts and boom lifts each have their own inspection needs, and both are subject to a major inspection later in life. This guide sets out what is required and when.
What Drives the Cost of a Crane Inspection?
Every crane inspection quote is different, and it helps to understand why before comparing options. Rather than quoting a single figure, this article explains the factors that genuinely drive the cost of a crane inspection so you can plan a realistic budget and know what you are paying for.
Crane Certification Across Regional NSW: Newcastle, Wollongong and the Hunter
Regional New South Wales runs a huge and varied crane fleet, from the port and steel operations of Newcastle and Wollongong to the mining cranes of the Hunter Valley and the mixed rural and industrial work of the Central West. Keeping that equipment certified means meeting SafeWork NSW's expectations across long distances. This guide helps regional operators manage inspection and certification confidently.
Vehicle Loading Crane Inspections and 10-Year Majors
Vehicle loading cranes, commonly known as truck-mounted or knuckle boom cranes, are among the most widely used and most easily overlooked lifting machines in Australia. This guide explains their inspection obligations, why they are so often neglected, and how routine checks, load testing and the ten-year major inspection keep them safe and compliant.
Crane Major Rebuilds: When to Rebuild, When to Replace
When a crane reaches the end of its design working period, owners face a genuine decision: invest in a major rebuild or replace the machine entirely. Both paths can be sound, but only a proper engineering assessment reveals which makes sense for a given crane. This guide walks through the rebuild-versus-replace question and how recertification works once a rebuild is complete.
Pre-Purchase Crane Inspections: Reports & Red Flags
Buying a used crane can be smart value or an expensive trap, and the difference often comes down to independent inspection before money changes hands. A pre-purchase crane inspection gives you an honest assessment of condition, compliance and remaining life. This article explains what a good report covers and the warning signs that should give any buyer pause.
Preparing for a Crane Compliance Audit: What Auditors Check
A crane compliance audit can be routine, client-driven or triggered by an incident, but the preparation is the same: know what will be examined and have the evidence ready. Businesses that treat audits as a snapshot of an ongoing system, rather than a last-minute clean-up, pass smoothly. This guide walks through what auditors look for and how to be ready.
Crane Inspections & Certification in Adelaide and South Australia
Adelaide's cranes serve a diverse economy, from city construction and northern manufacturing to the port and the steel and shipbuilding centres of the upper Spencer Gulf. Keeping that equipment compliant means meeting SafeWork SA's expectations while following the national standards. This guide sets out the inspection and certification duties South Australian operators need to manage.
Tower Crane Compliance in Australian Capital Cities
Tower cranes dominate the skylines of Australia's capital cities and carry some of the highest compliance obligations of any lifting equipment. This guide walks through the full lifecycle of tower crane compliance, from erection and climbing through to periodic and major inspections, and the standards and duties that apply across every stage.
Crane Certification Expired? The Exact Steps to Recertify Fast
Discovering that a crane's certification has lapsed is stressful, but it is a recoverable situation if you act methodically. Operating an uncertified crane exposes your business to serious legal and safety risk, so the priority is to stop, assess and follow a clear recertification path. This guide sets out the exact steps to get a crane back into legal service quickly.
NDT for Cranes: MPI, UT and Dye Penetrant Explained
Non-destructive testing lets inspectors find cracks and flaws in crane components without cutting them apart or taking them out of service. For older cranes and highly stressed parts, NDT is often the difference between catching a defect early and discovering it after a failure. This guide explains the main methods and when each is used.
Quarterly Colour-Code Tagging of Chains, Slings and Lifting Gear
Chains, slings, shackles and other lifting gear wear out long before the crane does, yet they carry the full load on every lift. A quarterly colour-code tagging system is the simplest way to keep this gear inspected, traceable and safe. Done properly, it lets any worker see at a glance whether an item is currently in date.
Crane Inspections & Certification in Perth and Western Australia
Perth's cranes support everything from suburban construction to the heavy industry of Kwinana and the marine fabrication yards of Henderson. Keeping that equipment compliant means meeting WorkSafe WA's expectations while following the national Australian Standards. This guide gives Western Australian operators, riggers and safety managers a clear view of their inspection and certification duties.
Mine-Site Crane Compliance: Meeting WA and QLD Standards
Cranes on mine sites operate under a stricter compliance regime than almost any other setting, combining general work health and safety law with mining-specific regulation and demanding site standards. This guide explains what crane owners and contractors in Western Australia and Queensland need to manage, from routine inspections to major shutdown planning.
10-Year Major Inspections for Mobile Cranes Under AS 2550.5
For most mobile cranes the ten-year point is a milestone every owner must plan for well in advance. AS 2550.5 sets out the major inspection requirements that fall due around this age, and getting caught unprepared means unplanned downtime and lost revenue. This article explains what the ten-year major inspection involves and how to plan for it commercially.
Crane Load Testing Explained: Proof Loads & Procedure
Load testing proves that a crane can safely lift and control the loads it is rated for. It is a critical step after commissioning, major repair or modification, and it forms part of ongoing verification for many cranes. This article explains when load testing is required, how proof loads are determined and what a properly run test involves.
Crane Logbooks and Record Keeping: What the Standards Require
A crane's logbook is more than a formality — it is the documented proof that the machine has been inspected, maintained and operated within its limits. When a regulator, insurer or buyer asks a question, the logbook answers it. Poor records can strand an otherwise sound crane on the ground.
Crane Inspections & Certification in Brisbane and South East Queensland
South East Queensland is one of the fastest growing crane markets in the country, driven by housing, infrastructure and the lead-up to major regional projects. From the Port of Brisbane to the Gold Coast high-rise strip, keeping cranes compliant means satisfying Workplace Health and Safety Queensland while following the national standards. This guide sets out what SEQ operators need to know.
Crane Inspections in Canberra and the ACT
Canberra's steady pipeline of commercial construction, government infrastructure and light industry keeps a large fleet of cranes in constant use across the ACT. This guide sets out crane inspection duties under WorkSafe ACT, the standards that govern them, and what operators in Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume need to keep their equipment compliant.
Crane Inspections & Certification Across Melbourne and Victoria
Melbourne's cranes work everywhere from apartment towers in the CBD to the wharves and rail yards feeding the Port of Melbourne. Keeping them compliant means meeting WorkSafe Victoria's expectations while following the national Australian Standards. This guide gives Victorian operators, riggers and site managers a clear picture of the inspection and certification obligations that apply.
Overhead & Gantry Crane Inspection Checklist
Overhead and gantry cranes are the workhorses of Australian factories, workshops and warehouses, and their fixed installation makes systematic inspection essential. This checklist walks through the key areas a competent person examines, from the runway and bridge to the hoist, wire rope and electrical controls, so nothing critical is overlooked.
The 5-Year Major Inspection Explained: What AS 2550 Requires
A periodic major inspection is a deep, structured examination that goes far beyond a routine service. Often described in fleets as the five-year check, it is triggered by design periods set in the AS 2550 series and is the moment where a crane's real condition is confirmed against its intended working life. Here is what the inspection involves and how to get ready for it.
WHS Duties of Crane Owners and Operators: PCBU and Plant Obligations
Owning or operating a crane places you squarely within the reach of the Work Health and Safety laws. The duties are not abstract — they translate into concrete actions around inspection, maintenance, competency and record keeping. This guide sets out who is responsible for what, so nothing falls through the gaps.
Crane Inspections in Darwin and the Northern Territory
Darwin's role as a resources, defence and offshore logistics hub places heavy demands on lifting equipment across the Top End. This guide explains crane inspection obligations under NT WorkSafe, the extra challenges of the tropical and marine environment, and what operators around East Arm, Palmerston and the offshore oil and gas sector should plan for.
How Often Must Cranes Be Inspected in Australia?
Getting crane inspection frequency right is one of the most common compliance questions we field at Cranes Australia. The interval depends on the crane type, its duty classification, manufacturer guidance and the WHS obligations that apply in your state. This guide explains the layered inspection regime so you can build a defensible maintenance schedule.
Crane Inspections & Certification in Sydney: A Practical Operator Guide
Sydney's construction and logistics boom keeps thousands of cranes working across the basin, from tower cranes over the CBD to mobile units serving Port Botany. Keeping that fleet compliant means understanding both the national standards and the specific expectations of SafeWork NSW. This guide walks Sydney operators, hire companies and principal contractors through practical inspection and certification obligations.
Crane Inspections in Tasmania: A Complete Guide for Operators
Tasmania's mix of port operations, construction and heavy industry means crane owners across the state carry serious inspection obligations. This guide explains how routine and major inspections work under WorkSafe Tasmania and the Work Health and Safety framework, and what operators in Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie and Bell Bay need to plan for.
Crane Certification Requirements in Australia: The Complete Guide
Keeping a crane certified is not a single event; it is an ongoing obligation that runs from the day equipment is commissioned until it leaves your fleet. This guide explains what crane certification actually means under Australian law and standards, who is responsible, and the practical steps owners take to keep lifting gear legal and safe.
AS 1418 vs AS 2550: Design Standards and Safe-Use Standards Explained
Crane owners often see AS 1418 and AS 2550 quoted side by side and assume they cover the same ground. They do not. One governs how a crane is designed and built, the other governs how it is used, inspected and maintained across its working life. Knowing which standard applies to which decision keeps your fleet compliant and your operators safe.