For these malfunctions of machinery, operators and/or employees of the technical service often have to go up into the crane to, for example, remove a piece of foil for a sensor. It almost always goes well to perform these relatively simple actions, but what if it goes wrong? Can you assume that the fire service will bring down a possible victim at height within a safe time margin?

Practice shows that the fire brigade can do little in these kinds of emergencies. In many cases, the local fire brigade does not have the materials available to carry out such a rescue. An aerial platform or ladder truck does not enter the high-rise building and if this is the case, the chance that the victim can be reached with such a means is very small. At best, the victim is dependent on the crane to get down. If the victim is not on the crane but in a position, the situation becomes more complicated. In addition, a malfunction is one of the possible reasons why the victim was present at the top of the crane. It is therefore not unlikely that the tap itself is no longer usable. This removes this option. In addition, the crane can never be suggested as an evacuation/rescue option in a HSE plan, because it is not intended for passenger transport.

In accordance with the legal requirement that an employer has an escape/rescue plan for every situation, it is therefore advisable to guarantee self-reliance for your employees. This can be done by training them in the safe use of PPE and by training them in rescuing a possible victim at height.

SafetyPro provides training that enables employees to bring a victim to the ground in a safe way. For more information, please contact training@safetypro.nl or call 033 7200 991.