How Crane Hire Differs from a Contract Lift
Some people may not know whether they should opt for crane hire or a contract lift when they would like to recover some heavy equipment that was involved in an accident. This article discusses how those two concepts differ from each other. Use this information to help you to select the most appropriate options for your needs.
Risk Assessment
It is a standard practice to conduct a risk assessment before a crane is deployed to perform a lift. Crane hire places the responsibility of conducting the risk assessment on you the client because you will be in charge of the entire operation. However, contract lifts impose the responsibility of conducting the risk assessment on the crane hire company since they will be fully in charge of the lift. Do you have a competent person to conduct and document a risk assessment?
Ground Staff
Cranes work when a team of people on the ground is working with the operator in the cab of the crane. Crane hire companies do not usually provide the ground staff, such as signalers, when you choose to hire the crane. However, the crane hire company will select ground staff in case you opt for a contract lift of your equipment.
Generating a Lifting Plan
A suitable lifting plan is usually designed once a risk assessment has been conducted. The lifting plan outlines how the lift will be conducted in light of the existing conditions at the lift site. The crane hire company usually develops the lifting plan if you ask for a contract lift. This task falls to you in case you simply want to rent the crane for the lift.
Responsibility for Accidents
The option that you select also has implications on who is liable in case something goes wrong during a lifting operation. For example, who would be responsible in case the equipment that you want to recover is damaged during the lift? Contract lifts give this responsibility to the crane hire company. This responsibility falls upon you in case you just want to hire the crane.
Companies that rent out cranes often have detailed contracts that spell out the terms under which their equipment will be used at your site. It is therefore vital for you to read the contract carefully so that you can be sure that its terms suit what you want. For example, you should not ask for terms that place the responsibility of the recovery operation on you if you lack employees who have experience in operating cranes. Always ask the crane hire company for clarification of any clause before you commit yourself to any crane hire contract.