Across Australia at any given time during the week, there are cranes lifting and operating or travelling to and from jobs. There could be well over a 1000 lifts happening daily, and for those in the industry, it’s fingers crossed none of them make the evening news.
Safety is, and always will be the number one priority, but the sector is going through changes and there is a sense of urgency that in order for safety to remain a priority, it’s imperative that the older generation of crane operators pass on their knowledge to the new kids on the crane block.
But for a generation of owners and operators who received their training at the “school of hard knocks” it’s not always easy. The High Risk Work Licence is viewed by those in the industry as being inadequate and constantly has a question mark over it, with many suggesting traineeships are the way forward. So how does a high-risk industry pass on the baton as experienced elders retire?
Stephen Holmes, director of GTK Training has worked for CICA on safety issues for a number of years. Based in South Australia, Holmes views on-the-job training as not only important, but critical.
“To get a licence, a trainee needs to attend an accredited training course run by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). They must pass written and practical assessments conducted by an accredited assessor. Typically, these courses take five days to complete. There are no prerequisites for doing these courses, other than the trainee must be at least 18 years old and have an adequate level of ability to read and write English,” said Holmes.
“Many argue that potential crane operators should have experience working the hook (dogging and rigging), before moving into the operator’s seat and most people regard these courses as very inadequate and call the licence a “licence to learn.”
Holmes believes what the courses can’t deliver in five days is experience or specific knowledge about the cranes the trainee is going to operate.
“This is where employers still have a responsibility to train their employees on the specific equipment they need them to use, even if the employee has the required licence.”
“We have some fantastic, extremely knowledgeable crane operators in Australia, and we also have some excellent companies that have great programs to train up young people coming into the industry. CICA has developed a Certificate III Crane Operators course so trainees, over a period of about 18 months can get quality training in all areas of the crane industry. This is more complete training than simply getting a crane licence on a five-day course. This is an ideal platform for experienced industry people to pass on their knowledge to those new to the industry,” said Holmes.
CICA NSW president and DJ Adair Cranes manager Paul Churchill is campaigning for changes to the way the current system works and is advocating for the older generation to pass on their skill set to the next.
“What we are concerned about is the baby boomers are the last generation that have worked with the old technology as well as the new technology and we are the last generation that’s going to have that. This generation is in its 50s up to early 70s, and many of them are not on the tools anymore. They are owners, managers or supervisors or have retired and so this is the last opportunity to pass it on. We have 10-15 years at the very most,” said Churchill.
“The important thing is there are a whole lot of skills that aren’t even taught anymore and sometimes these can be shortcuts or life lessons or even techniques, but because X & Y generation are not wired the same way we are, and everyone knows that, and we all have to bend and buckle.”
Churchill has been a massive driver behind the traineeship and believes people need to learn over time all the steps and not just what is required to pass an assessment.
“CICA’s CrewSafe will make a massive difference but there still needs to be more done. Industry pitches what industry needs and not what authorities have mandated to be required.”
“There are older guys, but for some reason, maybe because they don’t understand how the new generation ticks, have the skills and techniques to pass on to the next generation. We raised this generation but as parents, we took a lot of that hard learning stuff out of their upbringing because we wanted them to have a better and easier life than us and as a result the same techniques that worked on us don’t work on them,” said Churchill.
“To sit here and say they are wrong is naïve. You can’t think I’m right and they are wrong. We all have to get used to each other and we need to pass on the information. Obtaining a high-risk work licence in three days is ridiculous. That’s the cart before the horse.”
Churchill would like to see the abolition of the HRWL but suggests because it’s transitional, it won’t happen for 10-20 years. Instead he says he would like to see work credits issued for people that work in the industry, which would be subject to auditing.
“The industry needs to train people. If we could strive to get 10% of trainees into the workforce, it’s still going to take five to six years to fill the gap, but if we don’t start, we know what the results are going to be. More accidents are going to be one thing but the cost of jobs will blow out because it’s not only our industry that has this issue. Things will take longer so the flow-on affect will have an impact.”
Holmes says that statistics show 98-99% of all crane accidents are caused by human error with only 2% caused by factors out of the operator’s control.
“Typically accidents occur when cranes are not set up correctly for the required lift. For example, the outriggers short rigged or not used, poor inadequate packing used beneath them, incorrect counterweights fitted or LMIs not set correctly. Overloading the crane are also major factors but working too close to power lines is the leading cause of accidents around the world,” he said
“CICA are taking great strides in devising training and information that is available to their members (and non-members). They are producing position papers and technical papers to help industry improve safety and be economically viable.”
Holmes has recently written a safety manual for crane operators called “Be a good crane operator – one day at a time,” and says the key message is not to be complacent.
“Even for experienced operators, there is always something new to learn or be reminded about. I’m hoping my book helps them do this by reading one short page a day. It reinforces the safety message and encourages operators to try and learn new things and to remind them of basic principles,” said Holmes.
“There is an old saying in the industry – there are no new crane accidents, just the same old ones being committed time and time again by new operators.”
The November edition of Cranes and Lifting is ready for downloading.
Also featured in the November issue is:
- Lifting the veil on the new Terex AT40
Pick-and-carry cranes don;t necessarily inspire the same excitement as their gigantic peers but the three-axle Terex AT40 unveiled at the CICA Conference has every appearance of having some important changes over the superficially similar machines.
- In conversation with John Gillespie…
Cranes and Lifting sit down with one of the industry’s most respected operators and discuss the issues of crane safety and making crane access on roads easier.
- On the road to reform
Improvements to road access for crane operators and controversial reforms to CofR laws and NHVR enforcements and investigation powers are squarely on the agenda for CICA and the NTC.
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