22.01.2007

Falcon issues statement

Following the recent crane collapses and the HSE prohibition notice, Falcon Crane Hire has today issued a statement which is printed in full.

For more information on the two crane collapses visit:
See HSE suspends Falcon Cranes
See Crane driver released
See crane collapse in Liverpool
See Battersea update

Here is the statement:
Following the tragic accident at a construction site in Colquitt Street, Liverpool, on January 15, in which a Falcon Crane Hire tower crane collapsed injuring the driver and taking the life of a man working on the building site below, the company has been required by the Health and Safety Executive HSE to have all its tower cranes inspected by competent and independent inspectors prior to their future use. The exception to this is any crane which has been inspected within the past 12 months or within the past 6 months where a crane is being used to carry people.

Falcon Crane Hire Ltd currently has some 170 cranes operating on construction sites around the country, which require inspection.

Doug Genge, Managing Director of Falcon Crane Hire says, “Safety has always been at the heart of all the company’s operations and I am deeply concerned that after 30 years of crane hire without a single tower crane loss, we should be faced with two incidents within five months. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and they can be assured that everything that can be done to identify the cause of the accidents is being done. We are cooperating fully with the Health and Safety Executive both on the on-going investigations into the incidents and on the process of inspecting the cranes currently in service.”

Since issuance of the HSE Prohibition Notice on January 17, Falcon has been in contact with its crane manufacturers, who have provided a team of four engineers, with Classification Societies and other competent bodies to ensure that cranes out for hire can all be inspected by qualified and competent inspectors within 2 weeks. In many cases cranes will be inspected by early next week.

As soon as a crane has been inspected as clear from a Class A defect, an e-mail is sent to the HSE, who immediately release the crane back into use. A Class A defect is one that is likely to affect safety or structural stability. Falcon Crane Hire note that of all cranes inspected since January 17, none have been found to have Class A defects.

Note: Falcon Crane Hire Ltd was established in 1983 and is today one of the leading suppliers of tower cranes for hire, to the construction industry. The company purchases its tower cranes from the world’s leading manufacturers. It has some 320 employees, including qualified crane operators, who are provided to customers to work to their instructions as an integral part of the construction team for the period of the contract.

All operators are CPCS card holders which means they have achieved the standards of training required by the industry. The Company’s Standard Operating Procedures set out the limitations on use for all crane types in all conditions.
Stringent mechanical and electrical checks are carried out on all cranes before they leave the depot and after installation all cranes are subject to overload testing, as prescribed by law.
The tower crane in use at the Battersea site was of different manufacture from that in use in Liverpool.