19.04.2004

First UK course for tower crane installers

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)-Construction Skills has collaborated with the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), the Construction Confederation (CCC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to create the first training programme in the UK aimed solely at tower crane installation personnel.

It is hoped that the modular programme, which will be available from 19 April, 2004 and focus on the erection, climbing and dismantling of tower cranes, will help employers to adequately train and assess workers engaged in onsite tower crane installation. Training will be delivered either in house, on the job or be facilitated through a training provider, and has been designed with both new entrant trainees, who require full training, and experienced workers alike, in mind.

A tower crane installer will be required to complete seven out of a total of 18 modules offered by the course to fulfil their basic training, with the option of attempting further modules to become a leading erector or supervisor. A combination of the modules are recommended for operational staff such as managers, sales staff and technical personnel who need to be conversant with the equipment and installation procedures.

Commenting on the new training, Paul Philips, chairman of the CPA’s Tower Crane Interest Group said: “Until now there have been no common standards for the training of tower crane installation personnel and each employer or training provider has set their own standards for training and assessment.

“This programme will not only give the industry a common set of aims and objectives, which individual employers and training providers can use, it will also reinforce to both employers and employees the importance of safety onsite.”

The training pack is available in CD-ROM and paper format from the CITB.