SOPs for use of Tower Cranes issued by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

New Delhi, 20 Aug | The Rental Time Staff

Safety is an important aspect during the use of infrastructure equipments or while moving on the road.

Addressing concerns of safety at construction sites and to prevent any accident on the road due to use of tower cranes, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) recently regarding the use of tower cranes in the city.

The new norms include safety certificates, third party for structural stability and restrictions on crane movement during peak traffic hours. Violation of the norms will attract penalties and potential legal action.

Municipal Commissioner M Thennarasan said that the rampant use of tower cranes had been posing serious threat to public safety and the SOP were essential to mitigate risks and maintain order in the city.

The SOP mandates installing aircraft warning lights, safety cordons and signage around the crane. SOP has also made it mandatory for builders to obtain a certificate of competency under the Factories Act and safety certificates.

Wasim Mirza, a tower crane rental professional and Sales Head, WMT Infrawise Equipment, said, “It is important to be aware of the risks involved when using tower cranes or any type of lifting equipment in a project. Adequate safety measures should be followed, to ensure construction site safety and prevent accidents”.

“In China and other countries, the tower crane guidelines make it mandatory for builders to have complete tower crane set up of one single OEM, to ensure quality of the entire structure and to prevent any use of sub standard or spurious parts to set up the structure of tower crane”, he added.

He also said, “This helps in fixing accountability if any accident occurs as otherwise the complete onus will come on the owner of the crane or the contractor. This further can help contractor to include such procedures in their guidelines too”.

Tower crane is a vital component in the construction of tall buildings, massive structures and complex projects. It allows builders to build taller buildings with more sustainable methods even in very cramped urban spaces.

_________________________________________________________________________________________