Publishing and copyright information

The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued.

The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard:
Committee reference MHE/3/11
Draft for comment 12/30258064 DC

Publication history

First published November 2012

Foreword

Publishing information

This sub-part of BS 7121‑2 is published by BSI Standards Limited, under license from the British Standards Institution and came into effect on 30 November 2012. It was prepared by Subcommittee MHE/3/11, Crane safety and testing, under the authority of Technical Committee MHE/3, Cranes and derricks. A list of organizations represented on these committees can be obtained on request to their secretary.

Supersession

Together with BS 7121‑2‑3, BS 7121‑2‑4, BS 7121‑2‑5 and BS 7121‑2‑7, this sub-part of BS 7121‑2 supersedes BS 7121‑2:2003, which will be withdrawn when all these sub-parts have been published.

Relationship with other publications

The BS 7121 series is being revised. The following new sub-parts of BS 7121‑2 have been published or are in preparation:

Part 2-1: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – General;
Part 2-3: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – Mobile cranes;
Part 2-4: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – Loader cranes;
Part 2-5: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – Tower cranes;
Part 2-7: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – Overhead travelling cranes including portal and semi-portal cranes, hoists, and their supporting structures;
Part 2-9: Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination – Cargo handling and container cranes.

When all sub-parts of BS 7121‑2 have been published, it is intended that CP 3010 will be withdrawn and BS 5744 will be revised to cover manually operated and light cranes only.

This sub-part of BS 7121‑2 is intended to be read in conjunction with the appropriate sub-part(s) of BS 7121‑2 dealing with the relevant crane type(s).

Information about this document

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) commends the use of this British Standard to those who have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 [1]. This standard was drawn up with the participation of HSE representatives and it will be referred to in the relevant HSE publications.

The BS 7121 series has been accepted by the HSE as representing the consensus of opinion based on practical experience for safety of cranes.

Hazard warnings

WARNING — This British Standard calls for the use of procedures that can be injurious to health if adequate precautions are not taken. It refers only to technical suitability and does not absolve the user from legal obligations relating to health and safety at any stage.

Use of this document

As a code of practice, this sub-part of BS 7121‑2 takes the form of guidance and recommendations. It should not be quoted as if it were a specification and particular care should be taken to ensure that claims of compliance are not misleading.

Any user claiming compliance with this sub-part of BS 7121‑2 is expected to be able to justify any course of action that deviates from its recommendations.

It has been assumed in the preparation of this British Standard that the execution of its provisions will be entrusted to appropriately qualified and experienced people, for whose use it has been produced.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its recommendations are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

Particular attention is drawn to the following specific regulations:

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 [1];
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 [2];
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 [3];
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (as amended) [4];
Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations 1997 [5];
Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment) Regulations (MCA LOLER) 2006 [6];
Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Provision and Use of Work Equipment) Regulations (MCA PUWER) 2006 [7];
Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended) [8].

NOTE 1 Details of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 [2] and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 [3], together with an HSE Approved Code of Practice and HSE Guidance, are given in HSE publications Safe use of lifting equipment [9] and Safe use of work equipment [10].

NOTE 2 Details of the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels Regulations [5], [6] and [7] are given in Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Guidance Notes MGN 20 (M+F) The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations 1997 [11], MGN 331 (M+F) The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Provision and Use of Work Equipment) Regulations 2006 [12] and MGN 332 (M+F) The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment) Regulations 2006 [13].

1 Scope

This sub-part of BS 7121‑2 gives general recommendations for the pre-use checks, in-service inspection, maintenance, thorough examination (following installation, in service and following exceptional circumstances) and supplementary testing of cranes and associated equipment, including gantries, runways and other supporting structures.

This sub-part of BS 7121‑2 is also applicable to hoists, derricks, telehandlers, fork lift trucks and excavators when used to lift suspended loads. For the purposes of this standard all these are included under the term “cranes”.

It is not applicable to construction hoists, mast climbing work platforms, mobile elevating work platforms, jacks and suspended access equipment.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 General

5 Personnel carrying out pre-use checks, in-service inspections, maintenance and thorough examinations

5.1 Personnel carrying out pre-use checks

5.2 Personnel carrying out in-service inspections and maintenance

5.3 Personnel carrying out thorough examinations

6 Pre-use checks and in-service inspections

6.1 General

6.2 Pre-use checks

6.3 In-service inspection

6.4 Reporting of defects

6.5 Use of checklists and clearance of defects

6.6 Records of pre-use checks and in-service inspections

7 Maintenance

7.1 Maintenance system elements

7.2 Types of maintenance management

7.3 Best practice maintenance regime for cranes

7.4 Investigation of excessive wear or failure

7.5 Review and auditing of inspection and maintenance systems

7.6 Crane user’s responsibilities for maintenance

7.7 Inspection and maintenance intervals for time based systems

7.8 Information for inspection and maintenance

7.9 Maintenance records

8 Thorough examinations

8.1 General

8.2 Selection of competent person

8.3 Types of thorough examination

8.4 Scope of thorough examination before the crane is put into use for the first time

The competent person who undertakes the thorough examination should decide the scope of the examination. The extent of the thorough examination should reflect the likelihood of failure and the actual risk which could arise from any such failure. It should also take into account when the crane was made and the likely deterioration since manufacture, which could increase risks in use. Records of tests and inspections carried out by the manufacturer should also be taken into account.

These recommendations also apply to an inspection made under MCA LOLER 2006 [6] Regulation 12(1) (see 8.3.2).

8.5 Scope of thorough examination following installation

The competent person who undertakes the thorough examination should decide the scope of the examination. LOLER 1998 [2] Regulation 9(2)(a) and (b) requires that this establishes that the crane has been installed correctly and is safe to use.

As a minimum, the examination should ensure the crane has been installed, checked and tested in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

The scope of the thorough examination should be proportional to the complexity of the installation and take into account the reports of previous thorough examinations, where applicable.

These requirements and recommendations also apply to an inspection made under MCA LOLER 2006 [6] Regulation 12(1) (see 8.3.2).

8.6 Scope of periodic thorough examination

The competent person carrying out a periodic thorough examination should work to a defined scope of thorough of examination that has been drawn up specifically for the crane they are required to examine. Different scopes might be required for individual cranes of the same type and model to reflect different thorough examination requirements resulting from differing service histories and past, and intended future, use.

It is recommended that a defined scope of thorough examination approach should be used for all cranes. It is likely that generic scopes of thorough examination, supported by crane specific information, can be written for specific makes and models of crane.

The defined scope of thorough examination should be drawn up in advance of the examination and should identify those parts of the crane that should be thoroughly examined, together with required supplementary supporting reports and tests and the extent to which they should be witnessed. The defined scope of thorough examination should specify the intervals at which the crane (or individual parts thereof) should be thoroughly examined (within the statutory maximum periods specified by LOLER 1998 [2] and MCA LOLER 2006 [6] of 6 months and 12 months) and, where appropriate, intervals for specific supplementary supporting reports and tests. These intervals should reflect the anticipated rate of deterioration and the likelihood and potential consequences of failure.

NOTE A non-exhaustive list of supplementary supporting reports and tests, and some details of these tests, are given in Clause 10.

The defined scope of thorough examination should be drawn up by a formally appointed competent person. The competent person may be employed by the user, owner or manufacturer of the crane or by some other independent party, provided they have the necessary competence. This competent person could also carry out the thorough examinations, supplementary reports and tests of the crane. However, in practice, it is likely that these will be undertaken by other competent persons who are suitably knowledgeable and trained.

The defined scope of thorough examination should take account of the crane manufacturer’s information (which may include a scope of thorough examination), the maintenance history of the crane, previous thorough examination history, the environment in which it is to be used, the number of lifting operations to be carried out and the magnitude of the loads to be lifted. Particular attention should be paid to recurring defects.

The competent person carrying out the thorough examination may add to the defined scope but is not permitted to reduce it. The competent person should feed back to the competent person who prepared the defined scope any concerns about the scope.

The defined scope of thorough examination should be documented and kept in such a manner as to be secure from loss or unauthorized modification and be capable of being reproduced as a paper copy if required. The competent person who prepared the defined scope of thorough examination should periodically review it to take account of changes in usage of the equipment, findings of previous thorough examinations, supporting supplementary reports and tests together with any information from maintenance activities, manufacturers or other sources.

It is essential that the defined scope of thorough examination includes all components that may be used with the crane in different configurations, together with any dedicated ancillary equipment. Particular attention should be paid to wire ropes, see Clause 14. Components that are regularly used with the crane should be included in every thorough examination of the crane. Other components should be thoroughly examined prior to use. Precautions, for example quarantining, should be taken to ensure that such components are not used unless there is a current through examination report for the component.

Examples of typical defined scopes of thorough examination are given in the sub-parts of BS 7121‑2 dealing with particular crane types.

8.7 Periodic thorough examination interval

8.8 Thorough examination after exceptional circumstances

8.9 Examination schemes

8.10 Preparation for thorough examination

8.11 Thorough examination prior to overload testing

8.12 Thorough examination after overload testing

8.13 Reports of thorough examination

9 Pre-use checks, in-service inspections and thorough examination for cranes that have not been in use for an extended period of time

10 Supplementary tests in support of thorough examination and for other purposes

10.1 General

10.2 Anemometer functional test and calibration check

10.3 Spark arrester test

10.4 Electrical system inspection and tests

10.5 Electrical/electronic control system test program run

10.6 Function testing

10.7 Hoist brake operational test

10.8 Hoist/luffing winch assessment

10.9 Hook blocks inspection

10.10 Hydraulic system tests

10.11 Overload testing

10.12 Maintenance log/reports check

10.13 Non-destructive testing of individual components

10.14 Performance testing of the crane

10.15 Rated capacity indicator (RCI) and rated capacity limiter (RCL) calibration checks and functional tests

10.16 Sheaves check

10.17 Slew brake, test of operational efficiency

10.18 Slew ring bearing clearance measurement and condition assessment

10.19 Stowage of crane superstructure for transport, functional test

11 Data logging and condition monitoring systems

12 Additional recommendations for cranes for lifting persons and for personnel carriers (suspended baskets)

12.1 General

12.2 The crane

12.3 The personnel carrier (suspended basket)

13 Personal fall protection equipment

14 Assessment of wire rope condition and discard criteria

Bibliography

BS 7121-2-1:2012

Code of practice for the safe use of cranes - Inspection, maintenance and thorough examination. General

Current

Published:

30 Nov 2012