Crane operators are being put on notice with SafeWork inspectors conducting a compliance blitz across NSW next month.

Minister for better regulation and innovation Kevin Anderson says inspectors will be on site checking safe slinging and load movements and issuing on-the-spot fines to anyone operating a crane without a valid high-risk work licence.

“Crane incidents are preventable and the injuries and damage they can cause if used unsafely is just too high,” he says.

“This compliance blitz is all about putting safety first, and our inspectors will be visiting worksites to promote safe mobile crane use as well as checking operators are using them in the right way, with the right licence.”

The blitz runs concurrently with the release of the findings of a research report from SafeWork’s Centre for Work Health and Safety and RMIT which looked at factors contributing to crane incidents.

“This research project has helped us better understand the cause of crane safety incidents in the Australian construction industry and identify what actions can be taken to prevent them,” Kevin explains.

The study found key factors potentially involved in causing crane incidents, included worker competence, time pressures associated with the delivery of projects, the internationalisation of construction and sub-contracting practices as well as the operation of substandard machinery.