In Alberta, cranes are governed by the Alberta OHS Code. Inside the code, Alberta sets out the rules and standards that employers must follow. Alongside the code, the Alberta Government also publishes an Explanation Guide to help you understand the code in plain, easy-to-understand language. That is where we need to start in order to answer the question of who is required to get a Crane inspection done.
First we need to define what we mean by crane inspection. There are mechanical, operational, and structural inspections. Mechanical inspections deal with the hydraulics and motors that allow the crane to move. The operational inspection involves making sure that all of the controls function and that it’s fully functional throughout its range. The final inspection is the structural inspection. That is what we will be discussing in this post. The structural inspection involves the material that the crane is made of and making sure it’s still in a good working condition.
Looking back at the Alberta OHS code, we need to see what it says about structural inspections for cranes. In Part 6 of the code it says:
“An employer must ensure that all load-bearing components of a mobile
crane undergo non-destructive testing under the direction and control of a
professional engineer in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications at
12-month intervals from the date of the mobile crane’s most recent
certification.”
We will discuss “non-destructive testing” in another post, but for quick reference, Alberta wants the structure of the crane to be inspected every year. But we still haven’t answered what types of cranes they are talking about. For that we need to look at Part 6 again. In this case, structural inspections are required on any crane that meets CSA Z150 and has a lifting capacity over 2000kgs (4409 lbs).
CSA Z150 defines a crane as:
-has a boom that can rotate
-the boom can raise/lower
-raise/lower a hook (tackle) suspended from the boom
-the crane is designed for the primary purpose of hoisting
What about Articulating Cranes, they don’t raise and lower a tackle? Your right they don’t. So here is where it gets tricky. CSA Z150 specifically excludes Articulating cranes from their scope. So that would mean Articulating cranes don’t need to be inspected. However, Alberta OHS has done a little word trick on us. They say we need to exclude clause 1.6 and 1.7 in Z150. And one of those clauses specifically says Articulating Cranes do not fall under Z150. So based on that info, we need to assume that Alberta OHS wants Articulating Cranes to be structurally inspected annually as well. Hopefully in the future the Alberta Government will change the wording in the code to help clarify their stance on Articulating Cranes.
Essentially, if you have a mobile crane in Alberta, you need to have your crane inspected under the direction of a professional engineer every 12 months.