17 September 2019
One Birdcage Walk, London
As lifting projects continue to become more complex, crane owners and operators must
continuously improve their processes to maintain high levels of safety and compliance with industry
regulation. Incidents in the last 12 months, including high profile examples such as the Google
building in Seattle and at a hospital in Birmingham, highlight the importance of effective
procurement, installation, training and maintenance of lifting equipment.
Now in its fourth iteration, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Crane Safety seminar continues
to provide a forum for all those involved in lifting operations, risk and project planning to address
the key challenges involved and to discuss the strategies and technologies available to reduce risk,
enable cost savings and ensure compliance with safety legislation.
This annual seminar is the only one of its kind that concentrates on the technical and engineering
challenges involved, covering all aspects from installation, maintenance and inspections, operation
and de-rigging. Combining examples from recent lifting projects from rail, nuclear power,
decommissioning, offshore and construction industries, the 2019 seminar will emphasise the lessons
learned from different engineering sectors for attendees to benchmark and enhance their
organisation’s lifting processes.
A highlight on the agenda this year comes from consultant Mike Ponsonby, a well-known advocate
for crane safety. Following from his contributions at the inaugural Crane Safety seminar, Mike will
provide an overview of progress being made in crane safety by reviewing the incidents that have
occurred since 2016, highlighting key findings for organisations to consider in their future projects.
Other key sessions in 2019 include:
– BYLOR outline how they have overcome specific lifting challenges and crane volumes during
construction of Hinckley Point C
– Sparrows Group identify issues with offshore crane integrity
– Laing O’Rourke highlight best practice for education and training to increase safety with
human factors
– VolkerFitzpatrick discuss the challenges of using cranes in densely populated areas during
the construction of HS2
– Dounreay Site Restoration Limited outline the lessons learned from the failure of one of
their polar cranes
Finally, attendees will be able to get a thorough overview of adequate lifting equipment integrity
and maintenance from the Health & Safety Executive. Combined with an opportunity to ask and
receive specific guidance from the industry regulator, lifting professionals will be equipped with a
better understanding of how to balance existing costs with effective maintenance while staying
compliant with current regulation.
Tim Watson, technical consultant for the Construction Plant Hire Association said: “As lifting projects
continue to become more complex, crane owners and operators must understand how to maintain
high levels of safety and compliance with industry regulations. A number of highly regarded speakers
will be sharing best practice and case study presentations on a variety of challenging lifting projects
in the real world.”
6/28/2019For immediate releasewww.imeche.org
Members and non-members of the IMechE are welcome to join their peers in London and to benefit
from the learning and networking opportunities at the seminar. For further information about the
event, including a full programme and booking instructions, please visit the event website
www.imeche.org/cranesafety2019
About the Institution of Mechanical Engineers:
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is one of the fastest growing professional
engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, but with operations around the world, the
Institution has over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries, working at the heart of the most
important and dynamic industries.