Queensland authorities are planning to look closely at firms with vehicle loading cranes (VLCs) and related equipment due to recent fatal incidents and other accidents highlighting safety and compliance issues with the machines in the state.
The enforcement campaign, conducted by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) and the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), will commence in August and will ensure that VLC owners and operators are complying with relevant work health and safety as well as road safety requirements, and have implemented adequate controls to reduce the likelihood of unintentional extension of manually operated stabilisers and outriggers.
“The campaign will include on-road inspections of VLCs and assessments of work systems,” WHSQ said in a statement.
“Inspectors will take enforcement actions if they identify unmanaged risks relating to VLCs. This may include compliance notices and immediately prohibiting the use of the VLC until risk controls are implemented and verified.”
Though the safety operation is not officially due to kick off for six months, state safety and transport authorities are on heightened alert in the meantime, focusing on owners, or persons conducting a business or undertaking in chain of responsibility parlance.