New guidance from the ICSA aims to raise safety standards.

ICSA - the International Crane Stakeholders Assembly - has published two new detailed, free guidance documents on the use of mobile cranes. The first - ICSA 005 - is the long-awaited report on the use of mobile cranes on barges. Work on this started in the wake of a crane accident in Alphen aan den Rijn in 2015 and the subsequent accident report from the Dutch Safety Board. In the accident, two cranes and part of a prefabricated bridge fell on several buildings.

In response to local demand, high school students in Georgia now have access to training on heavy equipment operation.

The State Board of Education approved the new courses recommended by State School Superintendent Richard Woods in December. Students began coursework during the spring semester and will begin the new school year with the second course for the career pathway.

Manitowoc continues its expansion and investment in support services with the launch of CONNECT, a new digital platform that will launch at bauma 2022. It enables remote monitoring through an app-based system that gives owners and operators the ability to view real-time crane information, receive alerts, exchange data, and more with further functionality to be added in the future.

An incremental bridge launching approach was used by Kentucky, USA-based contractor Bush and Burchett to build the Pond Creek Bridge on US460 in Pike County, Kentucky. It is now the tallest bridge in the state and one of the tallest traffic bridges in the country. The bridge has a height of 324 feet and the job site’s rugged terrain created multiple challenges for the construction project.

To propel Intel’s global manufacturing buildout — the biggest investments in company history — Intel has brought to Arizona what its maker calls the world’s most powerful conventional crawler crane. Think 3,000 tons of lifting capacity — the weight of about 428 large adult male elephants. Think a maximum hoisting height of 774 feet — more than twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty.

UK-based crane service company Crowland Cranes has completed and handed over a fully restored six tonne Hydrocon Highlander mobile lattice boom crane due to be presented to John Sutch of John Sutch Crane Hire in Liverpool on his 70th birthday. Because John was delayed in Europe on his birthday the crane was presented on Father's Day a few days later.

If you’re hungry about scaling your tree service business – bidding on and winning more contracts, taking on more work, eliminating the challenge of finding skilled, competent workers, and feeling assured your team has the capabilities and resources to complete any job on time and efficiently – then you’re in the right place.

Liebherr has confirmed that it will have a prototype of its first hydraulic luffing jib tower crane - the 195 HC-LH 6/12 - at Bauma in October.
While the German manufacturer will be one of the last major tower crane companies to launch such a machine, it promises to bring new ideas to the market.

Although CCO candidates began taking exams utilizing computers nearly 15 years ago, CCO is excited to announce its technology initiative to move all written exams to the computer. This initiative not only uses the latest and greatest testing and security technology, but it has several key benefits for candidates and employers, the company said.

As a safety coordinator, one of the most disturbing things I saw in 2021 was a video of an employee who was looking down at their phone while walking, slipped off a curb, and ended up being hit by a vehicle. Thankfully, that employee has fully recovered and returned to work, but this incident was a stark reminder of the ongoing pattern of distracted walking that needs attention.

Proper cribbing and blocking helps operators set up cranes or other equipment safely on a variety of ground surfaces. Blocking provides a foundation for heavy loads such as outriggers. Cribbing is used to support the outriggers at greater height than blocking can provide.

The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO) has launched a new certification program for operators of concrete pumps.

CCO developed this certification in response to numerous requests from industry so that users can garner the same increased safety benefits that users of other load handling equipment have seen through certification.

We are starting to see more and more synthetic grass being installed in front yards and parkways as an effort to reduce lawns and the attendant water consumption. But synthetic grass or turf can be very harmful to trees if it is installed too close to the tree trunk, blocking the flow of water and oxygen to the root system of the tree, explained arborist Nick Mook.

All terrain cranes are mobile, agile and a rental fleet rock star.

The all-terrain crane product line showed up in North America about 30 years ago. But they were not an overnight sensation. It took almost a decade for these cranes to catch on across the continent.

Heavy lift engineers Mustafa Al Abdulmohsin and Hussain Al Nassir, part of oil and gas company Saudi Aramco’s Heavy Lift Engineering Group, a division of its Transportation and Equipment Services Department, explain how the company is taking heavy equipment safety to new levels.

Tadano has harmonised its telescopic boom crawler line as the GTC range, continuing its global ‘OneTadano’ strategy. It follows the decision to bring all mobile cranes under the one brand by attributing its all-terrain cranes as ‘ACs’ and its lattice boom crawlers as ‘CCs’. The GTC line will not change in the United States where it is already being used.

Chris Forman with Aspen Tree Service of Colorado is commonly asked how to provide the right amount of hydration for your landscape while staying conscious of water costs and supply. Finding the perfect balance can save money while helping to preserve and beautify our environment.

When a contractor expands into a new line of business, one would assume it's adding a complementary service like concrete or utilities into the mix.

But Turner Mining Group, a five-year-old mining contractor based in Bloomington, Indiana, sees it a bit differently. It views its strong internal hiring results as a complementary service for the industry. So much so that it's starting a new standalone recruiting and staffing business, Turner Staffing Group.

Offshore installation specialist Jan De Nul Group has ordered a high-end crane simulator for two of its Next Generation Offshore Installation Vessels Voltaire and Les Alizés

A new directive involving cranes and derricks has been issued by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The directive addresses training, inspections and certifications. The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO) has offered insight into the changes.