What is a Contract Lift?
A contract lift is where the customer has something they wish lifted from one location to another and they wish us to take care of everything else in between. They book us and then don’t have to worry about anything else (e.g. insurance, Method Statement/Lift Plan for H&S compliance, equipment operation, use of correct lifting tackle, WLLs †, machine access, Ground Bearing Capacity).
They can just be content in the knowledge the item(s) will be moved safely from their existing location to their new one on the date requested.
Why book a Contract Lift?
- Insurance
- It’s Our Responsibility
- Expert knowledge and experience
- We provide the lift crew required
Insurance
Lifting heavy objects high into the air is hazardous. Operated carefully and proficiently, cranes are as safe as any other piece of building site equipment. However they can operate over a large area, particularly if the crane has a long reach (extending boom) and is intended to carry heavy or critical loads. The zone of operation for a lift has to be considered a hazardous area, even a crane’s empty hook block can weigh several tonnes. For example, a hook with a WLL † of 100 tonne can weigh roughly one tonne itself, falling from 20m this creates a kinetic force of roughly 196000 Newtons, that is the equivalent of 20 tonnes!
A poorly operated or unstable crane could also cause tremendous damage and loss of life if it topples over. Even though mobile crane accidents are extremely rare, if you hire a crane you will need to make sure you have the right insurance, and more importantly the right people with the expertise to operate it to minimise any risk. With a Terranova contract lift you conveniently get both, an experienced crane operator and full insurance cover for public liability, goods being lifted (check contract for details) and equipment damage or fire and theft while on site.
Without a Contract Lift, you will need plant insurance to cover the value of the crane, insurance to cover any unforeseen on-going charges and also insurance to cover employers liability. Any damage to the load or equipment will be the responsibility of your lift supervisor or whoever is instructing the crane operator at the time. Without a Contract Lift the client covers all lifting responsibilities and needs to have all required insurance in place before taking delivery of any lifting equipment.
Risk and responsibility is migrated to us
With a contract lift, virtually all the risk and responsibility is migrated to us, this includes:
- Satisfy all Health and Safety at Work requirements pertaining to a work place lift. (LORER 1998, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974). For more information see “Comply with Health and Safety laws” in our article “Why Get A Site Survey“.
- Ensuring the correct and most cost effective equipment is used. We provide all the equipment your lift needs, if more equipment is needed we provide it at no additional cost as long as none of the original lift parameters have changed.
- All hazards are identified and minimised both to personnel on site and to the loads being lifted
- Ensuring the equipment can get safely on site, into the lift position and be configured with necessary outriggers for successful completion of the lift.
- The surface on which the crane will operate has a suitable Ground Bearing Capacity (GBC) for the crane and load during the complete lift. This includes supplying and using any necessary ground plating.
Expert knowledge and experience
All our drivers have years of experience and are expert users of their equipment. Most have a special attachment to “their” crane as it becomes a big part of their working life. They have an in depth knowledge of their configuration, their good points, their quirks and how to get the best from them.
They are also experts in their field with years of experience at lifting loads in all sorts of configurations and all sorts of environments. Being a family run business, everyone at Terranova is ready to help if any of our drivers decide they need assistance. Established in 1979, there is an enormous amount of knowledge and in the field expertise at hand, ready to help and ensure your job is completed successfully.
We provide the lift crew required
We supply a lift crew with all the personnel required to safely and successfully complete the lift. e.g. Lift Supervisor, Slinger Banksmen
Request a Contract Lift Today
All Contract Lifts require a Site Survey to be completed. You can request a Site Survey today using our online Book A Site Survey form. One of our Crane Consultants will discuss your Contract Lift needs during the Site Survey.
