Cranes are must-have equipment for any construction project. However, cranes are expensive; therefore, not every construction firm can afford to buy one. Moreover, storage, maintenance and repair can quickly add to the operating costs for a company. That leaves construction firms with rental as the only other alternative to acquire expensive pieces of equipment. That said, there are a couple of things you must look at to make sure you hire the right crane for your project. Here is a checklist of critical details you need to provide to a crane hire company.
Project Site Plan
This is the first and arguably the most important piece of information you should provide a crane hire firm with. The reason is that before hiring out a crane, the rental firm must first understand the conditions of the construction site. For instance, are there any critical activities going on around the construction site? The rental company needs this information to ensure they choose a crane that can be manoeuvered easily without disrupting the other activities. Another piece of critical information related to the site plan is the availability of access routes. The more familiar a rental company is with these routes, the better they can plan on how to deliver the crane.
Lifting Personnel Available
Crane operation requires a detailed understanding of the machine; therefore, construction companies have to hire the best operators in the business. Unfortunately, the process of hiring competent operators is usually time-consuming and quite expensive. That is why rental companies offer their cranes with an operator. However, successful and safe lifting projects do not rely on the operator alone. Other personnel must be available, and they include riggers, signal persons and lift directors. Without these experts, the crane operator is blind and cannot guarantee the safety of workers. Most importantly, rental companies will only offer their crane once they are sure you have all the necessary personnel to help the crane operator.
Potential Hazards
What are the risk factors associated with a work site? This is a question a rental firm needs to look at carefully to understand your safety requirements. For example, the last thing any rental firm needs is to rent out a crane to a project site where electrical lines are very low or where the ground conditions cannot guarantee crane stability. In most cases, the crane rental company will send their staff to conduct a risk assessment and identify potential risks that might expose the crane to accidents. By providing crane rental firms with this information, you assist them in arranging for mitigating strategies for potential accidents.
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