IPAF USA
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Tel: (518) 280-2486
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Tel : (630) 942-6583
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IPAF NEWS
45
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
Tower cranes are not
for entertainment:
IPAF welcomes ConExpo
pledge and FEM position
IPAF welcomes the position
paper issued by the FEM Product
Group for Cranes and Lifting
Equipment, which makes clear
that tower cranes are designed
and manufactured to lift loads,
not people, and that they should
not be used for entertainment
purposes. At the same time, it has
been confirmed that such rides will
not be permitted at ConExpo.
FEM (Fédération Européenne de
la Manutention) is the European
manufacturers’ association for
material handling equipment. In
its position paper dated November
7, 2013, the FEM Product Group
for Cranes and Lifting Equipment,
Sub-Group for Tower and Harbor
Cranes states that: “Tower cranes
are, in general, designed and
manufactured to lift loads as the
intended use. All other uses are
not allowed by manufacturers.
When a user of a tower crane
decides to operate a tower crane
not in line with the intended use
as described by the manufacturer,
the user is responsible for a
risk assessment according to
the national work place safety
regulations and he does so under
his own responsibility.”
The FEM position paper further
states that: “For professional use,
national labor regulations may
allow tower cranes to be used to
hoist and suspend personnel in
man baskets only in unique work
situations when it is the least
hazardous way to do the job… For
any other use not described in the
instruction handbook (for example,
entertainment purposes), national
regulations of the member states
must be followed.”
The FEM position paper was
drafted in response to IPAF’s
request for clarification following
the message being sent to all
exhibitors and will be reiterated
through our exhibitor messages as
we get closer to the show.”
“I cannot imagine allowing the
use of tower cranes for some kind
of circus ride at Intermat since the
show is dedicated to promoting
safety in construction and the
professional use of construction
equipment,” said Maryvonne
Lanoe, Intermat director.
“IPAF’s members will not stand
by such flagrant disregard of all
safety campaigns that are aimed
at ensuring that temporary work
at height is performed by properly
trained operators using machinery
designed to lift people,” said IPAF
CEO Tim Whiteman. “While such
fun rides may not contravene
local legislation, they go against
safety principles and industry good
practice. Falls from height are
still the largest workplace killer
in the U.S. and in Europe, and
circus entertainment has no place
in the professional construction
and lifting equipment industry. We
welcome the statements from the
AEM and the Intermat organizers.
Powered access equipment is a
safe and effective to lift people to
perform temporary work at height.
Our industry is safe and we strive
to keep it that way.”
March 4-8 in Las Vegas will not
allow rides as a recreational item
at the show,” said Al Cervero,
vice-president of marketing and
global business development at
the AEM. “It goes against our
criteria in our position paper of
the Power Crane and Shovel
Association (PCSA), a bureau of
the AEM, and against show rules.
We encourage demonstrations;
however, demos should be real
world applications and not in
a recreational manner. This is
the sale of crane rides by a
company at Bauma construction
show in Munich, Germany in 2013.
IPAF is calling for a ban on the
use of cranes for circus rides at all
professional construction shows.
Several trade magazines also
questioned the dubious promotion
of “fun flights” at the world’s largest
professional construction equipment
exhibition.
“The Association of Equipment
Manufacturers (AEM) and its
ConExpo show being held from
