Compliance of Lifting and Handling Equipment

How can you ensure compliance for an overhead crane?

"I need a compliance certificate for my overhead crane !" 

This is a fairly frequent request, whether for prevention purposes or at the request of the CNESST following an event. 

You may be an owner of lifting equipment who wants to stay compliant. Or perhaps you're responsible for health and safety in your company and have been entrusted with the huge responsibility of ensuring machine compliance. 

In either case, how do you determine whether your overhead crane is compliant? Is it possible to obtain a document certifying compliance, or is this established in some other way? 

In this article, we clearly explain :

- What makes equipment compliant?

- What standards must be met?

- How can you ensure that your overhead cranes remain compliant?

It will allow you to focus on your productivity with peace of mind, knowing how to demonstrate the compliance of your lifting equipment at any time.

What determines the compliance of an overhead crane? 

For an overhead crane to be considered compliant, you need to be able to demonstrate, by means of the documents contained in your logbook ¹ , that the equipment has been designed, manufactured, installed, commissioned and maintained in accordance with all applicable standards.

What does it mean in concrete terms? 

In fact, every document related to a piece of lifting equipment is important and must be kept by its owner. This includes design and manufacturing documents, as well as inspection and maintenance records. 

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of documents that should be included in this file ²  :

• Drawings sealed by an engineer
• All specifications and information on the crane and its components
• Options and accessories included
• Applicable certifications (CSA, CWB, etc.), including :
• Electrical specifications
• Operating instructions
• Maintenance manual
• Installation and commissioning documents, including :
  • 1. Initial inspection
  • 2. 100% and 125% load test
• Warranty documents
• Modifications made (e.g. modernization)
• Maintenance documents for the entire service life :
  • 1. Inspection reports
  • 2. Maintenance and repair work orders

In short, lifting equipment is considered compliant when… 

• The equipment has been designed and manufactured in compliance with current standards. 

• The equipment has been installed and commissioned in accordance with current standards. 

• The device has been inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and current standards. 
  
  
• The owner is able to demonstrate the above with supporting documents.

Some misconceptions about compliance 

Here are some of the misconceptions we sometimes hear about compliance. 

My inspection report says "compliant" on all points. Does that mean my equipment is compliant? 

Not necessarily. The logbook must also contain information about the equipment itself. For example, if structural engineering drawings are not available, how can we prove that the rated capacity shown is the correct one? The equipment could be lifting loads in excess of its actual capacity. 

What's more, an inspection report reveals the condition of the lifting equipment at a frozen point in time. A wrong maneuver performed immediately after the inspection may have compromised the integrity of the equipment. 

I have an inspection certificate. Does this mean my equipment complies? 

False. An inspection certificate simply attests that the inspection was carried out in accordance with standards and by competent personnel. It does not certify the compliance of the equipment itself.

To find out more about the different types of certification available, see the article "Lifting equipment certification: What does it really entail?".

These examples show that overhead crane compliance is not demonstrated by a single document, but by a set of documents kept up to date throughout the service life of the lifting equipment. These documents serve to demonstrate that standards have been closely followed. But what standards are we talking about?

What standards are required for overhead crane compliance?

In Quebec, a number of standards and regulations govern the compliance of lifting equipment. 

Standards and manufacturer's instructions

Engineers have designed equipment based on precise calculations. For this reason, the information provided by a product's manufacturer takes precedence over all others.

CSA B167-16 standard

The CSA standard is a Canadian standard that sets minimum requirements for overhead cranes, gantry cranes, monorails, hoists and jib cranes. For more information, visit the CSA Group website :
https://www.csagroup.org/fr/ 

Quebec Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (RROHS)

Regulation governing prevention and safety measures in Quebec workplaces. It sets mandatory minimum standards to reduce the risk of accidents. To find out more, visit the CNESST website :
https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/fr
 

Other referenced standards

In some cases, the preceding standards refer to other normative documents, such as CMAA, ISO, DIN, EN, etc. When this is the case, the standards and regulations to which they refer must be respected.

How can you ensure that your crane remains compliant over time?

If only it were possible to certify lifting equipment as compliant once and for all! But unfortunately, it's a continuous process.

So how can overhead crane owners secure peace of mind and know that they will always be able to demonstrate that their equipment is compliant?

Here are some best practices for maintaining compliance:

Create and maintain a logbook from the outset

As soon as your equipment is installed, set up a file to hold all the documents supplied by the device’s manufacturer.

Check the documents supplied by the manufacturer

Make sure that the manufacturer supplies all the documents required for compliance, whether at the time of installation or modification.

Document all maintenance in the logbook

Every intervention on an overhead crane, whether an inspection, service call or repair, should be documented by a report, work order, invoice or other dated document. Including a copy of each of these documents in the logbook will demonstrate to an inspector that you are maintaining your equipment.

Overhead crane compliance: more than just a document

Do you bear the responsibility of proving your overhead cranes’ compliance? Now you know that it's not a matter of finding a certificate, but of demonstrating through a complete set of documents that the lifting equipment has been designed, manufactured, commissioned and maintained in accordance with current standards. It's up to the equipment owner to compile a logbook containing all this information.
That sounds like a heavy responsibility. How do you find your way around all these standards and paperwork? Your lifting expert can guide you.

Have you noticed that you're missing documents to make your lifting equipment compliant? Premium Industrial Group can help you in different ways.

Here are a few :

Do you need any of these services? You can contact us by clicking on the "Contact a specialist" button at the bottom of the page. One of our experts will contact you to help bring your equipment into compliance.