A safety expert has hit out at the age and quality of tower cranes working in the region.
Paul King, operations director at Al Quoz-based Gulf Erectors, said that the quality of the steelwork should be inspected regularly if a crane is to be used beyond its normal lifespan.
“You see 1960s tower cranes up full height, lifting maximum weight. It should have non-destructive testing every 15 years. There is no way in the world that a 40-year-old crane should be lifting maximum weight at maximum height,” he said.
He added that most manufacturers state that ten percent of the metal should be tested every twelve years or so.
“To me it is ridiculous putting up such old cranes that haven’t had any testing since the day they were made,” he said.
Gulf Erectors is a newcomer to both Dubai and to the Big 5. King and the rest of the team hope to bring Western-style safety knowledge and training, and can even help source a brand-new crane if what is already onsite proves to be scrap.
“We do everything the safest way and using my knowledge to help other people. We do inspections. A company could call me up and say they have a crane – I’ll go and inspect it and give a report on the machine.”
He added: “It’s not a legally binding document, but it is a report from someone who has been in the game for twenty-odd years.”