Product Overview

This Gantry Crane Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is a site-ready safety management document designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for gantry crane operations. It provides a comprehensive approach to planning, setup, operation, and maintenance of gantry cranes to support WHS compliance and safe management of High Risk Construction Work.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Planning and coordination of gantry crane operations, including lift studies and pre-start risk assessments
• Selection, inspection, and use of appropriate lifting gear such as slings, chains, shackles, and spreader beams
• Safe operation of pendant-controlled and remote-controlled gantry cranes in workshops and construction environments
• Establishing and maintaining exclusion zones to separate crane operations from pedestrians, vehicles, and other plant
• Rigging and slinging of loads to prevent dropped objects, load swing, and instability
• Communication protocols between crane operators, doggers, riggers, and spotters, including use of standard signals and radios
• Managing overhead powerlines, services, and other overhead obstructions in and around the crane operating envelope
• Controls for lifting unusual, oversized, or awkward loads, including use of tag lines and load positioning techniques
• Emergency procedures for crane malfunctions, power failures, uncontrolled load movement, and collision incidents
• Inspection, testing, and maintenance of gantry cranes, hoists, limit switches, wire ropes, hooks, and safety devices
• Housekeeping and traffic management in crane bays, load storage areas, and travel paths
• Managing environmental factors such as lighting, noise, weather (for outdoor gantry cranes), and visibility
• Competency, licensing, and verification of training for crane operators, doggers, and riggers

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for fabrication workshops, manufacturing plants, warehouses, construction contractors, maintenance teams, and site supervisors responsible for planning and overseeing gantry crane operations.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Model Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Plant in the Workplace – Guidance on safe use, inspection, and maintenance of gantry cranes and associated equipment
• Model Code of Practice: Construction Work – Requirements for planning and managing construction activities involving cranes and lifting operations
• Model Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Falls at Workplaces – Relevant where access to crane runways, maintenance platforms, or elevated work areas is required
• Model Code of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work – Applicable to noisy crane and workshop environments
• AS 2550 Cranes, Hoists and Winches – Safe Use – Series providing guidance on inspection, testing, and safe operation of cranes
• AS 1418 Cranes, Hoists and Winches – Design and Construction – Series covering design and safety requirements for cranes and lifting equipment
• AS/NZS 4801 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Framework for integrating this SWMS into broader safety management systems
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017