A new project team focussed on Offshore Cranes and Lifting has recently been established and held its first meeting in March. If you’re a subject matter expert in this area and are from a Safer Together member company, we’re looking for suitable candidates to join the Project Team. Let us know if you’re interested.

As part of building Safer Together Strategic Safety Plan 2021-2023, we asked member companies if there was anything else we should be working on. Feedback from Member Companies identified that there was a need that had not been met yet by Safer Together in the cranes and lifting sector of our Industry.  Consultation with NOPSEMA regarding an increase in lifting-related incidents confirmed that this was an area in need of focus.

Following a presentation in November 2021 to Safer Together WA/NT Safety Leaders Group (SLG) by Kevin McLean (INPEX), supported by Ben Finlay (Woodside), the SLG decided to sponsor a new project focussed solely on Cranes and Lifting – and so, our Cranes and Lifting Project Team (CLPT) was initiated.

The intent of the Project Team is to provide Member Companies with an opportunity to share issues related to incidents involving offshore cranes, hoisting, and lifting, and to improve the competency of cranes and lifting operations and maintenance personnel in offshore locations.

The inaugural Project Team meeting was held in March, and was well attended by representatives from INPEX, Woodside, Santos, Sparrows Services Australia, Enermech, Pressure Dynamics, Beach Energy, Chevron, Shell and BHP.

The Project Team is currently prioritising which initiatives it will work on – topics being considered include sharing of incidents at Project Team meetings that may lead to production of Safer Together Learning Event Bulletins; sharing of lift planning with a view to possible future standardisation; and standardisation of competency of crane maintenance and operational staff.

If you’d like to be involved or if you have something to contribute to this Project Team, please email us via [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.