Contents
Overview
What BS 7121-13 is
BS 7121-13 is Part 13 of the British Standard code of practice for the safe use of cranes, and deals with hydraulic gantry lifting systems. A gantry of this kind lifts a load on header beams carried by hydraulic jacking units, which can also travel along track to move the load.
In short
- Each gantry lift is given one of the standard’s three grades, so an appointed person with the right experience plans it.
- Moving the load along the track raises the grade of a lift.
- A competent person assesses the floor or ground under the track before the gantry goes up.
- A pre-lift test with the load just clear confirms that every jack is lifting evenly.
| Full title | Code of practice for safe use of cranes – Part 13: Hydraulic gantry lifting systems |
|---|---|
| Reference | BS 7121-13:2009 |
| Current edition | First edition, in effect from 31 August 2009 |
| Publisher | BSI |
| Status | Current |
| Legal status | British Standard code of practice. Its recommendations have no legal force of their own. |
| Intended for | Anyone planning or running a lift with a hydraulic gantry in the UK |
Scope
Scope and the five kinds of gantry lift
The recommendations cover the whole job, from planning a lift to examining the equipment, with two annexes on training. The standard was developed from BS 7121-1 with significant changes for gantries, and draws on recommended practice for hydraulic jacking systems from the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA).
| Straight lift | Raising and lowering the load |
|---|---|
| Lift with travel | The load is raised, then moved along the track |
| Top and tail | Standing a load up from flat, or laying it down |
| Side shift | Moving the load sideways along the header beam, usually by small amounts |
| Combination | The gantry working with other equipment, such as forklifts or mobile cranes |
Planning
Planning a gantry lift
Each job is graded so that an appointed person with the right experience plans it. The appointed person is the competent person named in writing to plan and control the lift. A basic lift is a straight lift of a load whose weight is easily established, with no significant hazards or obstructions. Significant hazards in the working area or on the access route, or travel along the track, make it a standard lift. A lift is complex if it involves any of these:
- top and tail, or side shifting
- more than four jacking units
- lifting from height
- a load of complex shape or large wind area
- a site with exceptional hazards
- lifting people
Two or four jacking units share every load, so the standard treats even a straight lift as a multiple lift, and the planner works out what each unit carries. A jacking unit can be loaded to its full rated capacity only when the load’s weight and centre of gravity, the lifting gear and the share each unit takes are known accurately and monitored. The team always includes a lift supervisor and an operator, with enough slingers or signallers to watch every jacking unit, and everyone is kept out of the lifting area as far as possible.
Who plans the lift when a gantry is hired
In a contract lift, the contractor provides the appointed person and runs the lift. When a gantry is hired with an operator, the owner supplies maintained, examined equipment and a competent operator, and the hirer names the appointed person and plans the lift. The standard says anyone without lifting expertise should use a contract lift for the work.
Siting
Siting and erecting the gantry
A gantry may stand on soil or stone, a ground-bearing slab, a structural floor or a barge, or beside a pit. Track is the usual way to spread the load. Flat plates spread it over a small area, so the gantry can sink, and on soft ground with timber mats the gantry may need derating well below its rated capacity. The appointed person gets a competent person’s assessment of the ground, allowing for the gantry, the load, movement and wind, and a competent person such as a structural engineer is consulted if there is any doubt about a floor.
Outdoors, the standard says to consult the line operator within 9 m of lines on wooden poles or 15 m of lines on steel towers, and HSE’s current GS6 asks for risks to be managed within 10 m of any line. Indoors, the plan covers factory services such as gas, steam and air lines, cables and ducts.
Erecting the gantry
The lift supervisor controls erection and dismantling from the method statement. Track is laid level and parallel within the stated tolerances, shimmed with steel packers where needed, and any length bridging a gap is checked by a competent person such as a structural engineer. Jacking units are set plumb, and every hose has locking couplings and burst valves. The lift supervisor then inspects the finished assembly. A pre-lift test follows: a run without the load, then the load raised just off its support while the height of each jack is measured.
Operations
Running the lift
The control unit runs for several minutes before lifting, because the hydraulic oil must be warm for the pressure gauges to read the load correctly. The operator watches the gauges throughout, and a cordon keeps people clear. As the load rises, the height of each header plate is measured.
| Straight lift | Every 1 m |
|---|---|
| High lift | Ideally every 100 mm to 200 mm, with beam levelling monitors fitted |
| Top and tail | Every 300 mm |
During a top and tail lift, the jacking units stay free to roll, because locking them puts side loads on the cylinders. The wind limit for the configuration and load goes in the method statement, and where wind could affect the lift an anemometer is fitted at the top of the gantry. On a job lasting more than a day, the standard advises repeating the assembly inspection and pre-lift test at the start of each day.
Thorough examination
A competent person examines the gantry before use, sometimes each component before assembly and then the whole assembly, to check it was assembled correctly and not damaged in transit. Header beams and other components are clearly marked with their rated capacity. An overload test is done only when the examiner specifies one, under a competent engineer at a suitable test facility.
The law
How BS 7121-13 relates to LOLER and PUWER
A hydraulic gantry raises and lowers loads at work, so it is lifting equipment as defined in regulation 2 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). Regulation 8 requires every lifting operation to be planned by a competent person and properly supervised, and regulation 9 sets when thorough examinations are due. The foreword also names the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). HSE representatives helped draft the standard, and HSE commends it to anyone with duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
LOLER and PUWER apply in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own versions, such as the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, enforced by HSENI or the district council.
Editions
Editions and related parts
BSI subcommittee MHE/3/11, Crane safety and testing, prepared the 2009 edition, and BSI lists no amendments. Inspection, testing and examination of cranes in general is covered by the BS 7121-2 series, and the BSI series page lists the current parts.
Sources and further reading
Questions
Common questions
What makes a gantry lift complex?
Any of the conditions listed under planning, such as lifting people, a site with exceptional hazards or using more than four jacking units.
Who checks the floor can take a gantry?
The appointed person arranges the assessment, and brings in a structural engineer or other competent person if the floor’s strength is in doubt.
When does a hydraulic gantry need a thorough examination?
In Great Britain, LOLER regulation 9 requires one before first use, after assembly at each new site, at least every 12 months or under an examination scheme, and after damage or major repair. Northern Ireland’s 1999 regulations match it.
Related
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