Should You Outsource Your Crane Labour Hire? Three Issues to Consider

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If you are hiring a crane, you can operate it yourself, or you can turn to a labour hire company to provide you with the professionals you need. The right option depends on your unique circumstances. In most cases, if you need to use a crane on a regular basis, you may be better off hiring a full-time employee. Conversely, however, if you only use a crane once in awhile, it may be more effective to source your help from a labour hire company.

Here are the special skills you and your employers need to operate cranes:

1. Special Licenses

Every state and territory has a unique set of rules governing crane operators. However, in most cases such as in New South Wales, you need a special license to operate a crane. When you work with a crane hire company, you can rest assured that you can get a licensed operator when you need one.

However, if you want to operate the crane by yourself, you will need to obtain a special license or have one of your employees obtain a license. Conversely, you can start by hiring a temporary employee from a hire company and then, if they are a good fit for your company, transition them to full time, based on the protocol of the hire company.

2.  Experience

In addition to having the right license, you want an operator who has experience with the type of crane you plan to use. There are a range of different cranes including mobile and stationary cranes, vehicle loading and concrete placing, and self erecting and non-slewing. While there are vast similarities between all of these types of cranes, there are nuances between them as well. The more experience an operator has with a specific type of crane, the easier it is to use that crane safely and effectively.

If you only use one or two types of cranes, it may work to have a single crane operator on staff. However, if your business has ongoing needs for a variety of different cranes, you may want to work with a hire company. That way, you can easily get an expert in slewing cranes one week and an expert in derrick cranes the next as needed.

3. Signal Knowledge

In many cases, a single crane operator is not adequate to handle the job. Rather, you need also need a signaller on the ground. This person monitors the load and uses hand signals to communicate with the crane operator about where to place the load. If you don't currently have staff members who know signals, you may want to outsource this job as well.

 

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10 October 2016

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