Most crane compliance problems are paperwork problems. The equipment is sound, the maintenance is up to date, and the certificate is either sitting in a folder at head office or expired a fortnight ago without anyone noticing. That becomes a problem the moment an inspector arrives, or WorkSafe asks questions when they come on site.
This guide covers which cranes need certification in New Zealand, what documentation you are required to hold, where it has to be kept, and how to get your site ready for an inspection.
For the mechanics of testing itself, our guide to the crane load testing and inspection procedure goes into the detail.
Which Cranes Need a Design Certificate?
The Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes, and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 define a crane as a powered device that raises and lowers a load and can also reposition it horizontally. In practice, that means a powered hoist movement combined with one or more powered horizontal movements — travelling, traversing, or slewing. Equipment with only one powered direction is a manual or 'push' crane rather than a crane under the regulations, and monorails fitted with an electric trolley are further exempted under a 2010 New Zealand Gazette notice.
Every crane type we supply still requires a design certificate before it goes into service, whether or not it meets the PECPR definition above. Which certificate applies depends on that definition. Take a jib crane fitted with an electric hoist: if its arm also slews under power, it has two powered movements and counts as a crane, so it needs a Certificate of Design Verification from a NZ-registered Design Verifier. The same jib crane with a non-powered slewing arm has only one powered movement — the hoist — so it falls outside the crane definition but still needs a Design Certificate, by a CPEng certificate or a manufacturer declaration rather than a Certificate of Design Verification. The same test applies to a motorised gantry crane, a workstation gantry system, or a davit crane: powered movement in two directions brings PECPR's crane provisions into play, whereas a single powered direction does not.
This distinction affects which certificate applies, not whether one is needed, and it doesn't change your day-to-day duties either. Equipment with a single powered direction still needs inspection and proper records under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Lifting gear that is not an integral part of the crane — slings, spreader beams, and similar lifting devices — follows its own certification path again, typically under AS 4991.
For a wider view of the legislation and codes of practice involved, see our overview of the crane regulations that apply in New Zealand.
What Documentation Do You Need to Hold?
Two certificates do different jobs. Sites often hold one and assume it covers the other. That's not the case and can trip up many job sites.
Certificate of Design Verification
A Certificate of Design Verification covers the design rather than the individual unit. As set out above, it applies only to equipment that meets the crane definition —at least two powered movements vertically or horizonitally It is issued by a NZ-registered Design Verifier. It records the design standards along with the maximum safe working load, and it also records the seismic coefficient, which carries real weight in New Zealand and is worth checking on any imported equipment. Equipment that doesn't meet the crane definition still needs a Design Certificate.
Certificate of Inspection
A Certificate of Inspection covers the specific unit in its specific location. It is issued by a recognised inspection body on the recommendation of an equipment inspector.
It must record the equipment's unique identifier, its location, the manufacturer, and the safe working load. It must also name the equipment inspector, give the inspection date and the expiry date, name the issuing inspection body, and record your name and business address as controller.
Where Your Records Must Be Kept
This requirement is specific, and it catches out even well-run sites. Documentation must be held at the workplace where the equipment is located, and it must be readily accessible to anyone in that workplace who wants to examine it, including an inspector.
What you need to keep on site covers every Certificate of Design Verification, every current Certificate of Inspection, the reports behind those certificates, and any other information affecting the safety of the equipment.
One further point on responsibility. The regulations place these duties on the 'controller,' which means the owner, lessee, sublessee, or bailee. If you lease your crane, the duty is yours rather than the equipment owner's.
When Does a New Certificate Become Necessary?
A Certificate of Inspection remains in force until one of four things happens:
- The period specified in the certificate expires.
- A new certificate is issued following a repair or alteration affecting operational safety.
- A new certificate is issued after the equipment is found to be safe or if found unsafe, it has been repaired and returned to service.
- The inspection body or WorkSafe suspends or cancels the certificate.
The second trigger is worth reading closely. Alteration includes relocating non-mobile equipment, so moving a fixed crane during a plant reconfiguration requires design verification and fresh equipment inspection before it goes back into service.
Repairs and alterations are also what usually prompts a new proof load test. Under AS 1418.9 — the design standard our gantry, workstation gantry, jib, and davit cranes are typically built to — proof load testing is carried out at 110% of maximum safe working load. The Approved Code of Practice for Cranes' 125% figure is only a default for equipment with no governing design standard, and a crane built to a European standard that does not have a Design Certificate by a NZ registered CPEng. Where a crane and its hoist are rated to different standards, test to the lower of the two WWL’s, since testing at the higher figure risks overloading the weaker component. If you are bringing older equipment back into service rather than repairing something current, our guide on recertifying an old crane or lifting beam covers that scenario.
How Should You Prepare for a Crane Inspection?
Preparation shortens the inspection and reduces the chance of a return visit. Most hold-ups are administrative rather than mechanical, coming down to missing records or a crane the inspector cannot properly access. Both are avoidable with a bit of lead time. Work through the following before your inspection date:
- Documentation on site: Confirm certificates and reports are physically at the workplace rather than head office, and have your equipment's unique identifier to hand.
- Maintenance records: Bring these up to date, including certificates for any replaced rope, chain, hook, or hook block.
- Inspection body: Confirm it holds current WorkSafe recognition and accreditation.
- Booking: Schedule ahead of your expiry date. Inspector availability is the constraint most sites underestimate.
- Clear access: The inspector runs a performance test across the full length of travel. Obstructions mean a partial inspection or a second visit.
- Operator available: Someone needs to demonstrate normal operation.
- Test load arranged: If a load test is scheduled, organise certified weights or a load cell in advance, and confirm the floor below the crane can carry solid weights before assuming they are an option.
Our crane inspection checklist sets out what inspectors examine, which is a useful reference when reviewing your equipment beforehand.
What Happens If Your Certificate Expires?
You cannot operate the equipment without a current Certificate of Inspection.
There is one relief valve, and it is narrow. An inspection body may extend an expiring certificate on one occasion only, for a period of up to three months. That extension requires an equipment inspector to have visually examined the equipment and assessed its records, and to have reasonable grounds to believe it will remain safe for the extension period.
Once you have used it, it is gone. Treat the extension as cover for a genuine scheduling problem rather than as part of your compliance plan.
Keeping Your Crane Certification Current
Certification is manageable once you know which pathway applies to your equipment and when your certificates run out.
If you are unsure where your equipment sits, or you are specifying a new crane and want the certification requirements clear from the outset, contact the Stratalign team for a consultation. We will help you work through what applies to your site.
