What is a CPA contract lift? We look at why you may require a CPA contract lift for your construction, moving or transportation project.

What is a CPA Crane Hire option?

CPA crane hire is a set of responsibilities those working or managing construction projects have regarding lifting. 

The CPA itself is the Construction Plant-Hire Association, which is the organisation that sets the standard terms and CPA contracts that operators working in the construction industry must adhere to. 

These terms were established to determine who is liable overall for the operation of static cranes, tower cranes or mobile cranes during lifting when working on customer sites.

Whenever your project requires lifting, the obvious place to start is with a reliable crane hire company. They can provide the necessary equipment and the operators to work them as per your instructions. Essentially, any further responsibilities involved with the CPA lift operation remain primarily the responsibility of the site or project manager. These subsequent duties include:

Once they have been delivered to your site and are not on a public road, you are responsible for every crane hired. 

This involves producing the necessary method statements for its operation as per BS7121 and LOLER regulations and generating risk assessments to significantly reduce risk compared to unappraised lifting operations. 

Additionally, according to Clause 13 of the CPA Model Conditions 2001, you are responsible for all damage or loss of plant hire machinery, no matter the cause, except for fair wear and tear during the hire period.

While this may sound like the bulk of responsibility lies with you as the hirer, it also means that the crane company you choose are obligated to provide equipment that is properly maintained in good condition alongside a competent crane operator for the entire lift and hire period. 

But, once you have taken receipt of the crane, under CPA crane hire agreements, the overall responsibility and risk lie in your hands as the hiring party. 

What Is Crane Hire?

Crane hire essentially does what it says on the tin. When you are working on a construction project that requires lifting, you can hire lifting equipment, such as cranes, from CPA construction plant hire services. 

These crane hire services typically have fleets of vehicles and equipment of a suitable type to choose from, allowing you to find the perfect lifting equipment for your project.

Alongside hiring out machinery and equipment, crane hire companies are obliged to provide trained and qualified operators to work on said machinery on your site. CPCS "blue card" operators and crane drivers are the industry standard and can carry out any lifting duties you require.

These operators must also adhere to your own Risk Assessment Method Statement, or RAMS, to maintain safety standards on your construction site. While the operator your crane rental company sends must follow your Risk Assessment Method Statement (RAMS), it is also your responsibility under CPA terms to follow your own statement. 

You are also in charge of the access and egress points for the lifting equipment on your site, ensuring that any cranes and operators can enter and leave your site safely and easily. As you can tell, there are a lot of responsibilities involved when you are working with cranes.

This is thanks to the many hazards and potential dangers involved with lifting projects. From falling items to operators falling from height, there is plenty to consider in your Risk Assessment. 

Therefore, your Appointed Person must have the right experience and training to carry out a lifting operation to industry safety standards. For starters, your Appointed Person must be familiar with a safe system of slinging and signalling duties for a lifting project.

These are essential safety precautions to keep you and your workers safe when lifting. Most plant hire companies or construction businesses have their own Appointed Person or crane supervisor whose sole job is to manage and prepare the appropriate level of supervision for lifting operations to be done safely.

On the other hand, for businesses that don't use lifting equipment or cranes that often, it may not be viable to have an Appointed Person on the books at all times.

This makes sense, given that the experience and knowledge of permanently Appointed Persons would be wasted on a business that does not undertake complex crane operations regularly. In this case, you would need to hire one of these trained professionals to guarantee success for your lifting project. 

They can also produce a Risk Assessment Method Statement for you. This takes maximum liability for your lift off your hands, allowing you to relax knowing that trained experts are handling everything. You will have some duties to perform even with a CPA contract lift. 

These duties mean you must explain the overall aim of your project, provide reliable information about the materials or goods you are lifting and provide accurate information relating to the ground conditions on your site. However, you won't need to worry about insurance, as your crane hire company takes care of that.