Moving in NYC: Crane Services

Hiring a crane service is something that should not be taken lightly. Rigging is a very serious business and there are some substantial safety risks that are associated with it. You want to carefully assess the companies you select and look at each one’s qualifications to find the right one.

First, look at each company’s information. This is usually fairly easy to obtain via the internet. If you know someone who has used a particular crane service and they were pleased with the work, get that company’s information (you still want to investigate them though – for your own protection). Select several good candidates and investigate each one based on the five point criteria below.

Licensing

Your company should have all the required licenses related to crane operation as your state mandates. In NYC, crane operations include licenses for riggers and hoisting machine operators. You also want to make sure that the licenses are up to date. It is OK to ask to see the license and to verify for yourself that all licenses are not expired. Because of the nature of the business, the safety issues, you can’t allow expired licenses to slide not to mention it is the law.

Riggers

You will need certified, qualified riggers on your site. Look for a company that has a master rigger. Master riggers have to go through a rather stringent application process for certification. This ensures that they are fully capable of overseeing all aspect of rigging and keeping the work site safe. For more information on licensing and certification requirements for riggers, you can access the New York City Administrative Code, Title 28.

Permits

When you are interviewing your crane hire company, you should also make sure that the company you hire can obtain the necessary permits and handle all street closings and sidewalk permits as well as any over dimensional and heavy hauling permits. If they can take care of every aspect of the worksite in house, that is less for you to have to deal with. The company is the expert and will know what permits are needed. Therefore, they should be the ones to take care of it.

Analysis

Your crane service should also handle all of the site plan analyses as well as the hoisting surveys. Since they will be performing the work, they should be heavily involved in this part of the job. You want your company to be involved in every step of the process because they will be working the job and if something unexpected occurs, the riggers and other personnel on the work site should be familiar with the area and any unusual circumstances surrounding the work site.

Equipment

Finally, you want your crane service to maintain their own fleet as well as all operating equipment. Ideally, your crane service should be fully self sufficient. They should be able to perform machinery installation and work on every aspect of the service. They should be familiar with requirements and laws of NYC. Crane services for hire should not be taken lightly. Go with the safe option, hire a pro.