Overview of SS 497 : 2011

Code of practice for design, safe use and

maintenance of gantry cranes, overhead
travelling cranes and monorails hoists
24 September 2012

Foong Kah Choong

Member
Working Group for SS 497

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ WG Acknowledgement

The organisations in which the experts of the Working Group

are involved are:

Name
Convenor:

Er. Manivel Rudrapathi

R@dians Consultancy Services

Members:

Mr. Foong Kah Choong

MHE-Demag (S) Pte Ltd

Mr. Goh Chin Keong

Ministry of Manpower

Mr. Goh Kim Teo

PSA Corporation Ltd

Mr. Han Kin Sew

Workplace Safety and Health Council

Mr. Kiang Seng Jack

W Richards Pte Ltd

Assoc Prof Ong Lin Seng

Nanyang Technological University

Mr Mark Ong

Jenmon International Pte Ltd

Mr Bernard Soh

Singapore Institute of Safety Officers

Er. Alvin Yeo Kheng Hock

AY Safety Consultancy and Inspection

Services
2

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ Revision

SS 497 : 2011 is a revision of SS 497 : 2002,
which was for overhead travelling cranes only.


SS 497 : 2011 is expanded to include
overhead travelling, gantry, jib cranes as well as
hoists on monorails.


SS 497 : 2011 is aligned with current
industrial practices and legal requirements on
the safe use, design, maintenance and testing of
such cranes.


SS 497 : 2011 is based on AS 1418.1 :
2002 Cranes, hoists and winches Part 1 :
General Requirements.


No significant changes design-wise except
the updating of referencing standards.

Overhead Travelling Crane

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Overhead Travelling Cranes

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Full Portal Crane

Gantry Cranes

Semi-portal Crane

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Jib Cranes

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Monorail system

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ SS Table of Contents

Contents of SS 497 : 2011

Section 1 - General
1. Scope
2. Normative references
3. Definitions
4. Legislation relevant to this standard
5. Responsibilities

Section 2 Design Considerations

6. Group classification of cranes
7. Loads and load combinations
8. Design of crane structures
9. Crane mechanisms
10.Electrical equipment and controls
11.Hydraulic equipment and controls
12.Pneumatic equipment and controls
13.Documentation and marking
14.Manufacture and construction

Section 3 Operation and Maintenance

15.Safe use and operation of cranes
16.Inspection and testing
8

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Duties of Stakeholders

Responsibilities of stakeholders in line

with the Workplace Safety and Health
Act
Crane Owner
Employer
Crane Manufacturer
Crane Supplier or local representative of the
Crane Manufacturer
Crane Erector
Crane Designer
Lifting Supervisor, Rigger, Signalman

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

3.8

Crane erector

The contractor who erects or dismantles the crane and

who shall be authorised by a crane manufacturer to do so.

The crane erector shall erect or dismantle a crane in

accordance to the manufacturers instructions. The
sequence of the processes and the methods being used
shall be strictly adhered to
. It is also the erectors responsibility
that supervisors and workers involved in the erection and
dismantling work should be trained and competent in
such work.

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

3.13

Employer

The person who engages operators, riggers and/or

signalmen under a contract of service to perform lifting
operation.

The employer has the duty to ensure that, where

applicable, every crane operator, rigger and signalman
has been trained on their respective roles to ensure safe
lifting operation.

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ Limiters & Warning

Devices

Limiters and Warning Devices

Overload Limiter (regardless whether crane is likely to
handle unpredictable loads that can result in overloading
of the mechanisms and structures)
Load Indicator
Hoisting and Lowering Limiters
End Stops (mechanical end stops shall be provided at
the ends of tracks / rails and bridges, and shall be able to
take up 100% of the buffer force at maximum speed at
full load)
Long-travel and Cross-travel Motion Limiters
Crane-to-crane or Crab-to-crab Limiters
Working Space Limiters (to prevent crane colliding into structures in prohibited space e.g.
rooms/office cabins placed within the coverage of the crane movement)
Indicators and warning devices
12

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ Documentation &
Markings

Documentation and Markings

Crane Manufacturer or Crane Supplier shall
provide:
Crane Operators Manual (which includes
instructions on duties of operators prior to,
during and after operation)
Maintenance Manual (which includes details
of safety precautions to be observed during
maintenance and servicing of the crane)

Logbook or Service Record (where details of maintenance, service and repairs carried out on
the crane are recorded and kept up to date)
Crane Parts book (where all parts and elements are adequately illustrated and identified)

13

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Documentation &
Markings

Documentation and Markings

The following shall be marked clearly and visibly on
the crane structure (e.g. on the bridge):
Serial Number assigned by the Crane Manufacturer
Ministry of Manpowers Lifting Machine Registration
Number

Safe Working Load (SWL) of the crane (SWL shall reflect maximum permitted SWL of the
crane as well as individual SWL of lifting devices where two or more lifting devices are fitted on
the crane)
E.g. 1. If the crane structure is designed to maximum SWL of 5 ton, and it consists of two
lifting devices with SWL 2 ton and 5 ton, the marking shall reflect SWL 5 ton (5/2 ton)
E.g. 2. If the crane structure is designed to maximum SWL of 10 ton, and it consists of two
lifting devices with SWL 5 ton each, the marking shall reflect SWL 10 ton (5 + 5 ton)

14

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ Manufacture &
Construction

Manufacture and
Construction
Permanent means of
access shall be
provided for service
personnel to reach
those parts of the
crane which need
servicing and shall be
provided with the crane
stationed at its
servicing position so
that there is no need to
move the crane during
servicing.
In cases where the permanent platform is not feasible, mobile access equipment (e.g. scissor
lift or boom lift) or scaffold structures are to be provided.

15

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Repair Modification &

Maintenance

Repair, Modification and Maintenance

All repair, modification and maintenance shall be handled by competent persons in the
relevant areas.
Who are these competent persons?
SS 497 : 2002

SS 497 : 2011

A person, who by way of his

vocational background and
experience, has good knowledge in
overhead travelling cranes.

A person, who through formal training

and work experience, possesses the
practical and theoretical knowledge
of cranes to enable the detection of
defects or weaknesses and
assessment of their fitness for the
intended purpose and safety for
continual use.

16

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Inspection &
Maintenance

Inspection and Maintenance

Initial Inspection (by Authorised Examiner for new and altered cranes, prior to initial use)

Regular Inspection
- Visual Inspection
 by Operator before operations (pre-ops checks)
 by operator at periodic intervals together with a designated person in
accordance to the Manufacturers recommendations
- Statutory visual examination (by Authorised Examiner)
Who are these designated persons?
SS 497 : 2002
A person who is designated by the
owner of the crane to conduct a
general inspection on the crane
before the start of each shift or work
day. He shall keep a record of such
general inspections and report any
anomaly to the owner for follow-up
actions.

SS 497 : 2011
A competent person who is appointed
in writing by the crane owner or
employer to conduct a general
inspection on the crane. He shall keep
a record of such general inspections
and report any anomaly to the owner
for follow-up actions.
17

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

/ Inspection &
Maintenance

Inspection and Maintenance

Checklist
All inspection, maintenance and
servicing shall be conducted and
recorded in checklists. If such
checklists are not provided by the
crane manufacturer sample Daily
Pre-Operation and Maintenance
/ Installation checklists are
provided in the annexure.

18

Code of practice for design, safe use and maintenance of

gantry cranes, overhead travelling cranes and monorails
hoists

Information to be considered when installing an overhead

travelling or gantry crane

Be proud to use the SS 497 : 2011 in your Crane Specification

20