The risk profile

On a typical erection day, our crew faces:

  • Working at height (8–25 m typical, occasionally above)
  • Heavy lifts under crane (5–60 tonne picks)
  • Pinch and crush points during landing of pieces
  • Welding, grinding and cutting hazards
  • Weather: wind, rain, ice — affecting both lift safety and footing
  • Other trades on site (concrete, MEP, cladding) sometimes working below

Statistically, falls from height are the largest single cause of construction fatalities. Steel erection sits at the high end of the risk distribution.

The hierarchy of controls

We work top-down through the hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, protect. Examples on our sites:

Elimination

  • Pre-assemble at ground level wherever possible — assemble trusses on the ground, then lift as a single piece.
  • Sequence work so cladding follows steel by 1–2 frames, closing the working surface progressively.

Engineering controls

  • Permanent perimeter edge protection on intermediate floors
  • Scaffolding around column bases for connection work
  • Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) for connections instead of climbing
  • Safety nets under decks where MEWPs are impractical

Personal protection

  • Full body harnesses with double lanyards (one always attached during transition)
  • Inspected daily — torn webbing, deformed hardware fail the inspection
  • Helmets with chin straps (a standard helmet falls off when you fall)
  • Safety boots, gloves, eye protection, hearing protection where needed

Daily disciplines

  • Toolbox talk every morning — 10 minutes, specific to the day's lifts and hazards
  • Permit-to-work for hot work, confined-space work, lifts over occupied areas
  • Pre-lift planning — load weight, crane configuration, pick point, lay-down area, signal-person
  • Stop-work authority — every crew member can halt the lift if something looks wrong; no questions, no consequences

Crane operations

The crane is both our most powerful tool and our largest hazard. Standards we hold:

  • Certified, licensed crane operators only — no exceptions
  • Daily crane inspection (logged) and weekly deeper check
  • Wind speed monitored — lifts pause above 10 m/s, halt above 14 m/s
  • Tag lines on every load so the load can be steered without a person under it
  • No lifting over occupied areas or live workspaces

Weather discipline

Weather kills more steel erectors than any single hazard. We halt work when:

  • Lightning is detected within 10 km
  • Wind speed exceeds the crane manufacturer's chart limit
  • Heavy rain makes steel slippery (most pieces are slippery enough already)
  • Visibility drops below 50 m

The cultural piece

Procedures only work if the team treats them as the actual job, not paperwork. We hire experienced erectors, train newcomers in pairs with senior crew, and reward stop-work calls more than fast progress. Nine years, 20,880 tons, zero major incidents — that's the score we're determined to keep.