ESTA has begun lobbying Europe’s national regulators to agree a common inspection regime for mobile cranes.
EU states are currently revising their inspection rules to bring then into line with the new EU Machinery Regulation which comes fully into force from January 2027.
The new regulation introduces updated safety requirements, including measures covering technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “To have a common inspection regime would be a huge boost to the efficiency of the industry. It makes no sense for a crane that has already been inspected in the Netherlands to be re-inspected just because it has crossed the border into Belgium or Germany.”
He continued: “We have contacted our friends at the Dutch inspection and certification organisation TCVT who have said they will speak with their counterparts in other EU states to see if there is the support for adopting a common approach.
“ESTA will also be talking to relevant national organisations and government departments.”
He added: “ESTA is simply trying to stop the scenario whereby every European country develops its own, unique inspection regime – which will be grossly inefficient and completely unnecessary.”
The new Machinery Regulation includes rules on cybersecurity for all machinery integrated with digital technologies, and stresses the importance of protecting machines from unauthorised access. It also allows for digital instructions and documentation, reducing the need for printed materials.
One of the regulation’s most contentious provisions stipulates that mobile machinery, such as mobile cranes, must be designed to prevent contact with energized overhead power lines or, where this risk cannot be fully avoided, to prevent any resulting electrical hazards.
Industry experts have said this is impossible to deliver and have instead called for closer integration of practical equipment safety measures alongside effective site management practices.