All crane hire companies work to the terms and conditions of the CPA (Construction Plant Hire Association) and in accordance with BS7121 (“The Safe Use of Cranes”). We offer crane hire on a CPA Crane Hire or a CPA Contract Lift basis. These options are outlined below:

CPA Crane Hire
In accordance with Health and Safety Executive guidelines William Whyte Cargo Handlers Ltd can only provide a crane on a CPA Crane Hire basis if the customer provides a qualified and experienced appointed person to plan and take responsibility for the lifting operation. Under the terms of a standard CPA Crane Hire Agreement, the crane and the operator are the responsibility of the customer once the crane leaves the public highway in order to access site. This includes travel on any access roads in the event that the site is not immediately adjacent to the public highway.

The customer's Appointed Person is responsible for planning the lift and all the personnel and equipment involved. In addition, under CPA model conditions, the customer must provide insurance cover for the following:

• loss of damage to our plant and equipment whilst on site and under the customer's control;
• loss of or damage to the goods being lifted;
• continuing hiring charges whilst the equipment is unable to work as a result of loss or damage;
• legal liability - injury to the driver / operator whilst under the supervision and control of the customer along with injury to third parties, including damage to their property, arising from crane operations.

In the event the customer does not have the necessary insurances we can waive these insurance requirements subject to an increase in the hire rate but the customer retaining responsibility for their own acts of negligence – full details available upon request.

CPA Contract Lift
In this high risk industry customers who are not experienced in hiring cranes and therefore are not aware of the responsibilities, duties and risks involved should utilise our CPA Contract Lift service for their lifting requirements. Under the terms of a standard CPA Contract Lift, the crane, equipment, operator and all personnel supplied with the crane, (including the Appointed Person / Crane Supervisor) are the responsibility of the crane owner.

The crane owner is responsible for all aspects of the planning and execution of the lift and will provide insurance cover for the following:

• loss of or damage to plant and equipment caused solely by the owner's negligence in the performance of the lifting contract;
• loss of or damage to third party property caused solely by the owner's negligence in the performance of the lifting contract subject to:
• a maximum liability of £25,000 in respect of goods lifted;
• a maximum liability of £5 million in respect of loss of or damage to third party property or death / injury to third party persons. (These limits can be increased on request subject to an increase in the hire rate.)

It is important to note that a CPA Crane Hire agreement only becomes a CPA Contract Lift when the crane owner supplies the Appointed Person / Crane Supervisor and hence, accepts liability for planning and supervising the lift. Specifying the correct type of contract will ultimately improve safety and ensure that the correct system of work is adopted. Under Contract Lift conditions, the customer still retains certain liabilities and therefore should hold adequate insurance to provide protection against incidents arising from for example:

• own negligence;
• inadequate or unstable ground conditions;
• inadequate or incorrect information supplied in connection with the goods being lifted.

Full copies of our CPA Terms and Conditions are available to download below:

• CPA Model Conditions for the Hiring of Plant
• Supplementary Conditions for CPA Model Conditions
• CPA Standard Terms and Conditions for Contract Lifting Services

For full details of our company policies and details of each party’s responsibilities under both our hire options please see our guide to safe lifting.

All William Whyte Cargo Handlers Ltd cranes are supplied under the terms and conditions of the Construction Plant Hire Association (CPA) and we also operate in accordance with the British Safety Standard BS7121 on the safe use of cranes.