New standard for hand signals used with cranes

New standard for hand signals used with cranes

A set of universal hand signals has been published. The set is for adoption wherever lifting operations take place in building or construction and will make those operations safer and more efficient.

Standards New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Michelle Wessing said ISO 16715:2014 Cranes – Hand signals used with cranes offers crane operators a basic set of hand signals that can be clearly understood by operators from any one nation working in another.

‘The objective in developing the standard was not to replace unique national signals, but to arrive at a set of uniform signs for projects involving more than one country having its own unique 'cues'.

Signallers on the ground at building or construction sites use their hands to direct operators of cranes to perform specific actions, including emergency stops. Globalisation of the construction industry has meant that increasing numbers of operators are working in parts of the world where signs are different from the ones they know and use at home. By adopting the ISO hand signals, building and construction sites anywhere in the world can share a common language.’

ISO 16715 can be purchased from Standards New Zealand’s website

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