Working with hoisting and lifting equipment

Do your employees work with hoisting and lifting machines? Then you must meet the requirements of the Working Conditions Decree (Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit). You must keep to safety requirements and your employees need to be registered.

Inspection of cranes

As the owner you must have your cranes inspected regularly:

• Cranes have to inspected annually by an expert. This expert can also be someone with the appropriate knowledge within your company.
• every other year they must be inspected by a Conformity Assessment Body (Conformiteits Beoordelings Instantie, CBI, in Dutch).

You then receive a certificate of approval. The inspector also puts a sticker from the foundation Supervising the Certification of Vertical Transport (TCVT) in a clearly visible place on the crane. You may only work with cranes with a valid certificate of approval. Proof of approval must be available at the work site.

Inspection of construction hoists

Temporary construction site hoists for lifting persons must be inspected by a Conformity Assessment Body (CBI). You must do so when the hoist is being set up and every 6 months thereafter. You will then get a certificate of approval and a TTCVT sticker. You are only allowed to use the hoist with this approval. Proof of approval must be available at the work site.

Safety requirements for hoists and cranes

If you use hoisting or lifting machines for your business you must also keep to several safety requirements, including:

• Hoisting and lifting machines that are intended for moving goods must not be used to transport people.
• The maximum permissible load must be clearly indicated on the machines.
• Weights in excess of the maximum permissible load must not be lifted, except in a test situation to determine whether the machine is in proper working order.
• You must minimise the risk of suspended loads hitting people if they fall. You must, for example, make sure they are not moved over employees' protected work spaces, and that employees do not stand under suspended loads.

Registration and certification

Operators of hoisting and lifting machines must be sufficiently skilled to operate them. They need to be registered with TCVT registry administration (TCVT RA, in Dutch) to operate:

• mobile cranes
• automatic loading cranes with hoist function
• earthmoving machines with hoist function
• telescopic handlers with hoisting function
• fixed or mobile tower cranes
• small foundation rigs
• large foundation rigs

To obtain a TCVT RA registration, the crane operator must take a test (in Dutch). When the registration expires, they must re-register. To do so, they must retrain and have their practical experience registered. You can check in the TCVT RA personal register whether a crane operator's registration is still valid (in Dutch).

Foreign crane operators

Foreign crane operators who want to work in the Netherlands must meet the same requirements as Dutch crane operators. It makes no difference if they want to come to work here temporarily or permanently. They must also have sufficient command of the Dutch language to be able to do the work safely and to prevent serious accidents.

Assessing foreign qualifications

Foreign crane operators also need to register with TCVT registry administration before they start work. TCVT RA assesses their professional qualifications and their practical experience. If they are found to not be eligible for registration, they may need to take an aptitude test.