Crane VGP: inspection intervals, checks and documents by crane type

How often must each type of crane be inspected?

Article 23 of the French order of 1 March 2004 (arrêté du 1er mars 2004) establishes annual inspections with six-monthly exceptions, including equipment listed in article 20-II. This table covers lifting loads; a person-lifting function requires separate assessment.

Do not infer “6 months” from the word forestry. The appendix lists forestry skidders, but classification depends on the equipment and its use. Slings and spreader beams require their own annual inspection under article 24.

What is checked, and does every VGP include proof tests?

Article 22 requires the condition examination under article 9 and the tests under article 6 b and c. The inspector examines the crane and its supports, ropes, chains, hooks, brakes and movement-limiting devices. Checks include load-lowering control and operation of load and overturning-moment limiters where fitted.

A VGP is not merely visual, but does not systematically require static proof testing (stationary load, article 10) and dynamic proof testing (moving load, article 11). These tests apply particularly to certain commissioning and recommissioning inspections, following the manual and applicable provisions.

Commissioning and recommissioning: assembly and supports matter

For a new crane, article 13 applies if fitness for use has already been verified in its configuration; otherwise article 14 requires proof tests, among other checks. Article 12 requires an initial inspection in each relevant configuration.

After dismantling and reassembling a tower crane, changing configuration, major repairs to an essential component or an accident caused by its failure, examine the recommissioning requirements in articles 19 and 20. The general regime includes suitability, assembly where necessary, condition and proof tests. A recent VGP report does not waive this process.

When moving to another site, article 20-II allows a conditional exemption for listed equipment: no special support, commissioning verified in the same configuration and a VGP less than 6 months old. This does not waive suitability assessment for the planned work. Prepare the soil, support, ground-reaction and wind information required by article 3; check installation against the manual.

Who can carry out these inspections?

A competent person (personne qualifiée), internal or external, familiar with the risks and regulations; the list of inspectors is available to the labour inspectorate under R4323-24. The employer checks their competence. Accreditation is not systematically mandatory for an ordinary VGP.

Accreditation is mandatory for the special inspections in articles 25 and 26: replacing technically impossible tests with experimental verification, or equipment designed for a single lifting operation. It is also required for a conformity inspection requested under R4722-5.

Which documents should you prepare and keep?

Tower cranes also fall under the order of 3 March 2004 on in-depth examinations: at least every 5 years, unless examinations following the manufacturer’s instructions and intervals, and their results, are recorded in the logbook. This is not the VGP. See our guide to reading a VGP report.

• Before inspection: manual, declaration or certificate of conformity, previous reports and maintenance logbook; arrange personnel, safe access and the loads required for testing (article 3).
• After inspection: provisional report at completion, followed by the report within four weeks; record results without delay in the safety register (registre de sécurité).
• External inspector: attach the report to the register, or record precise details of inspection and report-delivery dates and where it is archived (R4323-26).
• Maintenance logbook (carnet de maintenance): servicing, inspections, repairs, replacements and modifications until scrapping; dates, people involved, nature, frequency where applicable and references of replaced components.

Hire, operators and pricing: three separate questions

The user company checks with the rental company that inspections have been completed. For hire without special supports, article 15-II requires the manual, first-commissioning and latest VGP reports, and inspection history on or near the equipment. This reduced regime does not automatically cover a reassembled tower crane.

With an operator, the external operator’s employer remains responsible for training and issuing operator authorisation (autorisation de conduite). Site information and instructions must be communicated. An operator’s presence therefore does not allow crane suitability, installation or inspection evidence to be ignored.

Without an operator, arrange a trained operator authorised by their employer. The safe-operation aptitude certificate (certificat d’aptitude à la conduite en sécurité, CACES) assesses the operator: R483 for mobile cranes, R487 for tower cranes and R490 for loader cranes. It replaces neither VGP nor operator authorisation.

For VGP pricing, compare configurations, access, travel, test loads, inspection type and follow-up visits on the same scope.

What Trackary does, and does not do

Trackary groups configurable deadlines, reports, defects and maintenance jobs by machine. This VGP tracking software does not carry out inspections, certify cranes or replace the inspector or the employer’s responsibility.