Tower crane maintenance licence course

Training at the ERGON Centre

Cranes, also known as cranes, are cranes that are primarily used in construction work. They consist of columns and a jib (usually telescopic), on which the linkage is attached. All such equipment is subject to technical inspection by the Technical Inspection Authority (UDT), and in order to operate and maintain it correctly, it is necessary to attend a course and obtain the relevant qualification. Our Centre provides training for both types of UDT authorisations (maintenance and operator's). We invite all those interested to take part in our courses.

Course flow 

The course for the maintenance of tower cranes, high-speed cranes is conducted by professional staff who comprehensively prepare the trainees to pass the state examination. The course takes the form of theoretical and practical classes. During the course, trainees will acquire comprehensive factual knowledge of all maintenance activities necessary when maintaining a tower crane after and before work. The trainee will also be familiarised with the construction of cranes (their assemblies and mechanical sub-assemblies), health and safety regulations, principles of fire-fighting, and basic legislation. By taking part in the training, you will also become acquainted with the UDT's technical documentation and acquire knowledge of the warning, signalling and safety equipment of the technical supervision conditions.  

Training requirements 

The following requirements must be met in order to join the course: 

• be certified by a doctor of occupational medicine that there are no contraindications to working as a tower crane maintenance worker; 
• have a minimum of primary education; 
• be over 18 years of age. 

Tower crane applications 

In many areas of the economy, the problem of moving objects of large size and weight arises. As cranes are able to perform a wide range of load handling and lifting tasks, they can easily cope with the above difficulty, meeting the needs of consumers. They are capable of lifting up to 75 tonnes, a much heavier weight than any other material handling device. A tower crane is one of the essential pieces of specialised equipment on the construction site of any multi-storey building. It is great for lifting and assembling steel elements of building floors, pouring concrete, setting prefabricated panels or placing permanent mechanical and electrical installations.

They are also used for the construction of roads, bridges, industrial facilities and work on ships and dams. They are also used for loading and unloading vehicles and large-scale repairs. Thanks to them, we are able to significantly speed up the construction process, as well as reduce costs due to the time and capacity of the workers. 

Types of cranes 

There are several categories of equipment belonging to cranes, these are: 

• mobile cranes (motorised, self-propelled) - This type of machine is mounted on a truck chassis or special self-propelled semi-trailers designed for this purpose. Mobile cranes are mainly used for handling and assembly work. 
• tower cranes - This type of machinery is available as mobile or stationary chassis-mounted (on rail or crawler chassis). Tower cranes are mainly used on construction sites. 
• floating cranes - This type of machinery is referred to as crane-equipped vessels, which are used for work on open water. 
• shipyard or harbour cranes - This type of machinery is used, among other things, in the assembly of floating objects and the unloading and loading of ships. 

How is a tower crane built? 

The structure of a tower crane is made up of elements including:  

1. Safety devices, these include:  

• immobilisation of the sternum and trolley; 
• height and lift limiter for the hook; 
• load limiter; 
• emergency stop; 
• cockpit door lock; 
• lift protection panel. 

2. Boom, whose construction is divided into two types, are:  

• Pivoting jibs, which are characterised by good manoeuvrability (even in very tight places), and cranes fitted with a pivoting jib are lighter. In contrast, this type of design consists of a lift arm mounted obliquely to the horizon, at the end of which are blocks fitted with suspension cables with the load suspended. 
• Jib booms, which are mainly used for heavy loads and large-scale structures, (e.g. energy facilities). This type can be subdivided into lashing-free or lashing-only. 

3. Vertical mastwhich is a skeleton, commonly referred to as a tower, mounted vertically on a rotating or supporting platform. The size of the mast determines the height to which the load will be lifted. There are the following types of towers:  

• Non-rotating, where there is a rotating gearbox on top, consisting of a rotating head, counterweight head and boom, while the platform and its attached turret do not rotate.  
• Swivel, where a swivel device is placed at the bottom (cantilever or gate), comprising: platform with boom and load winches, swivel mechanism and counterweight, turret and boom. 
• Telescopic, consisting of two parts: an external load-bearing part, attached to the rotating platform, and an internal extension part, i.e. a pull-out part, located inside the rotating platform.
• Lattice towers, which consist of one-piece towers made up of small sections, struts and straps, with a chassis for mobile models and a foundation for stationary models. 

Slewing cranes in operation 

Rotating tower cranes are vertical towers with a boom mounted on top. In addition to crane maintenance courses, we also offer operator training, so we will describe the specifics of operating these machines in a nutshell. In order to carry out the task at hand, the crane can both rotate and move while working, changing the reach and height of the boom. Only the rotating section is rotated, which is connected to the non-rotating section by means of a rotating support assembly. Loads, on the other hand, are lifted using hooks, cables and winches. 

Technical specifications of tower cranes 

The cranes' operating capabilities and area of application are defined by:  

• Lifting height - The maximum height to which a crane can lift a load is usually between 20 and 90 metres, although there are also crane models on the market with lifting heights of up to 220 metres. 
• Capacity - The maximum weight of the load that can be lifted by the crane is determined by the use of special equipment and fluctuates between 3.5 tonnes, although crane models with a maximum lifting capacity of around 75 tonnes are also available on the market. Such cranes are mainly used in industrial construction, nuclear power stations and at dams. 
• Boom length - the distance between the two opposite ends of the horizontal beam at which the crane is to be positioned from the point to which the load is to be moved. This parameter, depending on the make and model, reaches a range of 20 metres to 80 metres. 

Categories of authorisations for cranes 

Types of technical equipment for which appropriate UDT authorisations	Period of validity in the years
Mobile and mobile cranes (certificates authorising the operation of mobile, mobile and stationary cranes)	10
Stationary cranes	10
Rail-mounted cranes	5
Mobile cranes (certificates authorising the operation of mobile, portable, mobile and stationary cranes)	5
Railway and on-board cranes	5
High speed and tower cranes (certificates authorising the operation of high speed, tower and rail mounted cranes)	5
Floating cranes (certificates authorising the operation of floating cranes and deck cranes)	5
Deck cranes	5

About us 

If you are looking to work as a tower crane maintainer in the near future, a course at our Centre may be the best possible choice for you. We have many years of experience, built on working with the best technical instructors across the country. During classes we use methods of innovative and participant-activating teaching, while the programmes on the basis of which we conduct classes comply with the latest regulations of the Office of Technical Inspection and the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers. We train effectively, as our statistics show maximum exam pass rates, and we provide affordable prices. 

What makes our training different? 

• professionalism; 
• online material; 
• comprehensiveness; 
• crane on the resort's equipment; 
• Convenient appointments and online enrolment; 
• modern training centres. 

Other training  

Training for UDT authorisations of other types of cranes such as: 

• deck cranes; 
• floating cranes; 
• railway cranes and on railway vehicles; 
• mobile cranes; 
• rail-mounted cranes; 
• stationary cranes; 
• mobile and portable cranes. 

In addition to this, we also organise a course for fast-mounting and tower crane operator qualifications. We also offer courses on: 

• G1, G2, G3; 
• UDT, TDT and WDT authorisations; 
• aviation; 
• altitude skills; 
• welding; 
• Health, Safety and Security; 
• scaffolder. 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Questions and answers

For what length of time is a tower crane maintainer licence issued?

Certificates authorising the maintenance of high-speed, tower and rail-mounted cranes are issued by the UDT facility for a period of five years.

What does a tower crane consist of?

Tower cranes consist of a vertical mast, boom and safety devices.