The visibility of tower cranes against city skylines has been topical ever since a helicopter crashed into a tower crane in January 2013 on the St George Wharf Tower, then under construction, in Vauxhall, south London.
The Civil Aviation Authority and the Construction Plant-hire Association have been revising and promoting best practice ever since. Revisions to the CAA guidance, , come into effect in April 2023.
The CAA recommends that cranes should be made conspicuous by their colour, especially if the crane is not permanently lit. It says: 鈥淎 review conducted by the CAA determined that the use of a yellow and black (or dark blue) pattern (especially in urban areas) provides the best contrast with the background from the air.鈥�
However, Select Plant, whose tower cranes are painted white, conducted its own study and found that white came out better than red or blue 鈥� colours associated with its main competitors.
The Construction Plant-hire Association is disseminating a video produced by Select, part of the Laing O鈥橰ourke group.
The video is available at
.
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