Brokers need to take on board new risk management guidelines offering advice on using tower cranes safely, Allianz Engineering has claimed.

The insurer has made these comments in light of a number of fatal accidents and prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive over recent months.

A range of best practice guidance has been assembled - with the group's advice - designed to keep people safe in the tower crane sector.

Chief engineer with Allianz Phil Wright said brokers had a vital role to play in ensuring their clients reduce accidents and fatalities.

He added: "Experience shows that these accidents arise through a chain of events, including poor management controls, which eventually lead to equipment failure."

Last month, two firms were fined £10,000 each and ordered to pay costs of £9,143, after a 35-tonne truck-mounted telescopic crane overturned.

In other news, Allianz Engineering recently reported it had become the first company in the UK to issue its surveyors with an inspection industry health and safety passport in order to reduce the time taken to gain access to construction sites.

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