Harmonized European Standards for Proof of Competence of Cranes

With EN 13001-1 ff. a harmonized set of standards for safety of cranes was and is established. Due to harmonization the use of the standards leads to the assumption of conformity with the safety requirements of the machinery directive. A major argument for the application of the standards. The standards comprise new concepts of proof of competence in comparison to previous standards. Keywords of these new concepts are “Classification”, “Limit state method”, “Mass Distribution Class” and “Partial safety factors”. The article gives an overview to EN 13001-1, EN 13001-2 and EN 13001-3-1. This is the set of standards for proof of the structural parts of a crane. The main aspects of the standards are shown and discussed with regard to their impact on calculation.