The first tower crane anti-collision system in the Middle East has been installed at the Dubai Mall and the Dubai Mall Hotel site by Load Systems International (LSI), based in the Sharjah Airport Free Zone (SAFZ).

The systems have been installed on five Liebherr tower cranes belonging to the Dutco Al Ghandi CCC joint venture and three Potain cranes belonging to China State Hong Kong.
All the eight cranes had potential interference issues and were therefore subject to a mid-air collision risk, said a spokesman. LSI installed the anti-collision systems on all the cranes which will prevent operators from colliding the jibs, counter jibs and hoist ropes of all the cranes, he said.
The anti-collision system greatly improves the safety and productivity of the job site.
Because of the high risk of injury and fatalities, anti-collision systems are a must in some European countries.
Crane-scarred Dubai has over 30,000 cranes or 24 per cent of the world’s cranes. Each crane can cost in the region of $200,000 and the installation of an anti-collision system would cost $20,000. But given the crane collision accident rate at construction sites in the city and the UAE, the anti-collision systems would save lives and other associated costs, says Bob Jennings, general manager of LSI.
“It is LSI’s intention to lobby the authorities in the UAE to pass a law here which would greatly improve the safety of job sites, the safety and well being of workers and reduce the high costs associated with collision events,” says Jennings.
The Sharjah-based LSI has been in the construction market for a couple of years. Its main plant is in Quebec, Canada, where it manufactures safe load indicators for all types of cranes.
“A number of contractors in the UAE are now recognising the need to introduce the anti-collision system in cranes and avoid needless costs and protect their crane operator,” he says.