Jib cranes are lifting devices where a hoist can move along the boom, and the boom pivots about a column. Because jib cranes are lifting devices, they require a Prestart Health and Safety Review (PSR or PSHSR) in the province of Ontario.
Givens Engineering provides PSR services for jib cranes and articulating jib cranes. A PSR is a Prestart Health and Safety Review which is required by the Ontario Health and Safety Act, Reg 851, Section 7 for “a travelling crane or other lifting device suspended from or supported by a structure”.
Components of a Jib Crane PSR
The PSR would consist of a site visit to look at the jib crane and how it is installed, followed up by a report. The report would consist of 3 parts:
Scope of Work
The designated engineer would begin by describing the jib crane requiring the PSR and delineating what surrounding equipment is not part of the PSR.
Observations and Deficiencies
The engineer would then note their observations and note any deficiencies, which is the bulk of the report. The report would contain written observations, layouts, photographs, etc., and ends with a list of deficiencies, if there are any.
Letter of Compliance
This is what a Ministry of Labour inspector will ask to see as proof that a PSR has been done, and which usually states that the bridge crane is compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act providing that a number of deficiencies are corrected.

How We Conduct a PSR
The starting point for a PSR on a jib crane is to determine if there is a drawing, sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in Ontario, that accurately represents the crane. If no such drawing exists, most engineers will not begin the PSR.
Special attention has to be paid to the method of attachment of the jib crane base to the floor. A drawing, sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in Ontario, has to show exactly how the base is anchored to the floor, along with some specifications for the floor. The PSR cannot be completed without this essential specification.
Beware of any jib crane supported by a building column! A PSR will have to demand proof that a structural engineer has assessed the strength of the column in supporting both the building and the jib crane simultaneously. Most industrial buildings are built to support snow and wind loads only and very little else.
Exemptions for Jib Crane Prestart Health and Safety Reviews
- Jib cranes that are mounted to a structure that was originally designed for the crane are exempt from a PSR
- Moving a jib crane, without modifying it, are exempt from a PSR.
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