Tower cranes

Just wondered if anyone knew if any British firms had contracts in Spain for tower crane operators as this is what my partner does at present in England he also drives jcbs..........He made some enquires here about tower crane work in Spain but can not seem to find much out.

Any information would be most welcome...........

Hi Kez74 (again) LOL!

Not sure if i have my facts right here, but our apartment overlooks a building site at present (where is Spain doesn't)!

I asked my Son in Law who was driving the cranes as there was no box for the man to sit in.

He laughed his head off and told me they are controlled from the ground, they don't have the men up top.

So, if this is the case throughout Spain, then I can understand why you can't find any info. on tower crane operators.

I am sure if I am wrong, one of the other members will put me right!

Regards,

Well i can not speak for tower crane operators in Spain but here there is...well it is like a glass box that the operator sits in...my partner sits in one everyday that is 280ft in the air...... there is a banks man on the ground telling the driver where he needs to move to (up down etc)  look really hard and u will see a little cab with a man in it... it is usually where the vertical and horizontal part of the crane meet..........very scary job..takes my partner 30 minutes to climb up to his cab..........dont know how he can get up it...i hate standing on a ladder!!!!  

Hi Kerri,

It's true, we don't seem to have any of those type of cranes here in Spain, where the controller actually has to climb up a ladder and sit alone in a glass box for hours on end. There's a definite preference for the type where the controller can sit comfortably at a cafe in view of his crane, have a fag and a coffee and chat to his mates, whilst using a box of buttons to twirl potentailly lethal objects like concrete blocks around above our heads. It also avoids the need to come all the way back down again for siesta, only to have to go up again.

On a serious note, I believe these guys nevertheless do have to hold a valid licence to control a crane, and probably be members of the union too. The local labour office wherever you are moving to may be able to shed more light on the subject, but unless your partner speaks fluent Spanish, I wouldn't hold out too much hope.

Thanks very much for that.... he does work away from home with his job at the moment and will probably continue to do so when we have moved to spain........it was just a thought really......cant believe that they controls those things from the ground.........having said that i can not believe that people sit up in them either...........but if one was going to fall i know where i would rather be..........lol...

Do any British firms have contracts out in Spain for any construction work or is it all Spanish firms.?

Kerri

My dad also did the same as your partner and it used to worry my mum no end...anyway from what i see they are all controlled from the ground and unless he can speak fluent Spanish i would expect it might be difficult. Can you imagine a bucket load of concrete on a wire 100 foot from the ground being controlled by your partner and then something goes wrong!!!  hate to be a doom merchant but competent  Spanish must be a must.  Good luck...its worth the effort.

They are radio controlled so the controller can get close to where the action is and lower/move the payload near him with full view, therefore in theory much safer. Also it would be very hot up there in a glass sided cab. Also means when not operating the crane he can do other tasks. On a small site the foreman/site manager is often the crane operator as the crane is not in operation continuosly.

Taylor Woodrow build in Spain.

"On a small site the foreman/site manager is often the crane operator as the crane is not in operation continuosly."

Absolutley spot on, and therefore a potentially useful guy to know. I actually got to know the operator/foreman on a new site behind where I live, and as a result was able to get in touch with the developer before anybody else in the area knew who it was or what was being built (plans etc.) And as a result of that contact, I was able to snap up one of the plum aticos that normally are all reserved by family and friends of the developer before the general public get a look in. And as a result of that, I was able to realise a decent profit by flipping it, before the developer had even managed to sell many of the less desirable properties in the building.

The moral of the story is: Be nice to crane operators (or - it's not what you know, rather who you know!)

P.S. I'm sure Kerri is always nice to her crane operator!

Thanks for all the information.............It certainly would be hot up there...it was bad enough here for him over the easter weekend...............he was cooking up there..........

I am always nice to my tower crane operator lol........to be honest i am just glad he gets home safe each night.....and it would appear that if he wants to continue this line of work in Spain he is going to have to get learning Spanish otherwise he wil have to work away from home (as i hope it will be one day)

Again thank you for all your help.........its a fantastic site.....x