5 Common Crane Hazards And How To Avoid Them

We trust cranes to help us get the big jobs done. But with cranes, a little mistake can have a huge impact.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 72 fatalities resulted from crane-related accidents in the last year analyzed.

Crane hazards are preventable when we take proper steps to avoid them. Let’s look at the 5 top hazards and how to prevent them.

Electrical Crane Hazards

Electrical hazards arise when the crane gets too close to power lines or other live wires.

Prevention:

1. All electrical wiring should be properly covered, labeled and identifiable.
2. Safety Supervisor conducts audit of the area to determine, point out and prepare for potential hazards
3. 10 feet around the power lines should be clearly marked for the crane operator.
4. Utilize well trained and attentive personnel to remain vigilant, communicating regularly with the crane operator regarding any hazards that may not be easily seen.
5. Review and comply with OSHA regulations related to preventing electrical hazards.

Upset Hazards

Upset or imbalance occurs with the crane is overloaded, typically due to human error.

Machine operators who’ve been on the job a long time often think they’ve done this long enough to judge the weight by sight, leading to a hazardous situation.

Prevention:

1. Those operating cranes today must be clearly trained on load capacity dynamics. They need to understand that their instincts can mislead them.
2.  All regulations related to load capacity for that size crane should be clearly followed. The resulting damage is too great to leave to chance.

Materials Falling

The leading cause of crane hazard death isn’t something big like a crane contacting or hitting something. It’s something smaller.

Most of the crane-related deaths result from something falling from the crane.

Prevention:

1. All cargo must be firmly secured.
2. Test/Check the condition and capacity of hoists
3. Wear protective gear
4. Encourage all workers to be aware of their surroundings
5. A trained safety supervisor must assure that everyone is complying with safety regulations

Weather Hazards

As hard workers who just want to get the job done, it’s hard to call it quits when the weather becomes hazardous. But weather can pose a serious risk to workers and equipment.

Wind, for example, could send the hoist rocking side to side, hitting something or tipping the crane.

Prevention:

1. Cranes are built to withstand a certain wind impact. When the wind speed exceeds that capacity, the crane must be shut down.
2. Make sure that workers know that windspeed increases with height. If it’s windy down below the upper crane experiences a pummeling.
3. Workers should be trained on working with caution in ice, snow, sleet and rain.
4. Assess the load size to determine what wind level is acceptable

Workspace Hazards

The culture of being aware of your surrounding is important in any work zone. But even more important around a crane.

Employees working under or close to the crane unnecessarily increases chances of a little mistake becoming a big one.

Prevention:

1. Plan out your workspace, making sure workers have room to effectively do their jobs without walking under the crane.

Addressing Crane Hazards

Preventing fatalities, injuries and damage proper planning, training, and follow-through to ensure compliance with training and regulation. Regularly inspect equipment to ensure it’s in working order.

Whatever your industry, we keep companies productive with value-added service, maintenance, and equipment options. Contact us today.

Keeping your cranes and employees safe should be at the very top of your priority list. Read here to learn about why overhead crane inspections are important and how you can keep your overhead cranes safe and functional!

Preventative Maintenance

The key to keeping cranes reliable is preventative maintenance. Your crane should come with an owner’s manual from the manufacturers. This guide will outline what preventative measures should be taken.

Preventative measures should include a guide to inspecting the crane as well as an outline for a preventative maintenance program. Having an annual Occupational Safety and Health inspection is of the highest importance, as it is the best jumping off point for assessing minimum requirements.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has many regulations for regular maintenance. An inspector must be well qualified.

Various degrees of qualifications are necessary in order to be deemed capable of inspection and load testing. Management must decide who is capable of fulfilling these duties, and designate them to oversee overhead crane inspections.

OHSA inspections, however, are only the beginning of your overhead crane tests. Original equipment manufacturers, otherwise known as OEM, have the best standards for each individual piece of equipment.

Inspection and load testing require a large degree of expertise. This may require hiring an employee who specializes in overhead crane inspections.

Load Testing

Making sure that overhead cranes have been adequately load tested is imperative to ensure the safety of your employees.

While conducting a Rated Load Test, it is important to ensure that the loads are no less than 100 percent or more than 125 percent of the rated load capacity unless otherwise specified in the OEM handbook.

Severe load testing should be practiced at least once per quarter. However, OSHA rules suggest that visual checks should be made every day by the person operating the overhead crane.

Finding a professional inspector to suit your needs isn’t as difficult as it sounds. It is recommended that wear and tear evaluations should be completed no less than once a month. The documents produced by these inspections should be available to anyone operating the overhead crane. This way they will be well aware of any potential issues with the crane.

Additional Precautions

Bear in mind which cranes receive the most use. Identify which piece of equipment are used often, as they may have acquired more wear and tear and may require additional attention. Older cranes may also require upgrades.

In closing, making sure that your overhead cranes are running at peak performance is of the utmost importance. It means that your employees are able to do their work more efficiently. They’ll be able to do so more safely and with fewer accidents.

An unsafe work environment contributes to lower productivity, more frequent accidents, more workman’s comp claims, and even the potential for lawsuits.

So make the easy choice. Make sure overhead cranes used by your business are operating at their best, perform preventative maintenance, regular inspections, and always replace any obsolete parts.

Your team will thank you.

Has your crane been acting unusual? That’s most likely a sign that it’s time for crane repairs.

If your crane is vital to everyday operations, you’ll need to recognize the signs early to make sure everything keeps running smoothly.

OSHA sets the standards for crane safety, and a crane that isn’t working properly is a hazard to employees and clients.

Every business should have strict safety standards and a checklist for inspecting crane and hoist systems.

But even if you’ve been in the business for years, it’s easy for little things to slip through the cracks and cause safety hazards. And a damaged crane isn’t always easy to spot.

To make your life easier, we’ve compiled 5 of the most common signs your crane needs repairs. Keep an eye out for them!

1. Corrosion or Rusted Parts

If you’re working outdoors (particularly in humid or rainy climates) keep an eye out for corrosion. Rust is the most common type of damage caused by corrosion, and it can be detrimental to your equipment.

Rusted parts can often go unnoticed because rusting occurs over longer periods of time. It’s important to keep an eye out for, however, because once parts are rusted they can easily break.

2. Abrasion

Like corrosion, abrasion is dangerous because it occurs over a long period of time and can really sneak up on your equipment.

If you’re not familiar with the term, abrasion occurs when parts scrape away at each other after years of movement.

To avoid breakages, keep a close eye on all moving parts of your cranes.

3. Broken Chains

Years of lifting heavy loads can take a toll on your equipment, especially the chain links. Broken or worn out chains are a serious safety hazard and can compromise your whole crane system.

If you see a worn out or broken chain, stop work immediately and have the chain repaired.

4. Broken or Loose Parts

This may seem obvious, but broken or loose parts should be a sign you need crane repairs immediately.

To prevent damages, make sure you’re thoroughly inspecting your cranes often. It’s easy to notice damages to large parts of cranes, but it’s the smaller parts that often go unnoticed

Loose parts can also sneak up on you. It might be obvious when something is broken, but a loose part could go unnoticed until it slips out.

Make sure you are inspecting and tightening all parts of your machines as often as possible.

5. Worn-out Pads

You probably know that your cranes have multiple pads to absorb shock from movement. While these parts help prevent wear and tear on your machines, they themselves can wear out over time. To prevent more serious damage, keep an eye on the pads of your crane and replace before they get too worn out.

Prevent Crane Repairs Before They’re Necessary

The best way to prevent dropped loads, expensive damage or injury to your workers is to be proactive and catch these issues early. Make sure your employees are up to date on safety standards and that they report every issue, no matter how small.

Are you in need of crane repairs or an upgrade all together? Check out our crane services here or contact us for more information on how we can help.