How to Prevent Accidents with Overhead Crane Safety

Cranes and hoists are fundamental tools in the construction industry for a variety of applications. Accidents, property damage and fatalities occur every year due to improper use of cranes and equipment failure. Identifying hazards and adhering to simple inspection and safety guidelines can greatly reduce the probability of these unfortunate occurrences.

5 Risks You Should Pay Attention:

• Overloading. Although it may seem very straightforward to never overload a crane past its weight capacity; it often occurs when an experienced operator decides to trust their instincts about the weight of the load that their crane can lift. Not adhering to safety procedures presents the risk of the crane collapsing and toppling over. To help prevent overloading, make sure you use load measuring systems and other similar pieces of technology.
• Falling Materials. At any construction site, there is always a risk of falling materials. Causes of falling materials can include visual impairment, incompetence on behalf of the crane operator, mechanical failure, and slippage. Although workers must always wear their hard hats and engage in personal safety measures, it is often not enough to avoid many of the injuries and fatalities that are associated with falling materials.
• Braking Issues. This reliance on second brakes is a huge contributing factor to the risk of falling materials. To ensure that the crane will continue to hold its load if the power goes out, all cranes and electric hoists are required to have primary and secondary brakes. Electric hoists will have a fail-safe disc brake or drum brake.
• Side Pull. Cranes and hoists are designed to lift straight up and straight down. A side pull can cause the wire rope to scrape against the remaining rope or drum if it falls out of its groove, causing the wire to become damaged which in turn creates a greater risk of the rope breaking when in use. It is not uncommon for the rope to jump the drum itself, resulting in additional stress being placed on the rope and twisting around the shaft.
• Electrical Hazards. It is standard to always assume that all power lines are live because coming into contact with a line can be deadly. Ensure that you identify a safe distance from any potentially live wire, and mark the area with signs and tape. These markings can be beneficial in providing a visual aid to the crane operator so they can be aware of the potential hazard. The safe distance between operators and power lines can be determined by your local safety regulations. To prevent electrical dangers, pre-job safety training is imperative.

It only takes a few minutes a day to perform daily inspections on cranes. By performing daily inspections, paying attention to potential risks and using common sense the accidents associated with overhead crane use are easily preventable.