Crane is one of the heaviest and largest pieces of equipment at your construction site. With its high functionality to move objects and transfer material, the hazards related are also very high; slight error in balance or movement may cause fatal accidents or mega destruction. Hence, ensuring the safety of your site and all the workers in the vicinity is crucial.
Here are some eminent safety tips to protect yourself and your site from hazards or getting hurt with a crane.
Most common Crane Accidents
Unsafe working protocols and unprofessional dealing may pose major hazards while working with cranes. Some of the main causes of crane accidents are:
- Structural Failure
While lifting heavy loads, if adequate counterweights or rigging are overlooked, it may result in swinging or collapse of boom or make the crane overturn. It may cause the labor under the crane or construction structures to crush or get damaged.
- Electric hazard
Huge all-terrain cranes, while moving, may collide with the overhead power lines and cause electrocution of the machinery and people touching it. Also, exposed HV lines may cause a severe electric hazard while moving.
- Unprepared Ground
The ground must be solid and stable to move the cranes and operate them. Operating cranes on an unstable, slant, or sloppy ground may cause unbalance making the loads fall or the crane tip over while operating.
- Load fall and collision
One of the major causes of crane hazards is that operators try to exceed the load limits to get more work done in a short time. This may cause the boom to turn and loads to fall, crushing the people working underneath and causing severe injuries or deaths.
- Low Visibility and support
During load transfer, if the operator doesn’t have a clear view, they might not be able to avoid nearby risks and collide with them or won’t be able to lift the load properly. This may lead to load falling and collisions with building structures or other potential risks.
Measures to Avoid Crane Injuries
Considering the high risk and threat to human life in contact with the cranes, it is essential to take proper safety measures and follow standardized protocols. Some of the basic precautions to take while dealing with cranes are:
- Clear Ground Clearance and operation Plan
Before the operation starts, the ground must be cleared with details of the operation communicated to all workers. The engineers or head of operation must visit the whole plan of crane operation in detail, so under the crane radius, workers must be safeguarded. Moreover, the risk signs must be posted before the operation starts to prevent accidents.
- Experienced Operators
Cranes need to be operated with extreme care and precision, and for that, a trained operator is critical. Usually, crane rental companies provide you with an operator who is familiar with working conditions and an expert in their domain. If you are hiring by yourself, select the most experienced and competent one.
- Proper Maintenance
With a structure so big and with huge mechanical loads, it bears cranes that need constant care and maintenance to function properly. A minor screw fall or tilt in the boom may cause severe damage or cause the boom to collapse to the ground while lifting. All the crane controls and rigging must be checked to ensure proper stability of the crane and flawless operation. You can also hire any crane rental company to get your cranes inspected and repaired frequently to avoid future accidents.
- Communication and Focus
During crane operation and installation of structures or load transfer, alarms, horns, and mic to communicate with the operator and laborers must be there to avoid any mishaps. Especially when the operator’s Visibility is low, the communication through radios may guide them properly for proper lift. Each worker in the crane radius and involved in the operation must be focused and completely attentive during the procedure.
Conclusion
Human life is important, and nothing can repent that loss. With the stakes so high, don’t let your slight negligence get you in trouble and let your whole company face the loss financially and emotionally.
Keeping a tab at your maintenance and operations department or outsourcing your crane operation to a trustable crane rental company may save your workers and your construction project from major hazards!
