Cranes are incredibly powerful pieces of machinery with the ability to move several tons of weight at a time. They can add tremendous value to your job site provided they’re used within safety guidelines.  

If you’re looking to increase crane safety in your facility, we’ve got you covered.

Here are five industry best practices that can help you run crane operations more safely and efficiently.

Create accountability for inspections

Design written procedures for crane and hoist inspections and make them easily accessible to your employees at all times. Train your employees adequately on crane usage and the safety protocols you have in place.

It’s important to assign responsibility and create accountability to meet these safety standards.

Read equipment manuals

As obvious as this one seems, many crane operators and related personnel overlook this aspect of the job. Even OSHA recommends that it’s guidelines must be followed in conjunction with the manufacturer’s usage rules and maintenance recommendations. Doing so will provide an additional layer of security to your facility.

Implement lock-out tag-out procedure

A lockout procedure will ensure that all power to the crane is cut during inspections. A study on overhead crane incidents revealed that 6 percent of accidents were caused by an improper or absent lock-out tag-out (LOTO) procedure. The worst part is that these accidents were entirely preventable and could have stopped multiple unnecessary injuries and deaths.

Establish best practices for inspections

Both routine and periodic inspections must be employed to prevent workplace accidents and equipment breakdowns. Routine inspections should be carried out daily before the start of a shift by a site supervisor.

Frequent inspections can be planned or unplanned and are carried out once a month. These are more thorough and check for the deterioration that is caused over time.

Consider crane warning systems

Crane warning systems, such as those manufactured by RaycoWylie, are engineered to assist crane operators and enhance the effectiveness of your operations. While they are used most commonly for mobile crane jobs, they can also be employed for overhead cranes. Newer technologies now offer radio controls, portable links, and crane overload systems for enhanced worker safety.

Crane Warning Systems Atlanta is the leading distributor of RaycoWylie products in the US. We’ve helped hundreds of clients carry out more efficient crane operations with our wide range of crane safety systems, including crane load indicators, two-way radios, crane capacity indicators, and crane anemometer.

Get in touch with us today to learn more.