If your business requires you to have an overhead crane, you need to take adequate steps to avoid failure. It’s critical to ensure the safety of your personnel and overall operations. Taking precautionary measures can reduce the risk of crane failure at your workplace. Therefore, crane inspection should be a significant part of your operational routine. Here’s all you need to know about it.
Regulatory Inspection
Before operating the cranes, crane technicians must inspect them according to the guidelines ordained by the CMAA Specification 78, along with other applicable state, local, and federal requirements.
This inspection should entail checking for faulty wiring, cracks, damaged parts, and worn-down ropes. Crane technicians should also ensure that the crane doesn’t go beyond its rated capacity.
Initial inspection
It consists of the inspection and documentation according to the recommendations outlined by the manufacturer.
Pre-shift inspection
It consists of inspecting the crane in accordance with the operator.
Frequent inspections
These include operational and visual inspections carried out by qualified personnel. Inspection schedules may vary depending on the equipment’s rated capacity, size, and service class.
Some components also need daily inspections. They include wire ropes, hooks, brakes, load chains, limit switches, and reeving. Any unusual sounds or leakage must also be detected and assessed.
Frequent inspections
These include operational and visual inspections carried out by qualified personnel. Inspection schedules may vary depending on the equipment’s rated capacity, size, and service class.
Some components also need daily inspections. They include wire ropes, hooks, brakes, load chains, limit switches, and reeving. Any unusual sounds or leakage must also be detected and assessed.
Periodic inspections
They include operational and visual inspections of individual crane components to ascertain their conditions. Moreover, the items inspected during frequent inspections—sheaves and drums, structural members, electrical components, connections, and bumpers—must also be inspected in periodic checks.
Reporting
It’s important to document all the inspections and maintain a file with notes about every inspection. Your company should implement a documented maintenance and inspection program.
Preventing Crane Accidents
OSHA outlines the following guidelines to preventing crane accidents.
According to the OSHA Standard 1910.179, you must hold a load test certification of all new and altered cranes.
The crane’s rated capacity must be legibly written on it.
All safety and warning information must be included.
All the equipment at the lifting site should have warning labels and signs.
You must carry out a field-level hazard assessment to avoid accidents. This assessment includes the following.
Spotting all the risks linked with lifting and transporting heavy loads.
Assessing the intensity of all the risks linked with the risks identified above.
Working to reduce or control risks before and during operations.
Looking for Crane Safety?
Crane Warning Systems Atlanta can help you. Our safety products include LMI systems for cranes, wind speed indicators, rated capacity indicators, portable cameras, crane load indicator system, and more. For any questions and estimates, you can contact us at 770-888-8083.
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