Crane operations are inherently high-risk activities and, therefore, as a project supervisor, you must do everything possible to ensure the safety of your workers and others present at the job site during crane operations.
Especially for those working around the hook, the safety risks are even greater, if the suspended load drops or goes moves under the influence of the weather, chances for an accident become more likely.
Let’s review what OSHA says about working with hoisted loads in order to establish safety guidelines and best practices for your crane operations.
OSHA Making Lift Jobs Safer
OSHA specifies clear instructions in its rules book, standard number 1926.1425, for practicing safety around the hook. These instructions include:
Employees must stay out of the fall zone except for those employees who are crucial to unhooking, hooking, guiding the load, or receiving the load.
To prevent load displacement, loads must be rigged by a qualified rigger.
No employee must be directly under the load.
Tips from Crane Safety Instrumentation Experts
We also reached out to our crane safety instrumentation experts at Crane Warning Systems Atlanta and asked them to pitch in with a few tips for practicing safety when working around suspended loads.
Inspect the hook and the rigging hardware before starting a job
Use hoisting routes that minimize the exposure of employees and buildings to hoisted loads
Be wary of the height when maneuvering a load; never raise the load more than needed nor keep it suspended unnecessarily
Before going live with your operations, use a signal system to inform everyone on the job site that the crane is about to go into operation
Use cameras on cranes to improve on-ground visibility by crane operators and help them make better decisions
Communicate the guidelines and the lifting plan with all the team members involved in the lift
Make sure every member of the staff knows and understand their job well and the responsibilities specifically assigned to them
We hope you find this post helpful for establishing and maintaining safe crane operations at your worksite.
Crane Warning Systems Atlanta is your one-stop shop for crane safety instrumentation products. We specialize in anti two block warning indicators, crane rated capacity indicator, load indicators, wind speed indicators and wired crane camera systems. Visit our online store to learn more about our product range.