Construction equipment and machinery, especially heavy-duty ones like cranes, forklifts, and trailers, are designed to withstand and fight off extreme weather conditions. However, they’re not created to perfection.
There’s always some room for high temperature led damages and accidents. Crane equipment and personnel need to stay hydrated on hot, sunny days. They also have to keep their crane equipment’s efficiency up to the mark.
If you’re a construction site manager, a crane owner, or an operator, you need to understand how and why heat can impact your vehicle as this directly impacts your ability to detect potential problems in the machinery and solve them promptly.
Cranes are robust masterpieces of technology, grit, efficiency, and the power of automation. They’re extremely effective and ideal for deployment in worksites with tough conditions. However, extreme heat poses a risk of heated cabins, O-ring and seal damage, and increased engine strain.
So let’s dig deeper to learn more about the impact of heat on cranes.
Problem #1 Operator’s Discomfort
Above everything else comes workers’ wellbeing and safety. But this is the first and foremost factor that’s affected by extreme heat during crane operations. Cranes are bulky equipment. It produces a certain amount of heat energy during and after operations. On top of it, if you add more heat from the surroundings, the result can be quite a hot environment.
Operators need to feel comfortable, at ease, and focused during crane operations. They need to have a clear sight of their navigational limits and a sound mind to communicate with the riggers, navigators, and managers. Extreme heat can lead to heated cabins and hardware problems in the crane equipment, ultimately causing workers discomfort.
Instead of focusing on improving crane maneuverability, a worker in such conditions is often distracted to keep tabs on potential crane issues and their solutions. Moreover, they face difficulties in maintaining their consentration when moving hoists, trolleys, and hooks.
Problem #2 Evaporation and Water Condensation
The next issue pertaining to high heat levels at crane sites is condensation. This is caused by suspended moisture particles that get trapped in the air. Condensation inside the cabin, fuel tank, and engine port can lead to efficiency and safety issues for the workers.
It not only has a damaging impact on the handling and lifting ability of a crane but also causes a lack of oxygen and moisture for the operators inside the crane cabin and around the equipment.
Solution: Crane Safety
Mitigating the highlighted crane risks due to heat is not as challenging as it might seem. While it’s not in your hands to optimize the weather, but you can rely on crane warning systems and robust safety tools to reduce the likeliness of accidents.
The first thing operators and crane owners should do is assess their equipment before and after every shift, especially when the weather is too hot. A crane vehicle parked in a hot area can develop issues in the hardware. This can cause quite a nuisance during crane operations. Hence, crane personnel needs to examine the crane to detect such problems for rectification.
Direct and harsh sun rays can lead to crane seals damage. This is basically when a seal breaks due to added heat pressure and warmness. To mitigate this risk, you must ensure that your equipment is cleaned thoroughly and is maintained every day. Dirt and debris accumulation on seals, O-rings, jib connectors, and nuts and bolts can lead to excessive damage and issues for workers.
Crane Warning Systems Atlanta is a leading RaycoWylie crane safety equipment supplier in the US. Our wide range of products includes A2B warning systems, crane cameras, wind speed indicator, load indicator, and much more.
Check out our latest manuals here or contact us for more details.
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