Cranes seem to be everywhere these days. These enormous machines are used to lift heavy loads hundreds of feet into the air and back. Cranes can either be too big or smaller depending on the site and purpose they are serving. While they play a prominent role in enabling construction and manufacturing businesses to run their operations efficiently, they can pose a high risk of injuries and even fatalities if not kept up or operated properly.
In this article, we will review different types of crane accidents and the causes behind them. These are important for everyone who owns a crane service, is employed by one, or uses crane services
Common Types of Crane Accidents
Crane accidents often occur as a result of a lack of training for those who are engaged in the operations, negligence such as not using crane warning indicators or failing to upgrade crane safety systems, and a lack of maintenance and inspection. This is the reason the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) mandates that everyone engaged in crane operations take training and schedule regular maintenance and inspections. It further obligates for crane services and owners to have upgraded crane safety systems and use the latest equipment such as crane load indicators and crane warning devices to minimize the chances of accidents.
Here are the common types of crane accidents.
· Part or Full Crane Collapse
Hearing of a crane collapsing, most people associate the accident with the work that cranes do i.e. lifting loads high into the air. Nonetheless, those who are in the field or are part of the construction industry know that these can even occur due to minor negligence from things like failing to act upon crane indicator warnings. Factually speaking, the majority of crane-related accident injuries occur due to sudden failure of ‘smaller’ cranes than bigger ones. Therefore, we can’t fully associate crane collapses with overhead or tower cranes.
· Failure to Abide By Crane Load Limits
Crane load indicating devices and load moment indicators are there for a reason. Avoiding the warnings released by the equipment can result in serious accidents and injuries due to excessive load. The first and foremost duty of a crane operator is to be aware of the load limits that their crane allows for, in addition to paying attention to the crane load indicators.
In case of a crane accident that occurred because of failure to abide by the cranes’ load limits, both crane operator and owners can be held liable in court and will face the consequences for their negligence.
· Faultily Securing Crane Load Prior to Lifting
While modern cranes allow lifting loads weighing up to many tons, you can still be a victim of crane accidents if you fail to properly secure the loads onto it. Securing crane loads is a very important and sensitive task. Those who perform it must have sufficient knowledge and expertise in carrying out such operations.
· Lack of Maintenance, Inspection, and Servicing
You simply can’t expect any equipment to keep performing at optimal levels without giving it the care and maintenance that it needs. Maintenance, inspections, and servicing are to machinery what food is to living beings. While maintenance and servicing play a prominent role in keeping the cranes in a good shape, regular inspections help you determine any existing or potential wear and tear that might not be visible otherwise. All of this can save you from serious crane accidents.
Connect with Crane Warning Systems Atlanta now to get your hands on the latest crane safety devices.
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