Crane safety systems needs to be maintained in proper condition in heavy industries

The entire use of the various services of the different cranes in order to lift and to carry the gigantic objects and the massive loads across one place to another is well practised throughout the globe. While doing so, the cranes safety systems absolutely need to be very carefully handled and with some extreme caution. Since they deal with the huge loads, the issue of the crane safety is a vitally very crucial. The history has shown this many times that neglecting it has very much proved very costly to both the property and life.

As cranes have been in use for the lifting of the various massive loads from decades, they are known to ease the burden of carrying the loads from one place to another from the shoulders of the human labourers as was the case in the distant past. They have particularly proved to be a great boon to the overall transportation, the construction and the manufacturing industries where the material handling is done on a regular basis.

These cranes come in varying the shapes and sizes and their functions are absolutely different from one another depending upon the kind of the industry they are being used for. The cranes that usually perform the various types of the works are categorized under the different titles namely the fixed cranes, mobile cranes and the overhead cranes. There are various types of the cranes under these categories such as the overhead cranes, tower cranes, jib cranes, crawler cranes, etc which are being extensively used. Although they all very well perform the primary function of lifting the various heavy loads, they all have the varying capacities and many other applications in the various industries.

Although these cranes are very safe and extreme care is taken by their manufacturers to make them as sturdy and secure, for the industry they are being used in, as possible, crane accidents are not uncommon. The main reason that has been sighted by most of the recent researches regarding these probable accidents is the issue of the insufficient training of the operators and the lack of the effective crane safety systems in the past.

The first issue can be very well dealt with by making it absolutely mandatory for any worker who operates a crane to undergo some very rigorous training. He should be very well trained and also very well tested on the crane safety systems and only after being awarded a particular certificate of the competency that he should be allowed to go anywhere near a crane. This in itself will highly eliminate a very crucial cause of the unfortunate crane accidents and pave the way for a healthy and very safe industrial environment.

The other problem, namely, the need of some of the effective crane safety systems, has been considerably resolved by the introduction of some of the most sophisticated safety devices. Load cells or the load sensors are used to accurately sense the load on the crane and gives precise data regarding it. There are many types of the load cells including the compression load cells, beam load cells, tension load cells, etc.

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Unfortunate crane accidents can be prevented by adopting some precautions

The Operating cranes and the other lifting equipments has specifically become a very common practice in many of the industrial contexts as the electronic cranes are very widely used in the various construction and the numerous factory sites throughout the nooks and corners of the globe. The increased volume of the traffic, of the surface of the working areas and of the extensive amount of the heavy loads in order to profit from the economies of scale means that these handling machines deal with the several hundred of the weights every day. With an increasing use of the heavy weight cranes, come a higher number of the probable crane accidents that in the best scenario result in the production delays and in the worst ones lead to the loss of the precious human lives.

The various effective researches, the extensive surveys and the recent studies show that the main cause for the crane accidents during the crane operation is the lack of stability of the particular machine. This can be particularly caused for a numerous reasons such as the surface where the crane is positioned not being very uniform, the load to be lifted is exceeding the weight or the size of the crane is actually able to handle, or the cranes hoist not being positioned at the gravity centre of the load. For measuring the crane’s load, the maximum load capacity, a crane limit switch is being strategically inserted in all the modern electronic cranes that are being manufactured in the recent times.

Incidents result in the loss of the precious human lives while the overall operations of the heavy handling machinery are due to cases of the electrocution. The proper installation and the dismantling of the heavy weight cranes parts are also a very frequent cause for these tragic events, as are the crane components falling because of the faulty set up procedures while the process of manufacturing.

In the particular case of the quays and the commercial ports, the accidents which are related to the crane operation in the container terminals represent as much as 30% of the entire asset costs. The most common cause of the asset damage in such that the contexts is the impact between the booms and the ships from which the loads are being taken. Other frequent issues are very well related to the hoists, the ropes, the chains and the spreaders which not being at their best condition and to some defective communication systems between the employees.

The lifting procedures do in fact involve the various professional profiles among which the supervisor, the driver or the operator of the crane and the people responsible for the crane and the load position warning signals. It is indeed very indispensable that these people receive the proper training and the overall certifications before ever entering the load handling site, as well as an efficient communication method that allows them to exchange the required information and the warnings while avoiding the coordination issues between the equipment, the people and the surrounding area. The rotary limit switches are also one of the major components of the electronic cranes to avoid all the major unfortunate crane accidents.

For more info about crane limit switch and crane accidents please visit the website: saf-lift.com

Electronic Crane Scale-Immense applications in the field of Engineering!

You will have seen load cells in action, if you have been on a public weighbridge or seen a concrete mixer batching station with the tall silos on a large site. Load cells, in very many applications in the Engineering and Processing Industry sectors to measure force (or weight), torque or bending moments in structures sometimes generally referred to as transducers, can be found.

These days, to continuous digital monitoring of dynamic forces in real time using industry-standard protocols so that they can be used as part of an integrated process control system, sensor technology has moved on from single measurements that are recorded manually. Electronic crane scale is also used predominantly.

Largely based on resistive strain gauges that are usually set in a diamond pattern is the technology for the sensors, slightly along the axis of the load being measured, bonded to a metal body that deforms. In a Wheatstone (or Ohm) bridge arrangement, the resistance of the strain gauges are measured. Before being transmitted to the digital display and/or on to the remote control or recording system, the output signal needs to be conditioned and amplified.

Throughout the Engineering Industry, let us now canter through the various types of load cells in common use. First, at tension force sensors, let us look. Where the force is transferred from a cable shackle to a load pin attached firmly to an "S" beam or pancake type force sensor or position sensing, these can be found typically on cranes and other hoisting equipment.

From a few kilograms for small applications to over 1.5 tonnes, this type of sensor typically measures forces on a continuous basis. In the control cabin via a remote digital display, the sensor's output is commonly linked to the craneage's overload alarm system as well as any necessary load monitoring. In the materials testing laboratories where "S" load cells are incorporated into test machines tensioning metal samples to destruction is another well-known application.

Usually in fixed equipment or structures where their low profile can be easily incorporated into the equipment's structure, pancake compression load cells are, as the term implies, used to measure compressive loads. Batch process weighing of liquids or granular solids and monitoring bridge loading for long term research, typical applications include weighbridges.

In a doughnut shape, a beam crane load cell has a deforming body and they have wide use where small scale axial compressive and tensile forces need to be measured, these are at the small end of the scale. Where a slim, compact and accurate load cell are typical applications, laboratory, testing facilities or small suspended hoppers are available. By incorporating it into a cantilever beam load arrangement, this load cell can be made more sensitive.

For more info about electronic crane scale and position sensing please visit the website: saf-lift.com

Overhead Crane Safety-Necessary for worker’s welfare!

In modern industry, overhead crane safety has become vital. In sectors like construction, steel, mining, shipyards, and others, they are common sight. In many industrial activities, Overhead Cranes are useful and from one place to another, they are commonly used to move extremely heavy items. The use of overhead cranes a crucial component of every major industry has become with the rapid industrialization in many parts of the world. Skill and proper knowledge of safety procedures is required in operating overhead cranes. It is essential that workers and crane operators are fully trained and are completely skilled in the job, for the proper utilization of overhead cranes. Unskilled or untrained operators not only put their lives at peril must be always remembered, but also cause the lives of other to be at risk.

For this reason, by OSHA and US law for operating overhead cranes, certain safety regulations for workers have been laid down. For their actions, crane operators are responsible and for therefore, various rules and regulations that are in force must be obeyed. There are different types of cranes, all employers must realize and a different set of training and maintenance requirements must be available in each crane. It is essential that the crane owner as well as the operator is familiar with its operating instructions, for proper operation of the crane. Also care should be taken about load limiter and collision avoidance it is essential that they possess corrected eyesight as mandated for a driver's license, amongst the foremost safety regulations for crane operators. Both their hands and feet and are sufficiently tall to operate the controls of the overhead crane, it is also essential that crane operators are able to effectively use. Additionally, between their eyes, hands, and feet, operators are expected to have proper coordination and causing convulsion or unconsciousness, should be free from disorders.

Furthermore, the US safety and health administration body OSHA has come up with new safety regulations for crane operators as required by the new rules passed in July 2010. To be certified by an accredited body such as the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), amongst the more important safety regulations are that cranes operators are required. With the hazards that come along with their daily routine, this is to ensure that crane operators are familiar. To prevent accidents, this will also help them. The equipment be safely assembled is required amongst the other notable safety measures. Under the guidelines of a qualified individual, they should not collapse during or after installation and should be assembled. Mandatory every year is regular inspection of the crane equipment. Also before the commencement of each shift, the crane should also be visually inspected after installation.

For more info about overhead crane safety and load limiter please visit the website: saf-lift.com