How to Prevent Crane Accidents and Ensure Safety of Workers

It is a common knowledge that everything in life needs to be in balance and limit. When we go beyond the limits of things, there is imbalance and bad consequences. If we eat, work and rest in a balance way, it leads to better health while doing these things too much or too less cause problems. Just like the human body, any efficient machine such as an overhead crane also has it’s limits and those should be respected while operating it. Going beyond these limits can cause serious consequences.

What is meant by crane safety?

The life of people who operate such a monstrous machine as a crane can be in danger if certain precautions are not taken. There are rules that need to be followed in order to make the crane run smoothly and perform at its peak capability. Break these rules and the machine might not work as expected and this could sometimes lead to dangerous accidents. This is the reason why crane safety systems are paramount in any industry that uses the services of cranes to carry hefty loads.

Which types of mishaps commonly happen with cranes?

The tipping over of the balance of the crane while moving from one place to another can cause the crane to topple down. This mainly happens due to excess weight put on the crane that is beyond it’s actual capacity. This can cause damage to the crane as well as the objects being carried. It also may cause serious injuries to the crane operator, workers working on the ground under the crane and even to those who are in the vicinity.

How to prevent these accidents?

Prevention is always way better than cure. It is important to take certain precautions to avoid these accidents from happening in the first place. And when it comes to crane safety, modern technology has come to the assistance of crane operators in the form of sophisticated safety devices. These devices have mainly one function to carry out during the crane operation which is to monitor the weight being loaded on the crane and detect any excess load beyond the crane’s limits.

What are load cells?

Load cells are one of the safety devices that are used in crane operations to ensure its safety. There are many types of load cells such as tension load cells, compression load cells, beam load cells, etc. The primary function of a load cell is to accurately sense and monitor the load of the materials being put on the crane. They offer very precise data of the load and help prevent the crane operators from overloading the crane with surplus weight.

Using these and other devices can increase the level of safety and security in an industry. And when workers feel safe under these conditions they can perform at their productive best.

How to Minimize Human Error for Crane Safety

Do you know what lies behind those dangerous accidents that happen in industries that are related to crane operations? No, it is not the size or the weight of the equipment or the load that is the prime culprit. Neither is it about any problems in the workings of the machines that are to be blamed. It is mainly the human factor that overrides all others. Yes, it is the people who are in charge of the machines that are instrumental in causing these extremely damaging and life-threatening accidents.

How does human factor cause most of the crane accidents?

A crane is a machine. It is a very efficient machine with the ability and strength to go on performing the job for years without a hitch. However, crane accidents are run by human operators. It is these people who are responsible for the smooth and efficient functioning of the crane.

If the crane operator and other workers who work together on a crane are not physically or mentally fit for the job, it could cause many problems. Unless these people are physically, mentally and emotionally capable of managing the task, it could cause obstructions in the performance of the crane leading to accidents. Slight misjudgments, overconfidence in one’s own capabilities as well as the ability of the crane, misconception about efficiency being the same as haste or impatience, etc. can cause serious errors of judgment leading to untoward incidences.

What is the solution for avoiding human errors?

One of the best ways is to educate every person involved in the crane limit switch about crane safety and security of the crane as well as their own life. They should be imparted with a sound knowledge about the importance of taking precautionary steps before and during any crane operation. Testing and checking various parts and functions of the crane should be made mandatory to ensure they perform at their best.

Crane operators or other workers should never be allowed to consume alcoholic drinks before starting their work. They should always wear proper clothes, uniforms and other safety accessories such as helmets, etc. that are necessary for their work. The crane operators and workers should be prohibited from speaking about any other topic, particularly and emotionally stirring one, before or while performing the crane task. In case of any emotional disturbance or problems in their personal lives, they should not be allowed to perform the job.

Which crane safety systems are used nowadays?

Besides appointing knowledgeable and well-trained workers on the job, there are many crane safety devices such as the load cells, load limiter, crane scales, etc. which are commonly used to assist the crane workers get accurate feedback about the crane operation. This helps them avoid overloading the crane with excessive load and thus maintain safety.

The Basic Factors influencing the Process of Overhead Crane Safety

Accidents are not very uncommon phenomena when it comes to the overhead cranes. These cranes are often vulnerable to mishaps due to careless or over-confident behavior on the part of the crane workers. It has been proved by research that, more often than not, the overhead crane safety are a result of a lack of proper signaling system that would warn the operators about over-burdening of the crane.

What happens when the load is more than the crane can handle?

When the crane operator doesn’t have a slightest of inkling of the overload of the crane, the crane can simply topple over scattering the heavy load it is carrying on the factory floor with an enormous impact. This not only damages the crane itself but it can also damage the load which could be quite valuable. But above all of these, the harm it can cause to the people working under those conditions is the biggest of damage of them all.

How to make sure that the crane is not over-burdened?

By being vigilant about it all the time, how else? There really is no excuse for this. It is not a casual affair as sometimes crane operators in their ignorance or extra-confidence tend to believe. It can actually be fatal and can take away lives. Using good quality safety devices such as crane load cell or a load limiter is the best way to ensure that the crane operator gets accurate feedback of the stress-condition of the crane ropes.

Whenever that maximum limit of the crane is crossed, the operator receives electrical signals such as an alarm or a beep or a blinking light. This is he time when he should immediately stop adding any load to the crane and if necessary should remove some of the load already put.

Why is it important to train the crane operators?

The crane operator is in the driver’s seat in a crane operation. He is the person who carries out the operation. Unless he had reasonable knowledge and understanding of the machine he is using, there is always a chance of something going wrong.

It is the responsibility of the company to make sure that all their workers receive adequate training in operating, managing and carrying out every task related to the crane. He should be trained not only to operate the train but also have some knowledge of the workings of the machinery in the crane. This will help him accurately sense any trouble in the functioning of the various parts of the crane before or during the crane operation.

Cranes can be a great boon to many industries if their safety is assured with adequate measures. Keeping the crane in top condition, appointing well-trained and highly skilled workers and using highly effective safety devices are the best ways to ensure that they run safely for a long time.

Importance of Safety of an Overhead Crane

With growing industrialization all around the world, many industries started looking for more effective means to carry out their day-to-day activities. Carrying very heavy loads has been one of the toughest of all routines many industries have to carry out every single day. What better way than getting them done by efficient and obedient machines? Overhead cranes have certainly made the life of these industries a lot better and easier.

How does an overhead crane work?

As the name suggests, the overhead crane is built high above the ground. Due to it’s bridge-like appearance, it is also known as a bridge crane. It has parallel runways that are joined together with a bridge. The main part of the overhead crane is the hoist. It travels over the bridge and lifts and carries the weight to be transferred from one place to another.

Where is an overhead crane used?

One of the most important applications of the overhead cranes is in the metal refinement factories. They are used throughout the manufacturing procedure from pouring the raw material in the furnace to loading the end products on transportation vehicles such as trucks and trains. They are also used in automobile industry to carry raw material. Other industries including transportation, shipyards, paper mills, etc. also use overhead cranes for various weight carrying purposes. Bridge cranes often prove to be a cost-effective option over the mobile cranes.

How important are the crane safety systems?

With every benefit comes an equivalent price to be paid. The great advantage offered by these heavy-duty cranes doesn’t come without it’s own price. These cranes need to be handled with great care to fetch the maximum benefit from them. Strict rules and regulations have to be followed by the crane operators in order to ensure crane safety.

Why is it important to appoint trained crane operators?

It is important for employers to realize that the persons they appoint to operate the overhead cranes should be skilled and trained adequately for the job. Not all cranes the same and different types of cranes have different requirements in terms of skill and training.

These operators should also be trained to use the various safety devices such as crane scales, crane load cell, load limiters, etc. to be able to used them for ensuring safety during a crane operation.

It is important that these workers are also trained in various emergency procedures. They should know what to do in an emergency such as a crane accident, how to quickly evacuate the location, how to handle a power failure, etc.

A crane can prove to be a very potent tool in the hands of the knowledgeable workers while a dangerous menace with unskilled and untrained ones. Taking the above measures will ensure that any crane operation becomes safe and secure for everyone involved.

Better Practices for Safer Crane Operations

Many companies including construction, transportation, automobile, etc. frequently use overhead cranes. Heavy blocks of construction material, automobile parts, etc. are required to be carried from one part of the factory to the other in order to carry out the manufacturing or assembling processes. This is not possible manually and can only be accomplished with the help of gigantic overhead cranes.

What are the advantages of using overhead cranes?

An overhead crane is extremely useful for these heavy industries. They perform the most difficult and laborious task in the manufacturing unit of the factory, i.e. of carrying the tremendous weight of various objects and material from one corner of the unit to another. These crane load cell being very powerful machines can easily lift these objects and quite effortlessly carry them to another place quite quickly. This saves enormous amount of manual labor as well as valuable time.

Are cranes dangerous to operate?

Not really. Actually, they are built to carry heavy loads. The hoist and ropes used in them are made of extremely resilient material such as steel and aluminum. This makes them sturdy and intrinsically safe for use under any conditions.

However, since they are very large in size and the nature of their work includes carrying extremely heavy weights, they can sometimes be vulnerable to accidents. They can go out of balance or the ropes may break and the objects may fall down on the ground causing heavy damage.

It should be noticed, however, that cranes themselves are not dangerous in any way. It is how they are used that decides whether they will prove to be an efficient servant or a nuisance.

How to ensure maximum crane safety under these conditions?

Cranes being susceptible to accidents, the overall crane safety becomes an important issue in any industry that uses them. Normally a crane loses it’s balance or breaks down when it is forced to carry load that is beyond its capacity. Since a crane is only a machine that carries out the functions it is design for, it is the responsibility of the crane operator to not over-burden it.

It is important to double-check every part of the crane before using it. If any part is not functioning well, the crane should never be used. Oiling and servicing every part regularly is important to keep the machine in top condition.

Keeping the load on the crane under its maximum limit is extremely important. Most accidents happen due to carelessness or over-confidence regarding this. Using safety devices is the best way to achieve this. These devices such as load cells, load limiters, crane scales, etc. help monitor the load and offer signal if it goes beyond limits.

Working in a team is always better and safer. This way the operation can be carried out safely and if any mishap happens others are readily available for help.