Overhead Crane Safety
Avoiding Overhead Crane Safety must be ensured!
Wednesday 8 January 2014
Frequently asked questions about overhead crane safety
Frequently asked questions about load limiter and crane load cell
Frequently asked questions about electronic crane scale
Frequently asked questions about crane safety systems
Frequently asked questions about crane accidents
Friday 6 December 2013
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
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.