Date: 7/7/2022
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Bring Crane Safety to a New Level
Summer of Safety
Every facility manager wants to ensure a safe working environment that is efficient with time and resources. The cost of any accident, no matter the scope or size, is substantial. Facility managers have to balance production and safety, without giving opportunities for accidents and equipment failures and leaving room for endless liabilities. When it comes to crane operations, no step is too small to create safe conditions.
Safety Training, Tips and Checks
Every operator should go through some form of training before working with heavy lifting equipment. Whether this is in a classroom setting or on-the-job floor training, it is better to hear from someone else what could go wrong rather than experience it first-hand.
We spoke with Todd Cook, COO at Hoosier Crane Service Company, who explained that while equipment such as forklifts require licenses for operation, cranes do not have the same standards and it is up to the employer to implement training. In Todd’s opinion, one of the most important things facilities could do to improve material handling safety would be to tighten up their standards and regulations where heavy equipment is involved.
“If more end users were proactive in giving qualified operators training and awareness – how equipment performs and what to listen for – facilities would perform at a higher level of safety.”
- Todd Cook
It is vital for every operator to perform a safety check before any shift. Carrying out these checks every day before operation will ensure that the equipment is in good condition and ready to operate. Simple visuals such as checking for environment hazards, oil leaks, rope damage, etc. must be done on a daily basis. Download our Safety Checks infographic to learn more.
Chris DeTurk, General Manager at Mass Crane & Hoist Services, Inc., agrees with Todd’s stance. He adds that proper training for crane technicians to perform safe, comprehensive inspections is also important to ensure safe operation of the equipment. The combination of daily safety checks by operators and regular maintenance by crane technicians creates a routine that allows for an optimal production to safety ratio over the long-term.
How to Prevent Safety Hazards
Crane operation hazards often fall into the following 3 categories:
· Equipment Failure
When equipment fails, loads can move unexpectedly, presenting a danger to any employees within range.
· Load Control
A load that is out of the operator’s control can cause injury or damage to equipment due to its uncontrolled swinging movement.
· Workplace Ergonomics
Poor ergonomics can impact employee health and safety through repeated lifting and motions. We use hoists and cranes so people don’t have to constantly lift small capacity loads themselves.
R&M provides both standard and special equipment features for elevated safety that are either built-in or offered as an add-on, increasing levels of safety for different environments.
Our standard safety features are built into our products with an intentional design to prevent equipment failure. For example, all of our hoists use an overload device that works with a condition monitoring system that monitors the load on the equipment. Hoist monitoring also offers additional integrated safety features to help maintain safe operations, including:
· Real-time access to faults and service warnings via R&M’s OLI app
· Starting and stopping through slow speed to reduce load swing
· Detection of detect snagged loads through sudden-loading supervision
· Service warnings for wear item replacement (similar to an “oil change” light on your car)
Special add-on safety features come alongside built-in features to help promote safe operation in specific applications, such as the:
· Hook latch trigger for applications using slings or shackles
· Anti-sway control system for applications prone to large amounts of load swing
· Load-turning features which prevent unsafe side-pulling during a turning or flipping maneuver
Safety Tips for Crane Maintenance
Be aware of the following precautions before and during equipment maintenance:
1. Choose a safe working location
2. Prevent unauthorized access to the site
3. Inform that equipment will be undergoing maintenance
4. Ensure that there is no load on the lifting device
5. Turn all controllers and main switches off
6. Lockout-Tagout for all service technicians performing maintenance
7. Verify that power is completely disconnected
Get more details and read the rest of our recommended safety tips for maintenance.
Predictive Maintenance & Safety
Chris DeTurk at Mass Crane & Hoist Services, Inc. explained that equipment safety has come a long way over time, particularly in the past 15-20 years. As modern technology becomes more affordable and accessible, end users are able to experience a smoother, safer operating experience. While safety should always take precedence, sometimes production demands start to overshadow the importance of safety. With quality products and predictive maintenance offerings, both safety and production can be taken to whole new levels.
Crane Packages
R&M offers pre-wired plug-and-play crane packages that provide less need for customers to interact with the wiring, finger-safe plugs protecting electrical connection points, and reduced potential for electrical shocks. Our pre-designed products are tailored to the customer’s specific needs and provide a smooth installation without the need for one-off engineering.
“R&M’s pre-wired crane packages eliminate the need for the end-user to spend time with electrical wiring, resulting in less potential for shocks and increased quality and safety.”
- Chris DeTurk
With our crane packages, you can expect faster installation, less delays and valuable savings in both cost and safety, making this option an easy win for facilities managers as it maximizes both safety and equipment up-time.
HoistMonitor® & OLI App
One of the biggest changes in the crane industry is the ability to remotely monitor real-time data. Remote monitoring offers operators the ability to check on equipment while production is happening and predict what services are needed without having to shut anything down. In the past, data existed within the electronic device, but was both difficult to access and interpret for the layperson.
R&M’s HoistMonitor® products provide intuitive real-time information while protecting equipment from overloads. When used in conjunction with the Overhead Lifting Information (OLI) app, that information is wirelessly transferred to your iOS or Android device so you can instantly access data from the floor. Remote monitoring takes this concept one step further by storing the data to the cloud. As the data accrues over time, the OLI app is able to make predictive recommendations to improve performance and increase up-time.
With remote monitoring becoming a huge player in the industry, operators will no longer need to worry about downtime, loss of production or climbing to dangerous heights to access information.
Elevation of Safety
The one thing that no facility manager can afford is an injury of any size. The only acceptable accident is the one that never happens.
That’s why at R&M, we realize the importance of safety and the value of cost savings as it relates to safe operation. We strive for intuitive and ergonomic product offerings, coupled with great service and training programs provided by our distributors, such as Mass Crane & Hoist Services, Inc. and Hoosier Crane Service Company.
Would you like to talk with a crane expert about how our products can change the way you operate? Call us at 800-955-9967 or contact us online to find a local distributor to help you.