Cranes Fall, Tip, Break; When Will It End?
Oklahoma, Houston, New York, Miami, Dallas, Illinois, Las Vegas, South Dakota and many more. Reports come across my email every day telling of Construction workers' deaths due to some sort of Crane Incident. All of these so called "Accidents" are not accidents at all, they're uncalled for Incidents and catastrophes that could have been avoided with the use of some simple Horse Sense.
Was the tower crane inspected correctly to assure that all bracing was in place and adequate? Were correct procedures followed while raising a tower crane was being elevated? Was the rotation platform in good condition? Was the ground firm in the crane's set up location adequate to support the outriggers or crane's tracks? Was the crane thoroughly inspected each day, month or year prior to each use? Was the operator adequately trained in the inspection and safe operation of that particular type crane? Were the frictions on that type crane inspected to assure that they would carry the maximum rated load? Were the pendant lines on the lattice boom crane failure tested occasionally? When will Federal OSHA finally produce crane safety standards in a timely manor, or will they take some more years to do this and continue to use 37-year-old standards?
The lack of any or all the question's answers can cause immediate fatalities and property damage by failing to use Horse Sense in the Daily Operation of construction cranes whether they be Tower Cranes, Truck Cranes, Crawler Cranes, Truck Mounted Cranes or Rough Terrain Cranes. Failure to require TRAINED, CERTIFIED and SENSIBLE Crane Operators, Crane Inspectors, Rigging Persons and contractors and owners to use Horse Sense in the operation and inspection of the cranes on their job sites will continue to have the continuous articles written about fatalities caused by crane failures.
Too many construction companies place the relatively few dollars ahead of sacrificing living human beings to be maimed and killed is the total Donkey Way of approaching the problems. The few dollars saved in Donkey maintenance and inspection of cranes is by far less than the loss of lives, damage to property and the cost of their insurance coverage.
Come on folks, let's get the cobwebs out and start crane operator training, inspection, certification, and Horse Sense use of these cranes.
Remember: The Crane Operator has the responsibility to pull or not pull the levers if he/she is not sure of the weight of the load they are lifting as it relates to the lift capacity and stabilization of the crane.
Was the tower crane inspected correctly to assure that all bracing was in place and adequate? Were correct procedures followed while raising a tower crane was being elevated? Was the rotation platform in good condition? Was the ground firm in the crane's set up location adequate to support the outriggers or crane's tracks? Was the crane thoroughly inspected each day, month or year prior to each use? Was the operator adequately trained in the inspection and safe operation of that particular type crane? Were the frictions on that type crane inspected to assure that they would carry the maximum rated load? Were the pendant lines on the lattice boom crane failure tested occasionally? When will Federal OSHA finally produce crane safety standards in a timely manor, or will they take some more years to do this and continue to use 37-year-old standards?
The lack of any or all the question's answers can cause immediate fatalities and property damage by failing to use Horse Sense in the Daily Operation of construction cranes whether they be Tower Cranes, Truck Cranes, Crawler Cranes, Truck Mounted Cranes or Rough Terrain Cranes. Failure to require TRAINED, CERTIFIED and SENSIBLE Crane Operators, Crane Inspectors, Rigging Persons and contractors and owners to use Horse Sense in the operation and inspection of the cranes on their job sites will continue to have the continuous articles written about fatalities caused by crane failures.
Too many construction companies place the relatively few dollars ahead of sacrificing living human beings to be maimed and killed is the total Donkey Way of approaching the problems. The few dollars saved in Donkey maintenance and inspection of cranes is by far less than the loss of lives, damage to property and the cost of their insurance coverage.
Come on folks, let's get the cobwebs out and start crane operator training, inspection, certification, and Horse Sense use of these cranes.
Remember: The Crane Operator has the responsibility to pull or not pull the levers if he/she is not sure of the weight of the load they are lifting as it relates to the lift capacity and stabilization of the crane.
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