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Common Crane hazards and how to avoid them

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When you are working with a crane, there are plenty of hazards that come with it. The most common ones are:

Overloading

This happens when the load exceeds the crane’s capacity, but it can also happen when the cargo is swinging, dragging, suddenly dropping, or it’s centre of gravity is not immediately under the crane.

Overloading can decrease the structural integrity of the crane and increase the chance of the crane malfunctioning.

There is also the risk of the load falling and hurting the people working on the site. To avoid this, you should be ultra-cautious of the weight that you lift with the crane. As a rule of thumb, don’t lift more than the crane is designed to do.

Before you pick the crane from the crane rentals, confirm with them about the maximum weight that you can carry with the crane. Of course, you should never exceed it.

Falling/dropping load

Falling materials are another potential hazard when operating a crane, and they can cause significant injuries if someone is struck by or caught between them.

Objects may fall as a result of poor or inadequate rigging or material tying down. It could also be due to a mechanical failure of the lifting setup or even because of the movement of the materials being lifted.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, always do a double check of the load before you lift and ensure that it’s securely in place. It’s even wise for the crane operator to slightly lift the load to confirm that it’s securely in place. They should only continue with the lift after they have ascertained that it’s in place.

Sling angle

This is a critical issue that many people with limited crane experience do not completely get.

A resultant sling angle is created when you start the sling at the crane hook, go to the load at an angle, via I-bolt on top of the load, go to the opposite side through an i-bolt, and then back to the crane hook.

With this design, what appears to be a 45-degree angle due to the forces being applied to the sling is actually cut in half, well below what safety standards permit. People need to be aware of this circumstance so that they don’t overwhelm the sling.

Swing

Operators will undoubtedly encounter swing in the crane at some point, and it is critical that they understand how to remove swing from a lift properly.

The objective is, first and foremost, to not have a swing at all. However, due to the variety of conditions that may arise, a crane operator will occasionally encounter a swing and must know how to deal with it.

To reduce the risk of the swing, you should work with an experienced crane operator who can easily counter the swing.

Guide rope availability

When approaching a load, be careful not to touch it or the rigging. You need a guiding rope to help you out.

However, the challenge comes when there may not be a guide rope available. Someone may have stolen the guide rope, used it, and left it somewhere, but no one knows where it is.

Without the guide rope, operators may be enticed to briefly touch the cargo, which considerably increases risk.

Guide ropes aren’t always highly efficient, especially when it comes to regulating loads. The guide rope can assist with load rotation, however, it can only be pulled and not pushed, for obvious reasons.

To be on the safe side, work with rigging professionals who know how to handle the guide rope.

You might need two or more operators, each with their own guide rope, to control the load. Or, the alternative is to use a pole, which allows the operator to grab the load and push as well as pull it.

Wear/damage

It is usual for equipment to wear and tear with regular use. However, frequent inspections of the crane are required to guarantee that there is no serious damage to the hoist or rigging equipment.

Any sort of damage to the equipment should be categorized as either fixable—and fixed before the operator uses it—or damaged beyond repair and scrapped.

Working with damaged load-bearing equipment can affect their performance and potentially create safety hazards.

Crane training—the key to reducing the hazard effects

Training is essential for safe crane operations. Specific training needs can differ per jurisdiction so you should find the type of training that is ideal for your location.

Regardless of where you are located, training for personnel involved in crane operation aims to provide the necessary knowledge and skills for them to perform the task safely and effectively and to operate the equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions as well as comply with applicable requirements and standards.

A comprehensive and up-to-date training program for crane operators and other workers involved in hoisting and rigging is a solid start.

Crane operator training includes both theoretical and practical hands-on components. It may include sections on crane components and safety equipment, as well as load handling concepts and how to calculate lifting capacity.

It could also comprise safe labor practices, such as agreed-upon communication methods and pre-operation inspections, as well as operating procedures and techniques, such as identifying factors that can affect hoist capacity.

Crane operation involves so many possible hazards that frequent refresher training may be required to review important knowledge and skills.

Parting shot

There are plenty of hazards that come with working with cranes. To be on the safe side, be on the lookout for these hazards and work on preventing them.

To reduce the chances of accidents happening, ensure that everyone handling the crane is fully and properly trained.

On-site training is also necessary for situations and applications that necessitate specialized skills or pose unique risks.

If an operator is expected to execute a task that is not covered in basic training, you can collaborate with the foreperson or supervisor to ensure the operator has the necessary knowledge of the scenario.

The people working with the cranes might be highly trained and experienced but if the crane is in horrible shape, they will have the worst experience. To ensure this isn’t the case, get well-maintained cranes from the crane rental services VA.

Crane Hire: Common Aerial Lift Accidents And How To Prevent Them

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For you to access high job sites such as roofs and HVAC equipment, you need to rent an aerial lift from your local crane hire companies.

Common aerial lift accidents

Just like with the other types of cranes, aerial lifts are prone to accidents with the most common ones being:

Tip-overs: They happen when the aerial lift’s bucket cable or boom breaks or the boom falls over. You can prevent the tip-overs by never exceeding the load capacity limits, never operating lifts on uneven terrain, and not raising the platforms in windy conditions.

Falls: Crane workers will fall from the lift when the lift is struck by an external object or piece of equipment. You can prevent injuries by wearing the right protective gear and ensuring that the cables and harnesses are properly and securely fastened to the lift.

Keeping all the access gates closed can go a long way towards reducing unnecessary injuries.

Workers getting caught between the lift and object: This is a common problem with boom lifts, and they happen when you are moving the bucket. You can prevent this problem by inspecting the job site for any hazards before commencing with your work. You also should ensure everyone remains at a safe distance from the load.

Collapsing material injuries: Injuries occurring from collapsing materials usually occur from scissor lifts that are commonly used in indoor industrial construction projects. Other than the unfinished or loose building materials falling onto workers, contact with larger materials can also cause the lift to tip over.

You can prevent injuries from coming about by being fully aware of loose materials before you begin the lifting process.

Electrocution: As you might guess, electrocutions come about when the workers come into contact with a live overhead powerline. In most cases, electrocution accidents happen with telescopic booms. These accidents will also occur when you don’t correctly set up the lift on stable ground, or you aren’t wearing the correct protective gear.

You can prevent the accident from happening by ensuring the lift is on stable ground. You also should stay at a safe distance from the live powerlines.

Due to the risks involved with aerial lifts, take measures to prevent accidents from happening. Some of the things you can do include:

Inspect the work zone

Before you begin the lifting, take time to inspect and identify any hazards on the worksite. These can be:

Overhead obstructions
Loose dirt and gravel
Holes, unstable terrain or drop-offs
Electrical power lines
High foot traffic
Ice on the surface
Bumps on the road or nearby ditches

Correctly set up the lift

It’s vital that you set up the lift to prevent accidents from happening. Some of the things you can do include:

Inspect the lift components and bucket before you begin the lifting job
Take care not to position the lift between the overhead objects and bucket
Keep the bucket at least 10 feet from the power lines
Use outriggers and stabilizers to ensure the level ground

Be cautious when the bucket is in the air

Once the bucket is in the air, take care that you don’t hurt yourself and the other people in the area. You can do this by:

Never exceed the load capacity of the lift
Always wear insulating gloves, helmet, boots, and other protective gear when working near the power lines
Don’t move the life when the bucket is raised
Keep the bucket within the horizontal and vertical limits at all times
When bucking up the aerial lift, always use a spotter
Don’t exceed the gradeability factor of the lift when traveling
Don’t put objects larger than the platform in the bucket
You shouldn’t operate the lift in high winds or bad weather. You also should never override the lift’s safety devices.

Protect the workers from falling

As mentioned above, falls are one of the leading accidents with aerial lifts. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent them from happening. Some of the things you can do include:

Ensure that the safety guardrails are securely in place
Ensure that the workers wear a full-body harness all the time they are in the bucket
Regularly inspect the fall protection equipment
Ensure the lift you rent from the crane rentals VA is of high quality and operated by an expert.

Safety Tips When Undertaking Heavy Rigging

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Studies show that thousands of people are injured every year when undertaking heavy rigging. The cool thing is that you can prevent the injuries from happening by doing a number of things. Some of the things you should do include:

Hire a properly trained professional

There are training institutions that train people on how to properly and safely operate the rigging equipment. When you rent a rigging crane, most of the rental companies will rent you the unit together with an operating professional but if you have to hire the expert, you should be cautious and ensure that you hire a properly trained one.

In addition to an untrained professional being at the risk of causing an accident, he/she also tends to damage the crane. You should ensure that if a professional doesn’t have the necessary training, he/she shouldn’t touch the machine.

Be aware of the safety standards

OSHA started enforcing strict safety policies in the crane industry as too many cranes tipped over causing plenty of accidents and even death. According to the organization, the main reason why the machines caused accidents is because the project owners and machine operators didn’t know the right amount of weight that they should lift.

For you to avoid the tipping over of the machine or any other accident you should take your time to gather knowledge about the safety standards that you should follow. You should understand the height, weight, measurements, angles and balance that you should go with to ensure that your machine is as effective as possible.

Use the right slings and hardware

Some people hire the right operator, hire the right crane, but fail to use the right sling and hardware. As you might have guessed, this results in accidents. For you to be on the safe side you need to take your time and understand the right slings and hardware that you need to properly lift your equipment.

Lift the right amount of loads

When you rent a crane, you should know that every crane has a maximum capacity that it can lift. If you lift more weight than the machine can handle, you not only put it at the risk of tipping over, you also put it at the risk of breaking.

Before you lift any load, you should read the manufacturer’s instructions.

Conclusion

These are safety tips that will help you in reducing the chances of accidents happening in your project. When renting the crane, ensure that you rent from a reputable crane hire DC to increase the chances of renting a high-quality machine.

Crane Service: Tips On How To Spend Less When Renting A Crane

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If you have rented crane service before you know that the cranes can get expensive. The cool thing is that it doesn’t have to be always the case. To help you out, here are tips on how to keep your crane rental costs low:

Go for a package deal

When you rent a crane, most of the crane rental companies will require you to hire an operator. There are a few crane operators in the market thus most of them will charge you a lot. Since they charge by the hour, the costs can get out of hand when you have a large project.

To reduce the costs, you should hire the crane that rents you the crane together with the operator. While the price might be a little bit higher than when hiring only the crane, it will be much cheaper in the long run.

Have a thorough understanding of your project

What are you looking to lift with the crane? You need to know about it. You should know the dimensions of the object that you are looking to lift, as well as its weight. When you do this you avoid renting a machine that is too large than you need.

As you might have guessed, the large machine will cost you more to rent thus you will end up spending too much money than you should have.

Doing this also prevents you from renting a crane that is too small. When you rent the machine and is unable to do the work, you have to rent another which will be an additional cost on your side, especially if you have to rent the crane from a different company.

Before you head to the stores to rent the unit, you should fully understand what is involved in the project. You also should ask a representative from the crane rental company to visit the area you are doing to work so that he/she can supervise it and recommend the best machine to go for.

Prepare the site

Some of the crane rental companies charge a flat fee while most charge by the hour. For you to reduce the time that the cranes work on your project, you should prepare the site. This calls for you to get rid of any hindrances that might be there.

Conclusion

These are some of the tricks you can use to avoid spending a lot of money renting a crane. For you to rent the right unit, work with a reputable crane rental dc.

What You Should Know When Undertaking A Crane Hire

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When you are looking to move heavy equipment, you need a crane. If you don’t already own one, you need to rent it from your local crane hire company.

Things to look out for when hiring the crane

For you to hire the right crane, you need to look out for a number of things. Some of these things include:

The reputation of the company: How reputable is the company that you are renting the crane from? You should go for a company that has been around for a long time. This is because such a company has top-notch technical and inventory support that will ensure that the work is properly done.

Proof of insurance: Since you will be working with heavy objects, it’s common for accidents to happen. For example, the material that you are looking to move can fall damaging your property. For you to have peace of mind that you will be compensated, you should work with a company that is covered by a reputable insurance company.

Knowledge of permits required in the area: Each state has its own laws when it comes to crane operation, especially when you are operating the crane in open/public spaces. For you to have peace of mind that the project will proceed without getting halted every now and then, you should work with a company that is aware of the permits that are required in the area.

Type of crane: Different projects require different types of cranes. For example, you need a hydraulic crane when you are lifting heavy objects. When renting them, you should pay attention to the amount of weight that the crane can lift. If having a small project, especially one that involves moving heavy objects in the house, go for a forklift.

When you need to move a lot of weight such as thousands of tones, you should go for a crawler crane.

Tips on how to save money renting a crane

The obvious thing you need to do is to compare different companies and the amount of money that they charge. You should go for a company that charges the least amount, but provides high-quality cranes.

Most companies will charge you by the hour; therefore, you should ensure that everything is in place before you rent a crane. This aids in minimizing the amount of time that you need the crane.

Conclusion

These are some of the things you need to know when renting a crane. For you to get the most from the unit, rent it from a reputable crane rental dc.