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Crane and Hoist Safety

PUBH 3310

November 13, 2009
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Objectives
Know hazards associated with cranes
Become familiar with common types of
industrial and construction cranes
Understand rigging basics, including the
importance of sling angle
Be familiar with methods of controlling
crane hazards and preventing accidents

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Outline
Crane Hazards
Crane types
Industrial cranes
Construction cranes
Rigging (and sling angle)
Controlling hazards
Inspections and training
Power lines
Equipment failure and crane stability
Other
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Crane Hazards
Over 250,000 cranes in operation
125,000 in construction
80,000 general and maritime
80 fatalities per year
One death per thousand crane
operators in their working lifetime (45
years)
Risk to citizens and other workers

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Causes of Crane Fatalities
Electrocution 39%
Crane assembly/disassembly 12%
Crane upset/overturn 7%
Rigging failure 7%
Overloading 4%
Struck by moving load 4%
Manlifts 4%
Struck by counterweight 2%
Two-blocking 2%
Hoist limitations 2%
Other 6%
A. Suruda,et al, Crane-Related Deaths in the U.S. Construction Industry, 1984-
94
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Crane Types
"Industrial cranes
Overhead
Gantry
Jib
"Construction cranes
Mobile
Tower
Derricks
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Industrial Cranes
Overhead Cranes
Common in industrial facilities
Supported by overhead rails
Components
Bridge
Trolley
Hoist
Often pendant or remote operated
Easy to use, little training required, no
stability problems

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Industrial Cranes
Gantry cranes
Similar to overhead
cranes, but supported by
a mobile frame which
travels on the ground
Small (1000 10,000 pound
capacity) gantry crane
Large (600 ton capacity)
gantry crane
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Industrial Cranes
Jib cranes
Pivot mounted
boom with trolley
and hoist
Wall-mounted jib crane
Floor-mounted
jib crane
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Industrial Cranes
Power hoist
Usually electric
or air operated
Chain hoist (or
"chain fall")
Hand operated
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Construction Cranes
Tower
cranes
Variable
height
climbing
cranes
Used for
building
construction

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Construction Cranes
Mobile cranes
Crawler cranes
Truck cranes
Hydraulic cranes
Boom telescopes
May have jib
Equipped with
outriggers for stability
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Hydraulic
Cranes
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Hydraulic Cranes
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Construction cranes
Derricks
Boom angle
changes to adjust
horizontal distance
Often used in
shipyards, building
construction, etc.
Gin pole
Chicago boom
Stiff-leg
Etc.

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Stiff-leg construction derrick
Mine-shaft rescue using a
gin pole derrick improvised
from an extension ladder
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Hay derrick
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Rigging
Rigging: The hardware
and equipment used to
safely attach a load to a
lifting device
Wire rope
Usually a "core" member to
increase flexibility
Fiber Core (FC)
Wire Strand Core (WSC)
Independent Wire-rope
Core (IWRC)
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Rigging
Fittings, sheaves
Shackles
Blocks
Sockets
Hooks
May have safety
latch
Eyes
Turnbuckles

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Rigging
Always use rigging to connect the load to the
hook
Materials
Wire rope
Fabric
Chain
Slings
Straight (regular)
Choker
Basket
Double, triple, etc.

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Rigging
Sling angle
Stress on sling legs
varies with the angle
Divide the load by the
number of sling legs,
and divide by sin of
the angle
For a two-legged sling,
2000 lb load and 60
degree, stress = 1155
lbs on the sling leg


leg
lbs 1155
60 sin
1
legs 2
lbs 2000

leg
lbs 2000
30 sin
1
legs 2
lbs 2000

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Operators
18 years old
Physical exam
Knowledge (training)
Estimating load
weight
Signals
Operation
Skill (demonstration)

Controlling Crane Hazards
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Controlling Crane Hazards
Inspection
Frequent
Daily, monthly
Hooks, rope, crane operation
Periodic
At least annually
Complete inspection - wear, damage,
deterioration, operation
slings
Testing
Records

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Preventing Crane Accidents
Contact with energized power lines
(45% of accidents)
De-energize overhead lines
Maintain minimum distance
10 feet distance for 50 kv
Over 50 kv, add 4 inches per 10 kv
Use proximity alarms
Warn when energized line is near
No fatalities in 25 years, according
to mfg.
Warning signs
I-15 construction was a good example
Sigalarm
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Warning label

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Preventing Crane Accidents
Under hook lifting device problems
Inspect, proper use, etc.
Overturned cranes
Assure a level and stable base for the
crane
Comply with load charts
Weight
Boom angle and extension
Only vertical loads
Wind can cause a significant side load
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Load Chart
Load charts
inside the cab
include
Structural
capacity and
tipping limits for
the crane
Capacity is
highest for short
radius over front
loads with
outriggers
extended.
Load Chart
Radi
us

Rear Over Over Side Over Front
18.8'
Boom
24'
Boom
29.8'
Boom
18.8'
Boom
24'
Boom
29.8'
Boom
18.8'
Boom
24'
Boom
29.8'
Boom
6 65,600* 65,600* 66,720*
8 57,250* 56,510* 57,250* 56,510* 61,150* 56,510*
10 50,760* 49,230* 47,060* 50,760* 49,230* 47,060* 52,520* 49,230* 47,060*
12 44,970 43,250* 41,310* 45,540* 43,250* 41,310* 46,390* 43,250* 41,310*
15 33,180 33,290 33,350 39,370 37,090 35,080 39,620 37,090 35,080
18 25,960 26,250 26,310 27,540 28,370 28,490 27,540 32,471 30,730
20 22,940 23,010 22,910 23,030 29,820 28,430
25 16,910 15,330 23,770
29 13,030 11,870 16,750
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Preventing Crane Accidents
Dropped loads
Operating anti-two block device (upper limit switch)
Proper rigging
Inspection
Boom collapse
Inspection
Stable base
No overloading
No horizontal loading
Crushing by the counter weight
Stay away from the rear of the crane

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Preventing Crane Accidents
Proper outrigger use
Level
Fully extended
Stable base
Use cribbing to
distribute the load
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Outrigger Use
Outrigger
with
cribbing
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Preventing Crane Accidents
Rigging failure
Inspection
Proper use
temperature, angles, etc.
Falls
Fall protection for workers
suspended by crane "man
basket" or "suspended work
platform


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Links
Managing Mobile Crane Hazards
http://www.elcosh.org/en/document/96/d
000104/managing-mobile-crane-
hazards.html
Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cranehoistsafet
y/index.html