MAIN REASONS FOR CRANE ACCIDENTS

Many accidents occur with mobile cranes. An average of one mobile or

tower crane accident happens DAILY in the United States and Canada.
Following are SOME of the causes of these accidents.

1. The load was too heavy.

2. The crane was not level on the outriggers.
3. The outriggers were improperly positioned.
4. The crane was driven into electric wires with the boom up.
5. The load block was pulled up into the boom tip or jib tip sheaves.
(This is called “two blocking.”)
6. Incorrect signals were given or the signals were not understood.
7. The fastenings were not the correct type or were the wrong size.
8. The equipment failed from fatigue or damaged parts.
9. The boom was raised too high.
10. The boom snapped back over the carrier cab because the hoist cable
broke.
11. The ground was not firm or the cribbing was improperly stacked.
12. The operator was not trained to operate the crane.
A supervisor did not approve the crane setup or rigging.
A supervisor made the decision to make the pick against the judgment of
the crane operator.
The urgency to complete the job overrode good judgment.
According to investigators, most of the accidents are caused by operator
error, although many are the result of poor planning, lack of site
supervision, and mismanagement. Most of these accidents could have
been circumvented if everyone associated with the job had been alert,
knowledgeable, and safety-cautious.
Following are some actions that, if done properly, would reduce hazards
and possibly eliminate accidents.