Volume 1, Issue 3 April 2008

Crane Safety
Construction And Industrial Crane And Rigging Safety Training Series

Mobile Crane Setup

Over 53% of all mobile crane failures are the direct result of not The target and bubble levels supplied with mobile cranes
following the manufacturer’s recommendations on crane setup. are not accurate! They should only be used for initial level-
The load chart ratings will only apply to mobile cranes if there are ing of the crane. The operator must verify the cranes’ level
no deviations in the machine from specifications unless specifi- with a carpenters level.
cally approved by that specific crane manufacturer. Never com-
Always check your cranes
pare one mobile cranes load chart to another cranes chart, you
level on critical lifts and con-
will be making a very serious error in judgment.
stantly during the daily opera-
Setting Up Mobile Cranes On Outriggers: tions of your crane. The crane
vibrations and load dynamics
The rules for mobile crane setup are extremely simple! can cause the crane to be-
• 1% level must be maintained. come out of level very quickly
and without notice. A mobile
• Tires must be clear of the ground! crane can lose over 50% of its
capacity if out of level by more than 3 degrees with long
• Outriggers if used must be fully extended.
booms operating at a minimum working radius.
• All outrigger pads must be locked in place
If your mobile crane is equipped with outriggers if is strongly
to the cylinders! recommended that they be used on every lift regardless of
• Proper blocking must also be used to account the weight of the load or application of the crane. Outriggers
for the tremendous bearing pressures that will provide a much more stable base than setting up on rubber
be applied to the ground by the crane and load! tires.

The importance of leveling the crane cannot be over emphasized. The majority of all mobile crane accidents are a direct cause
A level crane whether setup on tires, on crawlers and on outrig- of poor outrigger usage or outriggers not used at all. A lost
gers is critical to the safety of every lift. of 44% of the cranes capacity can be lost if the operator
retracts a single outrigger by only one foot.

Inside this issue: Wheels Clear of the Ground!

Crane Setup 1 Another poor setup practice of tipping axis for the outriggers — If no “On Rubber” chart is
Wheels Clear of the 1 mobile cranes is the misunder- if the operator allows the supplied for your machine it is
Ground standing of the requirement that wheels to remain on the ground not setup properly in accor-
Rough And All Ter- 2 the tires must be clear of the the weight is not released by dance with ANSI/ASME crane
rain Cranes ground if the load charts full ca- the tires causing an inside tip- standards nor the manufac-
Is Your Outrigger 2 pacity ratings are to be applied. ping axis on the tires and ca- turer’s recommendations and
Blocking Correct! pacity is lost and the operator is the cranes capacity is dramati-
Importance of Lock- 2 not only placing the safety of cally reduced.
ing Outrigger Pads the crane in jeopardy but the
Ground Support Is
Critical For Mobile
3 entire worksite. “Use Your Cranes
Cranes
Mobile Crane Setup 4
The wheels of all mobile cranes
must be clear of the ground to
The operator is required to use
the rubber capacity chart that is
Load Chart
Is Everyone's Re-
sponsibility
allow the cranes outriggers to supplied by the crane manufac- On Every Lift”
establish an outside the wheels turer.
Crane Safety Page 2

Rough Terrain, And All Terrain Cranes

Rough terrain and all terrain Not all cranes have separate load charts for working on rub-
cranes that allow the crane to ber configurations. The commercial boom truck for example
maneuver through rough ter- must be operated on outriggers and stabilizers in order for
rain conditions have the same the load chart to be applied by the manufacturer.
requirements for lifting as does
When working on rubber charts special procedures must be
any other crane. They must
followed by the crane operator. These include checking the
maintain level and be on firm
tires against the load chart for proper size, grade and tire
level supporting surfaces in
pressures that must be maintained in accordance with the
order for the crane manufac-
manufacturer’s recommendations prior to operating their
turer’s lifting chart to apply.
crane. It is strongly recommended to always use outriggers
The name rough terrain for many operators and project personnel regardless of the weight and terrain.
seems to imply that it can be used for lifting in rough terrain areas
When lifting on rubber tires the one thing that should always
and surfaces! Incorrect these machines are not rated any differ-
be performed is to place wheel chocks under the wheels of
ently than any other mobile crane. The requirement of being on firm
the crane prior to operating the crane - this is seldom per-
level ground and level within 1% must always be maintained.
formed in the construction industry.

Is Your Outrigger Importance of Locking

Blocking Correct! Outrigger Pads!
It is extremely important to make sure that all outrigger pads
Probably Not! The majority of mobile crane setup violations
and deficiencies noted are directly related to poor outrigger blocking or floats are properly connected and secured to the outrigger
found during annual inspections at construction sites. Crane Op- jacks while under load. If not,
erational Services, Inc. reports 48 to 51 percent of all crane deficien- the crane could temporarily
cies are due to poor outrigger blocking.
lose stability and become dis-
It is the operators responsibility to always lodged from the outrigger pad
make sure the blocking is level to guarantee a causing damage to the cranes
right angle of (90 degrees) between the cylin- cylinder, pad, outrigger beams
der and the outrigger float. If the cranes out-
and possibly even cause the
rigger cylinder and pad does not meet at right
angles the float collar can fail or the float can crane to completely overturn.
slip along the blocking and damage or cause Damaged Outrigger Pad
the cylinder to fail.

Mobile cranes also apply se-

vere vibration to the ground
and supporting blocking. This
could cause the crane to vi-
brate completely off the out-
rigger blocking causing ex-
cessive damage. Addition-
ally, if the cranes outriggers
are not properly secured to
the outrigger pads serious
crane damage can occur.

This outrigger is not locked to the outrigger

Poor Blocking Caused This as required by the manufacturer.
Crane To Lose Level
Volume 1, Issue 3

Ground Support Is Critical For Mobile Cranes

The crane will only support the load if the ground will support the loaded crane. The ground
on which the crane sits must be reasonably level, well compacted, and stable to support the
weight of the crane and its load without collapse or subsidence.

No construction site has adequate ground conditions for mobile crane operations. Weather con-
ditions, soft ground, waterlogged ground, working near foundations, embankments, trenches,
excavations and shoring locations all require special precautions to be in place prior to setting up
or operating a mobile crane.

All mobile crane manufacturer’s recommended ade-

quate blocking to be used under the outrigger floats.
The ANSI/ASME B30.5 crane standards require all
outrigger blocking to be a minimum of 3 times the size
of the outrigger pads used on the crane. All outrigger
blocking must also be fairly rigid, and tightly spaced.

The ground bearing pressures generated by a crane on Avoid setting up outriggers on

outriggers are extremely high. Much of the total weight of rocks, unlevel ground. These
the crane and load can be transmitted to only one outrig- conditions will damage the out-
ger during operations. Since the area of the outrigger float rigger pads.
is relatively small it will generate high pressures. As men-
tioned above the ground conditions at construction sites
cannot withstand these bearing pressures without deflect-
ing or sinking.
99% of all Mobile
Outrigger blocking must be supplied under all outrigger
pads/floats to distribute the crane loads over as large an
Crane Setup Failures
area as possible. are preventable!
Avoid span and corner blocking at all times. These methods of blocking outriggers will fail at ap-
proximately half or more than their design. Using blocking with voids can severely damage your
outrigger pads/floats. It is more than possible that the cylinder could penetrate through the pad
severely damaging the outrigger cylinder and pad assembly. The crane could also lose its stabil-
ity and overturn which, is the single leading cause of operator deaths.

Always avoid setting up your crane on rocks, piles of spilled harden concrete, man hole covers,
railroad tracks, steel plating and other conditions that can compromise the safe operation of the
crane. If you decide to use steel plates as a base, always use a buffer of wood between the
plate and outriggers to reduce the sliding action which could be caused by the swing torque and
vibrations caused by the dynamics of handling the load. Metal on metal will cause the crane to
slide or skirt off the steel plating!

Mobile Crane Vibrations can

cause your crane to skirt and
slide off its outrigger blocking!
Crane Safety Page 4

Mobile Crane Setup is Everyone’s Responsibility

It is not only the crane operator’s responsibility to make sure that his/hers crane is set up in accordance with the
manufacturer’s recommendations its is everyone's responsibility at that jobsite. No longer can out of sight - out of
mind attitude be tolerated. Project managers, foreman, safety coordinators and superintendents also have shared re-
sponsibilities regarding the operation of cranes. Additionally, signal personnel, riggers and ground support personnel
must be aware of the hazards of poor mobile crane setup - the setup of that crane can and will affect the entire jobsite!

We constantly place the blame on the crane operator, which is totally

unfair and very dangerous. Operator licensing programs will never be a
success unless we give those individuals that operate these machines the
support, backup and management they deserve.

Anyone who is responsible for cranes and rigging at any jobsite must
be trained and deemed competent by their employer! Prevailing OSHA,
ANSI/ASME codes and standards require training for all employees’ asso-
ciated with cranes and heavy equipment, not just operators!

Cranes can be the safest machine at your construction site, if setup and operated properly. Always follow your
cranes manufacturer recommendations. Thousands of successful lifts are completed everyday at our worksites without
incident. However, when a crane accident takes place, the regulatory process begins all over again. Anyone associated
with cranes can tell you we have enough regulations which are simply not enforced.

Crane Operational Services’ Training Programs have been endorsed by the following agencies and companies;
Crane Safety Programs offered for: Mobile Cranes, Overhead Cranes, Construction Tower Cranes, Maritime Cranes, Steel Mill
Cranes, Space and Communication Cranes. Additional Safety Training Programs for: Signal Personnel, Rigging , Aerial Lifts,
Forklifts, and Heavy Equipment. OSHA 10 and 30 hour safety training programs. All programs can be on-site or open en-
rollment. For further information contact Crane Operational Services, Inc.

MOSH CSM College of Southern Maryland

MCET Maryland Center For Environmental Training

Crane Operational Services, Inc.

Inspection, Testing, Certification And Training Services
9303 Philadelphia Road Baltimore, Maryland 21237
In Maryland: 780-0092 - Nationwide: 800 247-7365 - Fax Line: 410 780-0262
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