Crane and Hoist Safety

PUBH 3310

November 19, 2010

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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% 5
A. Suruda,et al, Crane-Related Deaths in the U.S. Construction Industry, 1984-94
 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

Floor-mounted
jib crane

Wall-mounted jib crane 9

 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. 15
 Mine-shaft rescue using a
gin pole derrick improvised
from an extension ladder
Stiff-leg construction derrick
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Hay derrick 17
 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 2000 lbs 1 1155 lbs
 
• For a two-legged sling, 2 legs sin 60 leg
2000 lb load and 60
degree, stress = 1155 2000 lbs 1 2000 lbs
lbs on the sling leg  
2 legs sin 30 leg
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 Controlling Crane Hazards
• Operators
– 18 years old
– Physical exam
– Knowledge (training)
• Estimating load
weight
• Signals
• Operation
– Skill (demonstration)

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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® 24
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.

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 Load Chart
Rear Over Over Side Over Front
Radi
us 18.8' 24' 29.8' 18.8' 24' 29.8' 18.8' 24' 29.8'
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom 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
 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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 New OSHA Standard
• OSHA rule on cranes and derricks in construction
– Replace a decades-old standard
• About 4.8 million workers affected
• Took effect on Nov. 8, 2010
– Addresses 4 main causes of death and injury
• Electrocution, crushed by parts of the equipment, struck-
by the equipment/load, Falls
– New requirements include:
• Tower crane inspection, synthetic slings, ground
conditions; crane operator qualifications and power lines
– Information: http://www.osha.gov/cranes-
derricks/index.html 33
 Links
• Managing Mobile Crane Hazards
– http://www.elcosh.org/en/document/96/d00
0104/managing-mobile-crane-hazards.html
• Crane, Derrick, and Hoist Safety
– http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cranehoistsafet
y/index.html

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