Staying Safe on an Average Day

September 7, 2006 • Most work involving cranes is not of the high-profile, pre-engineered type. While dual-crane, high-capacity, and other critical lifts often generate the most attention, it's the run-of-the-mill stuff that can really add up. In fact, I recently read that many crane accidents occur without a load on the hook. In the June 2006 issue of The Crane Corner, a technical bulletin produced by the Navy Crane Center, more than one-third of the accidents reported to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command through the third quarter of this year were without a load. Likewise, four of every 10 Navy crane accidents in 2005 occurred with no load on the hook. Reportedly, most of these were minor, but the statistic implies the seriousness of the issue.

While the U.S. Navy likely has more procedures in place for everyday lifts than the general public, my guess is that the rest of the crane and rigging world is similarly affected. The accidents published in our Accident Alert section reflect this. Cranes being transported are involved in traffic accidents; cranes contact power lines while maneuvering around jobsites; cranes in the process of being set up or shut down are also exposed to a variety of risks while the operator's attention is on the task and not on the surrounding area.

By their nature, critical lifts involve as much pre-planning with regard to the environment as to the load itself. Staying safe on an average day requires the crew to be even more alert for potential hazards. Beyond proper crane selection and pre-lift checklists, consider making a checklist designed to assess the environment before the crane is ever moved. Look for things like the location of other workers, overhead obstructions, and ground conditions.

An example cited in The Crane Corner involved a locomotive crane contacting a power line while in transit. “While the crane was traveling, the attention of the crane team, including the operator, was on ground-level obstructions.”

Additionally, when you're doing a repetitive task your attention is less sharp.

This summer we ran several articles on a series of crane tipovers in Colorado where concrete barriers (or K-rail) were being placed. While these accidents did involve a load on the hook, the job was a repetitious one. The lifts were anything but extraordinary. One safety expert we interviewed at the time speculated that the accidents could be attributed to the fact that the K-rails are similar in appearance, but not necessarily the same weight. "The lifts are repetitious so operators go by the seat-of-their-pants more than the load chart, and it takes longer to reset-up than it does to extend out, so the temptation is to try the easy way first," he said.

The same point can be made for other lifting equipment, including telescopic handlers or aerial lifts. Telehandlers, by their nature, are often used for repetitive loading and unloading activities. Scissor lifts, some designed to travel while extended, put workers at the height necessary to do a job. The job might be hanging conduit and the operator's attention is on that, not on what is at the ground level as they roll along.

I'm not a crane operator, so I can't begin to place myself in those shoes. But I am a mother, another occupation where accidents happen when you least expect them to; when you're doing a task you've done a million times. On the way to the bus stop last week, my daughter let go of my hand as we were getting ready to cross our very quiet street…just as a car came down the hill. It was a near miss that left my heart pounding.

So if this is just an average day for you, stop to consider how you will stay alert and stay safe today.