The Electric Lasso

Rick Raef is a safety consultant for Willis Group Holdings and editor of WCSN-The Willis Construction Safety Network, an electronic safety bulletin distributed to contractors.

March 10, 2009 – Anyone who hasn’t grown up on ranches and ranges can’t help but be intrigued by a cowboy’s ability to handle a rope, ride a horse and roll a Prince Albert smoke all at the same time. And it seems that no matter if it were cow, calf, or doe-eyed ranch house Belle, a well-thrown lasso always seems to snag the object of the cowboy’s desire.

But on jobsites across North America, we sometimes see a modern day crane-drivin’ cowboy throw a lasso loop of a different sort. And when said instrument of capture lands on its unintended mark, our modern day hard hat and horseless hero is more likely to have snagged something resembling the devil himself than anything with four legs, two horns and a tail. And when all this trouble shows up on the business end of a wire rope connected to his crane, it’s a sure bet the possibilities offered by one faraway ranch house girl is the farthest thing from this cowboy’s mind.  

Recently in Sauk City, Wis., a 40-ton crane traveling with an extended jib and unsecured load line snagged a live overhead power line. Naturally, the power line found its way to the bowl of the hook and once there, the safety latch and line tension most likely kept it in place ensuring a constant and steady flow of high voltage current from the line through the crane to the ground.

Of course this time the object of capture immediately turned against our modern day cowboy and his trusty mount and started to snort, pop and breathe fire. In rather short order, our now reluctant rope thrower decided that bailing was better than staying, and in a giant leap of faith, he abandoned his faithful mount to its ultimate fiery fate.

So, for all those modern day crane running cowboys out there who confidently ride the jobsite range with their jibs in the air and their whip lines blowing in the breeze, here are a couple of tips to make sure you don’t end up with your rope wrapped around dangerous power lines.

Check the operator’s manual

Most if not all crane manufacturers post some manner of restriction when it comes to traveling with mobile cranes with the jib in the extended position. In some cases, it may be permissible to move the crane a short distance provided there is a spotter in direct view of the operator, however, the operator’s manual and the employer’s crane safety policy should be checked before moving any crane any distance with the jib in the working position.

Secure all load lines

It matters not if it’s the whip, the main, or both – unsecured load hoist lines that dangle while traveling are a hazard in more ways than one. Dangling load lines can jump the point sheave unnoticed and then fail later under load. (I saw this happen on a job in California.) Dangling load lines and blocks can also wreak havoc on anti-two block components rendering them inoperable. And as seen in the Sauk City incident, loose hooks can snag power lines and ruin your entire day.

Use a spotter

No contractor ever went out of business because an extra set of eyes were used to move a crane from one place to another. But there have been contractors go out of business because they haven’t.

There’s also one more piece of advice that goes well with the subject of power lines and cranes: Never in recorded history has there ever been a case where a power line has reached out and grabbed a crane. Cranes move, power lines don’t. They never have and they never will. Power line accidents involving cranes occur because someone puts the crane into a power line, or someone or something else breaks, damages, or otherwise compromises the integrity of the line or pole. Blaming a power line for the accident doesn’t carry much water because the power line is never at fault.

For anyone who is still a non-believer when it comes to the hazards of moving cranes with jibs extended, visit the Osha.gov website to see this crane fire. The story is about a crane that was moved with the jib extended from one worksite to another in direct violation of the crane manufacturer’s recommendation and the contractor’s own crane safety policy. How do I know? I was there the day after it happened doing the accident investigation. Look for the jib in contact with the power line. The operator was backing up without a spotter and hit the line. Had the jib been stowed or a spotter been used, the accident would have never happened.