Suspended Load Control Is Vital For Crane Safety
For the safety and efficiency of lifts, riggers will be your go-to expert. They determine the best equipment for safely performing lifts based on mass, size, and center of gravity and ensure that materials are properly secured.
Load control is the combination of tools and processes that work to ensure loads during any lift are stable and secure. Load control includes anything from:
- Computerized monitoring devices
- Rigging equipment
- Stabilization aids
- Personnel processes
The combination of these helps to make every lift safer. Unsafe lifts not only endanger workers' health and safety, but an out-of-control load can cause severe damage to project work and nearby structures, jeopardizing project budgets and timelines.
Real-Time Data Is Invaluable
While the necessity of a proper lift plan and understanding of load charts will never go away, technology now makes monitoring lifts while they occur even more precise and valuable. Computerized load monitoring devices, like the Vita Load Navigator, can provide over a thousand points of data a second for the weight, force, and movement of the load.
These devices can act passively, working as primarily a monitoring instrument, providing feedback to the crane operator and riggers so that they may make manual adjustments before minor issues become safety concerns. In some cases, they can even automate the adjustment process.
Attached below the hook, some models can use high-powered fans to mitigate spinning or swaying as soon as it is detected, without the need for a reaction from the crane operator or a rigger with a tagline on the ground.
This automation has the added benefits of improved reaction time for when a load begins to slip out of control, and also removes the need to have personnel in the most dangerous parts of the fall zone during the lift. These devices aren’t just fancy do-dads with theoretical impacts, either. They have been shown to reduce injuries and accidents and boost overall productivity by over fifty percent.
Rigging The Right Way To Prevent Accidents
Overloading and improperly secured loads can cause significant injury from falling materials, damaged cranes under strain, or stability issues. It is essential to measure every load's weight and check the crane's load chart. You never want to exceed the crane's specified load capacity.
While you can calculate all the individual weights and rigging to find the lift weight, it is also worth investing in a dynamometer to allow you to measure each load before and throughout each lift. These devices can be attached directly to the rigging to give you an accurate measure.
Accurate measurements, along with properly maintained rigging, are essential to ensuring load control during lifts.
A Solid Stable Base Is Essential To Load Control
Stabilization of cranes is key to a safe and efficient worksite. The leading causes of injury and death during crane operations are electrocution or blunt force trauma from being hit or crushed with loads. The third direct cause is cranes tipping over. The risk for all three categories increases when a crane hasn’t been appropriately stabilized.
Cranes should sit on firm ground that has been graded and drained for stability. While outriggers add significant balance, they cannot make up for overly rough or unstable terrain underneath the crane. An unstable setting may cause a crane to tip over. Once the crane is on level, stable ground outriggers can further prevent unexpected movement during operation by expanding the crane’s footprint.
When a lift begins to shift out of control, any instability in the crane's base will magnify those issues, and getting the load back under control becomes much more difficult.
Qualified And Experienced Personnel
Operating a crane is an exceptionally technical process. You need to make sure that the crane operators, signalers, and riggers on your job site will have all the training and experience necessary to ensure safety and efficiency.
All signalers and operators receive training using OSHA standard hand signals to ensure that there is no confusion between personnel while a crane lift operation is underway. A signal person on-site has a dedication to providing communication between all members of the crane operation.
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) provides a certification course for individuals to become qualified signalperson. This qualification process includes a written and practical exam that covers:
- Standard OSHA hand signals
- Voice communication methods
- Basic knowledge of crane operations
- Site and hazard awareness
- Safety standards and regulations
Your Crane Operation Experts
If you have never rented a crane before or are looking for a new rental company to partner with, Parker's Crane provides quality crane rental, rigging, and heavy hauling services throughout the Carolinas and the East Coast. We pride ourselves on safety and our Zero Accident Philosophy and conduct many detailed safety measures when performing a job to ensure that no project carries unnecessary risk.
Even with a simple job, the right tool makes an enormous difference. Similarly, the right equipment, backed with experience and support, can make your job worlds easier (and safer).
With a fleet of well-maintained hydraulic truck cranes, we offer the best equipment and can help with site installation, maintenance, and operation. Our crew is OSHA and MSHA-compliant to ensure your site and crew safety.
Contact us online or by phone today if you would like to discuss your needs and whether or not our services and equipment will work for your construction project. We provide free on-site quotes and evaluations.