subject: Most Common Crane Accidents And How To Avoid Them [print this page] Operating cranes and other lifting equipment has become a common practice in many industrial contexts. The increased volume of traffic, of the surface of working areas and of the amount of loads in order to profit from economies of scale means that these handling machines deal with several hundreds of weights every day. With an increasing use of cranes comes an ever higher number of accidents, that in the best scenario result in production delays and in the worst ones lead to the loss of human lives.
Recent studies show that the main cause for accidents during crane operation is lack of stability. This can be caused for a number of reasons such as the surface where the crane is positioned not being uniform, the load to be lifted exceeding the weight or size the crane is able to handle, or the cranes hoist not being positioned at the gravity centre of the load.
Incidents that result in the loss of human lives while operating heavy handling machinery are in the majority of cases due to electrocution. Installation and dismantling of the cranes parts are also a frequent cause for these tragic events, as are crane components falling because of faulty set up procedures.
In the particular case of quays and commercial ports, accidents related to crane operation in container terminals represent as much as 30% of asset costs. The most common cause of asset damage in such contexts is the impact between booms and the ships from which loads are taken. Other frequent problems are related to hoists, ropes, chains and spreaders not being at their best condition and to defective communication systems between employees.
Lifting procedures do in fact involve several professional profiles among which the supervisor, the driver or operator of the crane and the people responsible for crane and load position warning signals. It is indispensable that these people receive the required training and certifications before ever entering the load handling site, as well as an efficient communication method that allows them to exchange information and warnings while avoiding coordination problems between the equipment, the people and the surrounding area.
It is precisely the area around a lifting operation that can make an ordinary lifting a difficult one if the place is packed with other containers and there is little room or no clear spaces in which to move the crane or the load. This is especially true in the case of non rotating cranes with little margin for flexibility.
The approach needs to be that of guaranteeing the safety of people, goods and equipment within quays, commercial ports, building sites and other industrial scenarios which can be done by using standard approved and tested procedures for both ordinary and risky lifting, as well as a set of conditions under which all works have to be executed. In the case of any of this conditions not holding, the plan shall be re evaluated or the lifting paralyzed until the conditions are met.
