Operating a crane requires several precautions to be taken to avoid any accidents. The foremost fundamental piece of advice that any new crane operator needs to know is not to operate a crane until they have completed proper training. A crane operation training should include proper instructions on the specific equipment the people will operate upon. It is essential to know your equipment before driving it.
There are also several other essential crane safety tips for both new and experienced operators, which we have listed below. Follow these to lessen the chances of you getting into any accidents.
• PRE-OPERATIONAL INSPECTION
Before operating a crane, you should conduct a pre-operational inspection on it to ensure it is fit for operation. It is important to conduct a pre-operational inspection of your crane before each shift. Also, one more thing to take care of is who is inspecting the crane. The crane inspector should be a trained person with sufficient experience and knowledge about a crane’s functioning.
• CHECK THE UPPER LIMIT
Do check the upper limit switch at the start of each shift. You never know when any complications might occur if this switch stops the load before it can pile up. When working properly, this switch stops the load block before it can pile into and damage the hoist, causing the load to drop. This can cause severe accidents if not taken proper care of.
• POWER SWITCH
Make sure that people working on the crane know the location of the power disconnect switch for the runway. This is extremely important because if the crane continues down the runway after the operator releases the radio control button, the operator will walk quickly to the switch to cut the power and prevent a runaway crane. You never know what accident might happen. Taking precautions is the only thing you can do to avoid them. Following this tip can avoid many potential
accidents and is therefore quite necessary to be aware of.
• FOLLOW THE RULES
Follow the crane safety rules religiously and make sure that everyone else does so too. Do not get complacent or lax in following operating and crane safety procedures. Your carelessness could prove fatal both for your own life and for someone else’s life as well. You would want to take all precautions necessary to ensure safety by all possible means. Ensure everyone operating the crane is wearing the safety gear needed to protect them from any fatalities.
• STAND AWAY
The most important advice of all is to never stand under a load. There is nothing dumber than standing right under a loaded crane. It is better to be safe and aware than to be sorry. You cannot take any risks while being on a site. The lifting process can be dangerous, and you have to be very careful while being around cranes.