Month: April 2019
Safety Precautions One Must Undertake While Operating a Crane
Operating a crane should not only be done with caution, it should also be done with intelligence and competence. It may be a cliché to say that most of these rules have been written in blood, but it is true. When mistakes are made while operating a crane, it can result in injury or death. These safety tips will tell you how to avoid this.
What you need to know
It is important that all construction workers wear their safety gear or personal protective equipment. Ignorant or incompetent personnel can be the main cause of overhead crane accidents. Planning ahead and knowing the area where the crane will be operated is of utmost importance. This piece of advice will help overhead crane operators and other construction workers go about things with safe feeling when an overhead crane is needed for a job. From selecting the most qualified operator for the job to checking the mechanical functions of the crane, there are quite a lot of aspects to take into consideration. Keep in mind that there may be elements that are out of your control, yet it is best to be prepared for all situations.
What you need to do
Any construction business has a budget and a target to reach, by ensuring workspace safety, you reduce injuries and in result, medical fees. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that all employees are properly trained and are wearing the appropriate gear. They should protect their heads, feet and eyes in order to be completely safe on site. Be sure to inform your workers about any weight limits, as failure to do so can result in materials being dropped.
Choose a supervisor to keep a look out while the crane operator is doing his job and make sure that all safety planning is done by a qualified candidate before operating a crane. The weather can be unpredictable. It is important that all construction workers are aware of the dangers of operating a crane while heavy rain is falling or in the event of strong winds. An overhead crane cannot function normally if the weather does not play along. Therefore, it is important to avoid working with a crane while experiencing heavy wind or rain. These conditions can cause material to slip out of the hoist and fall onto people or buildings which can result in legal costs.
Furthermore, a crane operator should make sure that the area is cleared before lifting and moving heavy materials. A warning sign should be used when the crane is being operated and other construction workers should avoid standing below the crane at all costs. Avoid working with an overhead crane if there is a minor system malfunction. Operators should also avoid operating the machinery if they are feeling under the weather or medicated in any way. Once again, this is not just for the safety of the operator, but the buildings, machinery and people surrounding the construction site.
Common Crane Hazards and How to Avoid Them
Overhead cranes are a great addition to any construction site, yet these cranes should be handled accordingly as they can put people at risk. The advantage of overhead cranes is that they can be used to lift up and transport heavy materials with the push of a button, without tiring out a whole group of construction workers. The ability of these magnificent machines is as important as the safety hazards they entail.
This page will address the different safety hazards you can come across when handling a crane. It will serve as a guide on how to avoid coming face to face with these hazards while operating an overhead crane.
Check and Ensure the Performance of the Crane
Preparation and proper maintenance are as important as understanding how to operate heavy machinery. Before an overhead crane can be used on a construction site, the operator has to check the surroundings to see whether the overhead crane will be able to function on the site. You have to take overhead power lines, traffic and other buildings into consideration, not mention the amount of people who may or may not be in the surrounding area. Add to this, the amount of people in the vicinity, be sure to consider the overhead crane’s functionality.
Deadly Sins of Overhead Cranes
Have you ever looked at a crane and thought about what would happen if the material it is carrying were to fall? The truth is that this can happen if the overhead crane’s safety features are not followed accordingly. One of the most important things is to make sure that the person operating the machinery is competent to work with a crane. Regular and routine tests are important as it will help the operator to know the weight that the overhead crane is able to lift. Another important factor is the equipment you are using to hoist the material. The operator should make sure that the material is fastened/ strapped safely and securely before attempting to lift and transport heavy material.
Besides checking the crane’s mechanical features, the construction workers should always be sure to wear safety boots and head gear when on site and of course close to the crane. It is important to know that the man himself is as important as his garments, therefore the operator should be aware of the crane’s functionality and capability. Overloading of overhead cranes is, in most cases, caused by incompetent or ill-advised operators. In the event that an operator is unaware of the crane’s loading capacity, it could lead to overloading which could result in materials falling or machinery breaking. The other hazard that goes unnoticed, until it happens of course, is the probability of the crane getting into contact with a power line. This not only poses a threat to the crane operator, but to all people close to the crane. Not to mention the amount of money it would cost to fix the power line. It should be noted that these hazards occur because of faulty planning and can be avoided.
New order for 36 mobile cranes worth 25 million euros!
Proud to announce our new order in 2019 for 36 mobile cranes with Liebherr, worth 25 million euros.
The order includes twelve cranes from the new Liebherr LRT rough terrain crane series and 4 new LTM all terrain crane series. Al Faris is one of Liebherr’s largest customers and currently has around 400 Liebherr cranes in its fleet.
At Al Faris, we continuously invest in technologically advanced equipment that are cost efficient for our clients. NO COMPROMISE ON QUALITY!
Al Faris at BREAKBULK ME
Meet our team of experts at BREAKBULK MIDDLE EAST! Stand #712, Hall 8, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE.