Once upon a time, a wire rope broke on an overhead crane and the block came crashing down. Thankfully no one was hurt, the wire rope was replaced and everyone got back to work. Three days later it broke again…and the block came crashing down.

What? How could this be? It was a new rope. Did anyone stop to ask “Why?” Was the rope installed properly? Maybe there is an issue with the crane? Maybe an issue with the operator? Maybe it was a bad rope? An investigation took place but they could not determine what happened.  The rope was replaced and operations resumed—but this time with a surveillance camera on the crane. (more…)

A fascination with big machinery and a chance to change the future of their lives – is the common thread with three new mobile crane operators and winners of Crane Tech’s Professional Operator Development Scholarship.

         First Place – Eric P.    

First place winner, Eric Perreault stated in his essay, “My love of big equipment began at a young age, I have had a successful career as a welder/fabricator but want to do more for my family and becoming a crane operator is just the next logical step as far as I can see.” Eric was awarded $1,000 towards Crane Tech’s three week program as a result of his professional demeanor, dedication to learning the skills of the trade, and above average results during both Crane Tech’s written exams and the NCCCO written and practical exams. Since attending the Crane Tech course in November, Eric has secured several short-term operator jobs and in January stared as a full-time operator at a large, national crane rental corporation. (more…)

The color red, rubies, nasturtiums, and 2017… what do these things have in common for Crane Tech?

If you guessed they have something to do with a 40^th Anniversary, then you are right.  This year we are celebrating our 40^th year of providing Safety through Education to the material handling industry.

It all started when my father, Charles “Doc” Collier, developed and delivered the first third-party, commercially available mobile crane and rigging safety training program in the U.S. for a major refinery in Louisiana in the late 1960s.  It was this work, along with the demand for training driven by new OSHA regulations released in 1971 that led him to start the company in 1977—essentially creating a new industry. (more…)

At Crane Tech we like to keep things smart, with educational content as the main focus of our blogs, however we also like to have some good clean fun from time to time.  This is one of those times.

As our Christmas gift to our readers we have compiled our Billboard Top 15 for Material Handling Operations.  These oldies, but goodies from the 1950 – 1990’s have some important lessons to share as you work. (more…)

Chances are, if you have read at least one of our blogs, you have seen the phrase: “Remember, Safety through Education is more than our motto, it is our guiding principle.”

It is with this phrase in mind that we wanted to take the opportunity to review some of our most popular topics from the past year. In 2016 alone there were over 45 educational posts sent out via the Weekly Tagline e-newsletter. These articles are shared so they can be used as topics for tailgate safety meetings or to expand your personal knowledge base.

Why do we do this? We want to share our skills and expertise so that employees can work safely and with reliability. And, when it’s time to select a training provider, we hope you give us a call or request a quote.

Now without further introduction here are some highlights of 2016:

January

Avoiding Outrigger Failure: Setting Up for Success

Why following the manufacturer’s instructions for setting outriggers (more…)