Of all crane-related accidents, tipping accidents are the most common. Crane operators who fail to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding crane ratings are sure to suffer a tipping incident sooner or later. Possibly you have experienced a tipping incident where you felt the crane come up behind you (such as the feeling in the seat of the pants). Maybe you have had someone tell you that you had lifted one or more of the outriggers behind the crane or maybe you have been less fortunate, and your crane has turned over, changing the incident into an accident. In each of these cases, a loss of crane stability has come into play. (more…)

When we educate new mobile crane operators, one of the many topics we cover is the importance of lifting from directly above the load’s center of gravity.  However, it’s easy to forget until something goes wrong.

So why does this sheave look like this?

In the case of this sheave, which was taken from a rough terrain telescopic boom crane, it shows severe damage not just to the flange of the sheave, but to the outside of the sheave as well. Not only did the operator side pull the load crane once or just a little bit, the operator had to side pull (more…)

From time to time we are asked to do a walk through at a client’s location and identify issues with rigging hardware or the tools that are being used. During one such trip, we found a shop made / homemade hook created from a modified shackle, that according to the client “was perfect for the job”. When we inquired further as to why the client was allowing this, we were told that the mechanics kept them locked in their personal tool boxes and when management asked the employees to surrender the hooks, they responded that they “did not have one.” (more…)

Shackles are the little (or big) workhorses of the industry. They are used to connect slings and other rigging to loads. While commonly used, they are also commonly abused and used beyond their specifications without much thought.

                                                                                                    Figure 1

To help educate readers here are few basic Do’s and Don’ts for lifting when using shackles: (more…)

In the final post of this series we will discuss the threat of hurricanes and the impacts in the material handling industry. While tropical storms and hurricanes can be destructive and cause a wider path of destruction than a tornado, they can also be anticipated. They allow time for planning and preparing sites for the storm and the aftermath.

While we normally think of the wind being the most life threatening factors of a hurricane, it is not. Instead, the large amount of water the storm (more…)