Thursday 5 March 2015

How Tower Crane Inspections Can Increase Equipment Reliability

By Leslie Ball


Handling of cranes is one thing that can pose risks when things are not done the right way. Operators, employees, cranes owners, contractors, and other people involved in use of such equipment all have a duty to accomplish when it comes to maintenance, safety, inspections, set ups, and other aspects pertaining to use of crane equipment. Seeking help of technicians qualified in tower crane inspections Tennessee is not only a legal requirement but also a sound decision by cranes owners and users.

The mechanical problems can cause break downs of tower cranes or accidents. Loads being hauled up or lifted could detach from the slings, hooks, or hoists and crash down causing extensive damages. If there are people around the areas, they could be injured seriously. Disasters in cranes operating areas may also be contributed by people who work in those locations.

The weight of the load, the angle that the boom takes, and the radius or the distance from the rotation center to the load center, as well as the center of gravity are aspects that determine stability of mobile cranes. These are elements that will interrelate to create stability in cranes and they should be evaluated properly by operators of cranes and the inspectors.

Whenever there is an issue with these aspects, it may create instability, which could result to malfunction, wear of parts, or accidents. The stability may also be determined by the condition of loading or lifting. If the load moment excessively acts to overturn the machine and the resist moment is overwhelmed, this could result to overturning of the crane thus causing an accident.

Inspections may be done frequently such as on daily basis but this usually falls under the in-house inspection. The daily inspections may be conducted by operators and this means when cranes owners are employing operators, they should make sure they get professionals who are experienced on how to run the machines and do inspections.

Inspection may be carried out on monthly, yearly, semi-annually, or quarterly depending on how manufacturers of cranes have recommended and the way cranes are being used. You may find that if a crane is operating continuously for a long time, it needs regular and frequent checkups. OSHA is one body that helps in bringing sanity in this industry especially in the aspect of safety and health in cranes working areas. OSHA has devised rules and regulations that must be observed when cranes are being used, set up, inspected, and maintained or serviced.

Operators of cranes may conduct some of the inspections. Sooner than operators can operate the machines, they have to look at things such as the hoist, slings, boom, hydraulic parts, wire ropes, and other parts that may indicate serious flaws in operations. If parts are corroded or rusty, they have to be checked. Wire ropes that are twisted and distorted require replacement, as they are a hazard.

A simple mistake could send everything haywire resulting to huge losses and deaths. The setting up of such machines has to be done by qualified engineers and inspection conducted by certified companies. Inspection of cranes is one thing which determines the safety and efficiency of such machines when they are in use, ergo it should be done by very experienced, certified, bonded, licensed, and highly knowledgeable technicians.




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