Wednesday, March 4, 2015

What To Expect From Tower Crane Inspections

By Leslie Ball


While there are many different kinds of cranes that exist, among those you will find in construction sites are the tower cranes. These are commonly seen in sites where tall buildings are being constructed. They assist in movement of loads by lifting, lowering, or moving the loads horizontally. However, they can experience malfunctions and technical problems that could trigger calamitous tragedies. In order to ensure smooth operations devoid of accidents or downtime in workflow, tower crane inspections Tennessee are needed.

It is pretty hard to miss one where there is a big construction project going on. These cranes could fail, malfunction, and cause calamitous accidents. The cranes are affixed to the ground at time of construction and remain there during the period of work. They are then removed after the projects or hauling work has been completed.

Accidents are reported in construction site when such cranes fail. Failure of these equipment may be attributed to by a number of things including the way they are serviced and maintained. If they do not receive thorough servicing, they may not endure for long and they lose their strength. Similarly, if operators do not take care as they operate such machines, they may cause errors that trigger devastating accidents.

The operators of such cranes may also lose their lives and property damaged extensively. With regular inspections and the right preventive maintenance, it can enhance safety, reduce equipment maintenance cost, and boost work efficiency. In most cases, mounting of these types of machines is done by specialized engineers but in addition to that, inspections ought to be done in periodic terms to make sure the initial level is maintained.

OSHA does provide guidelines on how to enhance safety in such locations where these cranes are in use. Fatalities and very serious injuries could occur if such machines are not inspected in time and they do not receive the right servicing and maintenance. Most of the fatalities are associated with load lines, cranes boom parts, and load contacts to power lines.

When mounting those machines, engineers have to set them up on firm yet stable grounds. The grounds are tested to ensure they are firm and in case of bad weather, it will not compromise the operations and safety of such equipment. Cranes are not operated by any other person except the designated technicians who are qualified. Such operators have the knowledge of running cranes and in addition, they take part in inspections especially the daily checking of the mechanisms of operations.

Only designated operators who have thoroughly been screened should handle such machines. Besides, the operators should have the knowledge to inspect and check such equipment on daily basis to ensure their safety. When cranes are being fixed on ground, the ground is evaluated and studied properly to make sure it is firm and very stable to allow for stability of these machines. Many accidents that you see in cranes operation zones are associated with loads tripping off hooks or from the swings.

The owners have to evaluate the competency of operators to handle such duties. OSHA rules also demand that cranes are mounted properly on a firm and stable surface while ensuring that they are fitted at the right level to create balance and stability. During inspections, proper planning is needed and only experienced and certified inspection team should handle the tasks. Crane machines are available in different types and some inspectors may not be able to handle every other crane you find in construction sites. Only have the equipment handled by inspectors who have trained properly in such cranes.




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