Industrial Crane Accidents - Essay Example

Industrial Crane Accidents Many industries rely on cranes to carry out their main operations. For many years, industrial cranes have been inevitable especially in construction industries, plants, and warehouses. They are used mainly to lift heavy loads, which are impossible for people to carry. Therefore, it can be expected that industrial cranes will always be part of industrial operations all over the world. However, using cranes demand highly skilled operators and strict safety regulations. Without these two factors, several lives may be lost by the wrong or careless use of industrial cranes. To date, many reports relay crane-related accidents that could have been avoided if safety regulations were carefully considered. This paper reports some of the common accidents encountered in the industry to identify the causes of such accidents and propose practical solutions to avoid industrial hazards in the future. Industrial crane operators are required to apply strict safety procedures to carry out their job properly. Several regulations have been existent internationally to prevent accidents and hazards in every industrial workplace. Nevertheless, the current literature reflects a number of accidents related to the use of cranes in many workplaces around the world, both on land and offshore (i.e., gas mining platforms). Therefore, it is important to consider how such accidents have occurred in order to promote safety in the industrial workplace. Industrial crane accidents can happen anytime if workers practice negligence. The complex and heavy structure of the crane implies the high demand for safety during operation in the workplace. Relevantly, only certified workmen can handle industrial cranes, thus workers who would like to be crane operators should undergo the specific training for operating cranes and other similar machines. A simple negligence on the part of the operator could lead to accidents, and later on, to permanent disability and even deaths. In such cases, the company will be held liable for the loss, not just the operator or the driver concerned could lose his job if the results of the investigations suggest negligence on his part. However, crane accidents have more bearing on the company because the company has the sole liability in such cases. A number of cases of negligence can be found in the literature, pointing either to the company or the crew as the one at fault. For instance, Jerner (2010) reports about a crane accident in which the crane boom separated from the mobile carrier. Based on the investigations, the turntable bearing did not function properly because it was improperly placed and showed signs of being worn out. Notably, the first problem that reveals improper placing of the turntable could be attributed to the staff, whereas the second cause, which is the worn out characteristics of the turntable implies the liability of the company. The use of old and worn out turntable can be attributed to the company’s cost-cutting measures. In another accident report by Jerner (2010), the same problem of substandard crane parts was detected as the bolts of the boom attached to three crane boom sections broke, thus separating the attached sections from the main boom. The accident occurred during operation as the crane was used to remove a water tank crane boom from a water tower. Although there were no casualties, the accident expectedly caused delay in the company’s operation. In a report made by the Iowa FACE Program (n.d.) of a 1997 accident that occurred in a wind farm in Iowa, the author noted the shifting of the tower-type crane whose outrigger pad slid to the northwest, leading to the death of the 36-year–old crane operator. The crew was about to install generators on a windmill when the accident happened. The owner of the mill, who was situated perpendicular to the windmill and saw the whole accident reported that the crane was tilted a little before the accident happened. Therefore, it was assumed that the soil on which the tower-type crane was set up became soft that it failed to handle the crane firmly after two days of being erected on the ground. Considering this, the author recommends extra care when using portable types of cranes and underlines the use of hammer-head type cranes instead of portable types. Moreover, the owner of the mill also noted that the engine sparked on the first day. Although this was not the cause of the problem, it could be assumed that the tower crane, which had been used for 12 years, already needed regular, proper maintenance. Thus, exercising additional care in the particular situation would have meant using guy wires to hold the tower crane stably, double-checking for alignment, and ensuring A-performance of industrial cranes stably, performing regular maintenance checks, and discarding old, problematic crane parts. Similar to the two situations above, the company that owned the crane was liable for the damages and death that occurred. To note, the author of the article reported that the Canadian company that manufactured the crane is no longer in the business. As mentioned above, Case 3 illustrates the negative consequence that the crane company would suffer following the accident. On February 13 of this year in Buenos Aires, a tower crane on a specially designed pedestal collapsed due to poor design of the crane. Fortunately, no one was killed in the accident, however, it left property damages as the tower collapsed on top of a residential building (Rasmussen, 2011). Specifically, something could have gone wrong with the design and material of the crane as body of the tower failed to resist the hardness of the constructed building and leaned over, causing the damages as shown in Figure 1. Of course, this did not happen in a minute, hence one can argue that the crew handling this project did not observe proper maintenance and emergency procedures. Figure 1. The top of the tower collapsed as it leaned over the nearest building. In addition, the base had four large, concrete pillars to support the tower, however, as shown in Figure 2, these robust pillars did not do anything to support the tower crane. The pillars actually made the situation worse by leaning over one edge, which resulted in the damages. , Figure 2. The tower collapsed despite being supported by a large concrete footing on top of four concrete pillars. Rasmussen (2011) pointed out that the design of the tower crane above was far from ordinary. In fact, the author found it impractical. He explained that normally, one would pull the tower sections out, then have the 3x3 meter holes filled in the floors to allow the crane through. However, in the present case, the crew had to construct the whole base to support the tower, which was “100 times worse because you would have to remove all of that concrete [afterwards] (Rasmussen, 2011) . Clearly, the accident was caused by poor design and negligence because as the author pointed out, the tower will not lean overnight as it did. Regular checks and proper maintenance procedures would have prevented the huge damage. In a crane accident in Harbin, China in 2009, Rasmussen (2011) identified a broken bolt as the main cause of the collapse of the crane. The accident happened on a building construction site where the crane collapsed on a scaffolding, killing one man and injuring four others. Rasmussen (2011) pointed out that broken bolts are a common cause of crane accidents. Therefore, in order to prevent a similar consequence, crane companies should ensure the use of standard bolts manufactured by government-registered companies. Crane accidents do not have a place at work. They should be prevented by all means by crane companies and the workers. Companies should always ensure safety at all times to avoid casualties and liabilities. In order to ensure safety, crane companies should never resort to substandard materials for the crane. For instance, as Rasmussen (2011) pointed out, the bolts to be used should demonstrate standard quality. In checking out bolts, one should take note of the markings. Bolts of standard quality have markings, showing the manufacturer’s name and the grade of the bolt. Moreover, Rasmussen (2011) campaigned against hour-glassed bolts, soft washers under bolts, and wrongly installed bolts. Furthermore, he added that bolts should be cleaned, oiled, and spinned freely to ensure good performance. The common problems relating to industrial cranes usually include the use of substandard materials, lack of maintenance checks, and poor design. As illustrated above in the accident reports, accidents usually occur not because of poorly skilled workers but due to the use of substandard materials, especially bolts. In two of the abovementioned cases, crane companies should be blamed for using substandard materials such as bolts to avoid heavy damages and fatalities. The problem becomes worse if the workers do not have the power to demand for better materials, and they are forced to work with substandard crane materials. In such case, one can see the need to have an inspector or a supervisor, even in the most simple jobs involving cranes. Considering this, governments should make it a part of their legislation to have crane jobs inspected by independent or government-hired authorities, those who are not part of the local crew assigned for a specific project. Importantly, these inspectors should be visible in the area during and after the erection of the crane. In addition, surprised visits should also be conducted while the work is in progress. Another solution to prevent accidents is to regulate crane designs and disapprove those suspected to bring potential hazards. Standard designs and operating procedures should always be observed in every workplace. The government remains the major party involved in discarding poor crane designs. Also, the government, along with duly recognized companies, should work hand in hand to establish standard operating procedures also termed as Best Practices for safety at work. In particular, governments should require companies to produce documents showing proofs of Best Practices in the use of cranes, tools, and other construction materials, especially heavy ones. To top it all, training and education should always be the concern of the government and the companies involved in crane operations. Regular training and education on safety could significantly decrease or totally banish accidents on site. Furthermore, it can heighten awareness of the workers to complain against substandard materials and unsafe working regulations. References G Rasmussen. (2011, February 14). February 13th, 2011. (Web log article). Retrieved from http://towercraneaccidents.blogspot.com/ G Rasmussen. (2011, February 2). April 18th 2009. (Web log article). Retrieved from http://towercraneaccidents.blogspot.com/2011/02/april-18th-2009.html Jerner. R.C. (2010, May 5). Fastener failures. Retrieved from http://www.metallurgist.com/html/FastenerFailures.htm Jerner, R.C. (2010, April 27). Crane turntable bearing failure. Retrieved from http://www.metallurgist.com/html/CraneAccident.htm Iowa FACE Program. (n.d.). Mobile tower crane falls 180 feet to the ground killing the crane operator. Retrieved http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/face/Reports/REPORT-028.htm Read More