5 crane safety tips every company should know

Crane safety protects everyone involved in a project from potentially disastrous situations. Abiding by safety rules when using a crane will ensure that nobody is injured during the project. 

However, with so many moving pieces involved in a construction project, how can management guarantee the safety of workers? 

There are plenty of tools made available to protect workers, but one of the most powerful tools is safety education. Every worker needs basic training on crane safety even if they’ll never operate it.

Today, we’re going to go over five important crane safety tips that everyone should abide by to keep everyone else on the site safe. Avoiding accidents also makes sure that the project stays on track and doesn’t waste any materials.

1. Carry Out an Inspection Before Every Use to Ensure Crane Safety

Cranes should be inspected before every use. Doing so helps find any potential issues before they cause serious problems. Not only is it a good practice in its own right, but doing so is one aspect of OSHA crane safety. Regular inspections keep you in compliance with OSHA regulations along with protecting workers.

As workers carry out their inspections, make sure that key components are documented and monitored. This information can be vital if there are any issues during operation. Ideally, workers will be equipped with the right tools that allow them to document and sign off on their inspections.

2. Only Allow Qualified and Certified Workers to Operate Cranes

Operating a crane is not something that should be taken lightly. These machines tower over construction projects and have the potential to wreak havoc if they are not properly operated. As such, you should only allow trained, certified, and qualified workers to operate cranes.

Not only is this a good general rule, but it’s an essential OSHA crane safety regulation. OSHA directly states that only trained and supervised workers should operate cranes. If an accident occurs and the crane was being operated by an unqualified worker, you can expect heavy fines and other penalties. 

3. Never Rush the Project

One of the easiest crane safety tips is to give crane operators ample time to complete the project. Carelessness is a common reason why workplace accidents occur, and nothing causes carelessness faster than a rushed worker. One of the core safety rules when using a crane is to take your time with every task.

Plan the entire project so that crane operators are given time to inspect their equipment thoroughly and carefully operate the crane. It’s the responsibility of management to plan daily operations so that crane operators are never in a rush.

4. Ensure Ground Employees are Clear and Protected

Anyone caught below a crane if an accident occurs could be injured. As such, a vital crane safety tip is to clear the ground of all employees while the crane is in operation. A reasonable perimeter should be established, and everyone onsite should know not to cross the perimeter. Reinforce this crane safety tip every day during the daily safety briefings.

Additionally, ensure that everyone on site is wearing appropriate PPE, even if it seems like they don’t need it where they are. When the crane is operating, everyone should be protected. Every worker should be wearing hard hats, eye protection, and hand protection to protect them from any debris should an accident occur.

5. Review Safety Checklists Before Operation

Safety checklists are valuable tools that remind crane operators of everything they need to know to safely operate the crane. These checklists were once laminated paper, but recent innovations have created digital safety checklists that help ensure compliance. A digital checklist allows for timestamps, pictures, and notes left by the worker that can all be used to help keep you compliant. 

You can greatly minimize the risk of an accident by ensuring that all crane operators are digitally completing safety checklists. Not only does doing so catch any issues before they cause accidents but documenting that checklists are being used daily may be vital after an accident.

Are Your Workers Prepared? monitorQA Makes Crane Safety Easy

How is your company tracking crane safety? A safe construction site is everyone’s responsibility. It’s important that all onsite workers stay aware of the dangers associated with operating a crane. 

monitorQA gives companies a powerful inspection and auditing tool that they can use as they work towards achieving operational excellence.
Are you interested in learning more about how monitorQA can improve crane safety in your workplace? Book a discovery call today to get started!