Safely Operating Your Rented Crane

Posted on: 22 June 2017

Having access to a crane can make the completion of some construction projects a lot easier. If you don't need a crane for every job, then you may find that renting a crane rather than purchasing one makes more financial sense.

In order to ensure that your intermittent crane use remains safe, here are three tips that you can use to increase crane safety on your construction sites in the future.

1. Create a pre-operation checklist.

When you don't utilize a crane on a daily basis, it can be easy to overlook some important pre-operation actions that can improve the safety of your crane operations. To ensure that your crane use remains as safe as possible, it can be beneficial to create a pre-operation checklist for operators to adhere to.

Be sure to include items like checking the crane's loading chain for signs of twisting or damage, checking for hydraulic leaks that could compromise the crane's function. and checking the ground conditions to ensure it is safe to operate the crane.

2. Carefully calculate the crane's maximum load capacity.

If you are relying on rented cranes to complete vital construction tasks, it's possible you will receive a different piece of equipment each time you rent a crane for a specific job. You should never assume that you know how much the crane can lift.

OSHA estimates that approximately 80% of all crane upsets are the direct result of operators exceeding the recommended maximum load capacity for the piece of equipment. Take the time to carefully calculate your crane's load capacity, and ensure that the materials you lift remain well below the maximum to avoid accidents.

3. Make sure your operators are certified.

Even when all safety measures are followed, the changing conditions on a construction site pose a constant threat to crane safety. As a result, operators need to know exactly what to be watching for in order to prevent serious crane-related accidents.

Having your operators complete the certification process ensures that they will be trained to identify safety hazards and navigate around them in an efficient and safe manner. You should only allow certified operators to sit at the controls of a rented crane if you want to maximize safety on your work site.

Being able to safely operate your bare rental crane ensures that you can quickly and effectively complete any construction project for which a crane is required.

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