Tuesday 24 March 2015

Safety Precautions When Handling Tower Cranes

By Leslie Ball


It is common to find tower cranes being used at constructions sites. These machines help to lift heavy loads to the desired levels efficiently. While they add convenience to the operations, they also pose risks to the people on location and other property. The risks can be reduced if precautions are observed by all concerned. Apart from destruction of property, accidents from refurb rough terrain crane can result in the loss of lives. The company handling the project may be forced to compensate those who have been affected by the accident.

The people who are hired to operate the cranes and other equipment on site should have the necessary skills. When being hired, they should produce certificates of their training as proof that they have the required skills. In some places, such people are expected to be approved and certified by government authorities.

All the activities on location should be coordinated very well. For this to happen, there should be a central source of all instructions. The person entrusted with this should observe all the activities and give instructions as expected. If there is no coordination, collisions will occur out of confusion. It is the duty of the supervisor to ensure all the activities are well coordinated. The workers should get instructions from the supervisor.

It is very important to ensure all the equipment and other resources on location are in the right working condition. Unless there is someone on site with the required skills, expert inspection services may be hired. The experts when hired will inspect the whole project and identify risk areas. They will also provide suggestions they feel are needed to improve safety.

Workers on site should be made aware of what they need to do in order to avoid accidents when they are at work. This may require taking them for training when necessary. All workers on location should wear appropriate gear as specified by the supervisors. Proper lighting should be provided if work has to continue at night or when visibility is poor.

Crane operations involve adhering to a particular set of instructions. The operation procedures may change according to work demands. When this happens, the workers should be retrained to ensure they have all the skills they require to execute their duties properly. New employees have to be introduced to the expected procedures to ensure they understand them fully.

There are many causes of accidents during a construction project. One of the causes is the use of faulty equipment. All the machines should be taken for inspection regularly. This helps to identify faults in them that might lead to more serious problems. When the defects are identified and addressed in good time, the operations of the project will not be affected.

Falling objects can cause serious injuries or damage to property. When hoisting any items, they must be secured well to ensure they do not fall off. Apart from causing injuries to people, falling objects can cause serious damage to other properties on the site. Workers on site should be alert for any risks and inform the managers to take appropriate action.




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