Crane Rentals: Hazards That Come With Using A Crane

When you rent a crane from the crane rentals you should know that there are plenty of hazards that come with using it. Read about the most common hazards and how you can prevent them from coming about.

Structural failure

This comes about when the crane is poorly maintained. When you rent a poorly maintained crane, it’s bound to develop issues at your work site. A crane is also likely to develop the issues when you load it a heavier load than its supposed to carry.

For you to prevent the machine from developing issues on the work site, you should be extra cautious when renting it. Before you make a decision, take time to inspect the machine and determine whether it’s in top condition. As rule of thumb, don’t rent a crane that isn’t in good condition as it will develop problems on the site.

In addition to the unit setting you back in your project, you also stand to spend a lot of money to hire another crane. This is common when you rent the malfunctioning unit from a small company with only a single crane.

In addition to thoroughly inspecting the crane before hiring it, you also should ensure that you always load it the right amount of weight. You should never load it more than it can carry.

Finally, regularly undertake crane inspection at the site. Before you do any work, let an experienced professional inspect the crane and if it has any issues, refrain from using it.

Overturning or collapse of the crane

A crane will overturn or collapse due to many reasons. The most common ones being:

  • Insufficient counterweight
  • Inadequate set up due to poor ground conditions
  • High wind conditions

Overloading of the crane

For you to prevent the crane from overturning, you should carefully compare the ground bearing capacity with the maximum pressure that the crane will apply to the ground during the lift.

When you are using a mobile crane, make use of outriggers that will increase stability during the lift.

When planning how you will lift the load, you should be cautious of the environmental conditions. As rule of thumb carefully assess them and ensure that they are right for lifting.

Collision with people

The crane will collide on people when there is insufficient clearance between the crane and pedestrian traffic routes. In addition to causing serious injury, the crane can also cause death when it comes into contact with a person.

For you to prevent the issue from coming about, you should ensure that there is enough space for pedestrians. You also should consider creating an exclusion zone around the work area. This is to prevent people from entering the work zone.

Falling objects

Objects will fall from the crane due to a number of reasons that include:

  • Use of improper rigging materials
  • Insufficient clearance
  • Overloading the crane

You need to do all the right things that will prevent the objects from falling off the crane. As rule of thumb, leave enough clearance for the object. You also should use the right, high-quality rigging materials.

To prevent accidents from coming about at the site, create an exclusion zone that stops people from entering the work zone.

Crane safety tips

For you to prevent accidents and even deaths at the work site, you need to consider crane safety tips. Some of the tips to consider include:

Proper training of employees: Before anyone can work on the site, take time to train them on how to handle the machines and the rigging equipment they will be using. You can handle the trainings by yourself or hire a professional company to help you out.

Wear protective gear all the time: Plenty of accidents have been reported as the workers are hurt due to their failure to wear the right protective equipment. To reduce accidents on the work site, ensure that all the workers wear the right foot, head, eye, and if necessary, hearing protection.

Hire the right machine: You might be cautious with your workers but if the crane is faulty, you will have accidents on your work site. When looking for a crane for rent VA, always ensure that you rent a properly maintained machine that will go for a long time without developing issues.