All-in Safety
Responsibility for safety ranges from the manufacturer, to the buyers, site supervisors and work crew.
Safety should always be the No. 1 priority on a jobsite. That mentality ensures each task is done in a way that is safe for the equipment operators and ground crews doing the work, and it safeguards anyone nearby.
The responsibility for safety is often thought to fall most heavily on the equipment operator and work crew, but supervisors, equipment buyers and manufacturers also share the obligation. The safety mindset is critical to all—from the manufacturer, who designs and builds a quality product; to the buyer, who selects the best equipment for the job; to the supervisor, who plans and oversees a safe work site; and the operator, who carries out safe work practices.
Responsibilities of the OEM
Responsible manufacturers encourage their employees to think about safety as they design and build equipment. They consider the conditions on the jobsites, where it will work, the operators who will use it and other factors with unique implications like weather and geography to make equipment that is as safe as reasonably possible. They also look to improve their products by innovating new equipment and technologies to make the jobsite safer.
Load moment indicators (LMI), for example, have been enhancing jobsite safety for years. New technologies have made these systems increasingly accurate and user friendly. Advancements in LMI technology have paved the way for applications like Altec’s radio remote control with load moment and area protection (LMAP) display.
The portable remote control shows a crane operator the same information he or she would see in the cab, so a crane can be run from the ground or an elevated position. The information displayed on the radio remote increases the operator’s situational awareness, thereby improving overall jobsite safety, productivity and operator convenience.
With safety in mind, manufacturers look to those intimate with the equipment to better understand the environment and how it is used. Fleet managers, operators and foremen have a unique and important outlook on the work and the equipment required to get the job done. A little goes a long way in this regard, and many manufacturers see the value in approaching the task of equipment safety from different angles. In some cases, it is not a new technology that paves the way for developments in safety, but rather a new approach.
Products commonly accepted in the workplace are not always the best or safest way to accomplish a specific task. For example, the traditional, stand-up boom truck has a control station on each side of the pedestal, allowing work from either the curb side or street side. This traditional setup can inhibit access to the bed by requiring operators to exit the control station and climb down a set of steps to ground level, then climb up another set to reach the truck deck. Altec’s walk-through control stands let the operator step directly from the control platform onto the deck, improving safety.
Equipment Use
New technology and approaches are two avenues toward enhancing safety. Is there a third? Yes. There is also a fourth, fifth, and some would say an infinite number of ways to improve safety.
“How is the equipment used?” is another example. It’s looking at the common applications and trying to understand how the work might be done more safely.
That thinking could lead someone down many paths, as described previously (new technologies, a new way of looking at things, etc.). Another path would be to question whether the company or owner-operator is using the right piece of equipment. That is exactly the thinking that brought forth one of the most significant changes in truck-mounted telescopic-boom equipment during recent years: dual-rated units.
When personnel are lifted and positioned at height, OSHA calls for the use of an aerial device or similar conventional means of reaching the work area.
OSHA recognizes dual-rated units as multi-purpose machines that, based on setup and configuration, can comply with both the ASME B30.5 mobile crane standard and the ANSI A92.2 aerial lift standard.
That means an operator can use the multi-purpose machine as a crane to move a suspended load of more than 2,000 lbs., and then reconfigure the unit to position personnel for elevated platform work, such as de-energized transmission construction.
Dual-rated equipment gives users a standards-compliant way to perform both tasks: moving loads of more than 2,000 lbs. as a crane with a certified operator and positioning personnel as an aerial device.
A Buyer’s Role in Safety
Buyers assume a tremendous amount of responsibility when purchasing a crane. Beyond choosing a manufacturer, a crane buyer must fully understand what capacity and features will safely accomplish the required tasks. For example, at first glance, an 18-ton boom truck may look suitable for lifting 3,000 lbs. of pre-fab concrete components, but experienced crane users know that type of lift takes more planning and study. A small crane can easily end up near maximum capacity, depending on where the load needs to be moved. Choosing a larger crane may be more expensive, but it would provide an important safety margin that the smaller crane could not.
Crews Also Keep it Safe
When it comes to the day-to-day operation of the crane, safety is in the hands of the operators and crews. Inspecting and testing the unit, planning lifts and anticipating work hazards before each shift are just a few of the tasks operators need to complete. Beyond the basic tests and inspections, operators must be properly trained in using the specific crane they operate.
Phil Doud of Altec Sentry explains: “Even if someone is a certified crane operator, they still need qualification on the manufacturer-specific crane they use. This requires additional training on the characteristics and procedures for that manufacturer’s product.”
At the end of the day, operators and crews are ultimately responsible for safely operating the crane on each and every lift.
Equipment safety depends on everyone in the chain. Manufacturers should create quality products, be it through advanced technology, new ways to accomplish old tasks, or understanding the rules and design standards. Employers are responsible for purchasing a purpose-built unit that fits their company’s work practices. And operators and crews should be well qualified and execute the highest level of safety on the jobsite.
“Safety is not something that comes from others; it comes from all of us working together,” says Josh Chard of Altec Safety. “It’s a culture we create as a team with the goal of getting the work done in the safest, most productive manner. In our industry, this requires high quality, innovative equipment, selected by people who understand the work, maintained and used by qualified workers, with all of us focused on our part in the safety chain.”
Contact Altec Sentry for additional information on safety training.