Mike Giebler, Technician - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
In today’s industrial environment there is decreasing tolerance for employers and facilities that allow untrained people to operate overhead cranes.
A growing number of states in the United States are beginning to require a license to operate an overhead crane. California, Michigan and Massachusetts require overhead hoist and crane operators to obtain a license in order to operate a hoist or crane. While OSHA has not yet mandated training or licensing of crane operators, the latest ASME revision states that crane operators shall be trained.
A well-structured training course should include both a classroom and a practical portion with an exam at the end to demonstrate the attendee’s knowledge and ability.
What knowledge does a trained operator have that an untrained operator may not possess?
- The ability to estimate a load weight
- The ability to find the center of gravity of a load
- How to properly select rigging and sling protection
- The effect of fleet angles on the capacity of a sling
- How to perform a pre-use inspection of the crane or hoist
- How to perform a pre-use inspection of the rigging gear
- The function of all controls, especially the e-stop
- The ability to smoothly start, stop and land a load
- General awareness of the potential hazards of crane use
Training operators in the safe and effective use of a crane is not only a requirement, but an investment in the safety of employees and the workplace. Training and licensing of crane operators is a good way to keep employees from being harmed through potentially unsafe acts performed by untrained crane operators.
Related resource
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