Industrial cranes are indispensable for lifting heavy loads, but over time they can suffer from wear and tear, increasing the risk of breakdowns and accidents. To mitigate these risks, OSHA has established comprehensive inspection requirements for cranes under standard 1910.179. These inspections are designed to identify potential issues before they escalate, ensuring both the safety of your workers and the longevity of your equipment.
Types of Crane Inspections
OSHA outlines two main types of crane inspections: frequent and periodic. Each type of inspection serves a specific purpose and follows a different schedule.
Frequent Inspections
Frequent Inspections are conducted daily to monthly, depending on the crane’s usage and operational environment. These inspections focus on critical components that are prone to rapid deterioration or frequent use. Key items on the checklist for frequent inspections include:
Maladjustments affecting the crane’s operation
Deterioration or leaks in hydraulic systems, pumps, lines, valves, or tanks
Deformed or cracked hooks
Defective hoist chains
Faulty wire rope reeving systems
Excessive wear of components
Periodic Inspections
Periodic inspections occur at regular intervals throughout the year, typically monthly to quarterly. These inspections are more thorough and cover components that are less likely to fail suddenly but require regular monitoring. The checklist for periodic inspections includes:
Worn tires
Deterioration of chain drive sprockets
Faulty or unsafe power plants
Wear on brake and clutch systems
Loose bearings or rivets
Deterioration in electrical apparatus, including limit switches, push-button stations, and controller contractors
Overstretched chains
Inaccuracy in indicators
Distorted bearings
American Crane’s Inspection Services
At American Crane, we offer comprehensive crane inspection services to ensure your equipment meets all OSHA standards and regulations. Our certified technicians perform both frequent and periodic inspections, providing detailed reports and recommendations to keep your cranes in top condition.
By partnering with us, you can be confident that your equipment will operate safely and efficiently, minimizing downtime and enhancing productivity. Our service and parts department is equipped to handle all aspects of crane maintenance, ensuring complete compliance with current safety codes.
At American Crane, we are your expert, craftsman, and partner in ensuring the safety and reliability of your material handling equipment. For more information on our crane inspection services or to request a quote, please contact us today.
In an environment where downtime can be a costly setback and safety is non-negotiable, preventative maintenance is not only important but crucial to your equipment and facilities. At American Crane & Equipment Corporation, we understand the importance of routine maintenance and the benefits it brings to your company. In this third installment of our Crane & Hoist Safety Series, we will discuss the top three benefits of preventative maintenance.
Routine maintenance can identify potential issues and prevent them from happening before they result in unexpected downtime that can disrupt workflow and hurt your bottom line. Downtime is one of the most significant costs for businesses. Routine maintenance reduces the risk of unexpected breakdowns, emergency maintenance and expensive repair fees, keeping production running smoothly and on schedule.
Safety
Routine maintenance prevents the risk of onsite injuries by ensuring that everything is working properly and complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Keeping your equipment up to OSHA standards prevents potential violations and fines, which nobody wants to deal with. At ACECO, the most important thing is our people. We understand the importance and value of keeping our team safe and providing them with a safe work environment which is why we have routine maintenance in practice for all equipment and facilities.
Longevity
Properly maintained equipment functions more efficiently, reducing the amount of downtime experienced by companies and supporting a longer-lasting lifespan of equipment. Regular maintenance gives companies the chance to discover minor issues before they turn into major problems that cause widespread harm.
The importance of routine maintenance cannot be overstated. It’s a domino effect that will only harm you if you ignore it and benefit you if you indulge. Taking care of your equipment is taking care of your business. It protects your people, your facility, and your reputation.
Planning for the Future
As times change, so do we. ACECO’s innovation lab is working on a new line of technology that will take preventative maintenance to the next level. Our Machine Health IoT (MHIoT) device will allow you to monitor the operation and health of your crane and other critical industrial equipment from the convenience of your phone. Read more about our new MHIoT device here.
With 24/7 service and customized maintenance plans, ACECO is committed to exceeding your expectations and delivering exceptional service. Contact us today to discover how we can tailor a plan specifically to your needs.
Written by Tom Reardon, Technical Instructor specializing in Hoists and Overhead Cranes for Columbus McKinnon Corporation
Crane owners are increasingly requesting certification to ensure that the individuals inspecting their cranes are fully qualified. To demonstrate their crane inspecting qualifications, many inspectors rely on Specification 78, published by the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), as the most widely accepted industry standard.
Even the most experienced crane technician benefits greatly from getting certified, in ways such as:
Enhanced and Continuing Education: Certification promotes education and continued education for technicians throughout their careers. This leads an employee to be more productive, which can lead to lower costs and better efficiencies.
Reduced Risk of Inspection Oversight: Certification drastically decreases the risk that a technician will miss something during an inspection and creates a safer work environment for all employees involved in crane operation.
Awareness of Industry Updates: As certifications expire, a technician must come back for training to prepare for re-certification. In the process of doing so, they learn about any new changes in safety standards, technical papers, and manufacturers’ recommendations.
What Does Crane Inspection Certification Training Cover?
Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO)’s Crane and Hoist Inspection and Certification training was professionally developed by our full-time training staff. The program, the most comprehensive training course available in the industry today, applies to all brands of cranes and hoists.
Columbus McKinnon certified crane inspectors receive 24 hours of specialized training covering all aspects of cranes and hoists, including suspension, structure, motors, controls, gears, wheels, brakes, testing, and more.
In CMCO’s newly built 3,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art training center, a 20-foot, top-running crane structure allows classes to perform hands-on inspections as they would in the real world. To add another layer of complexity into the practical evaluation of the crane technician, the course instructor intentionally incorporates deficiencies into the crane during the test inspection.
By the end of the course, a CMCO certified technician is knowledgeable of OSHA regulations, familiar with all pertinent ASME standards, and has passed a challenging written examination. Inspectors certified by Columbus McKinnon meet — and often even exceed — the requirements of CMAA Specification 78.
Many of our Channel Partners, like American Crane & Equipment Corporation, have taken advantage of CMCO’s Crane and Hoist Inspection Certification training. By investing considerable time and resources to certify their inspection personnel, American Crane & Equipment Corporation ensures that the inspections their team conducts for customers are thorough, accurate, and honest.
When contracted by material handling clients to build production facilities, construction and engineering procurement construction (EPC) companies play an important role in the client’s overall success.
The design and layout of these facilities impacts the efficiency of and space available for inventory and employees, which has a huge impact on day to day operations. When it comes to manufacturing plant construction, the key to creating the ultimate production center is to optimize space.
Not only do on-floor movers add costs by taking away floor space from inventory movement and storage, but they can also pose safety risks to operators. An innovative way to avoid these risks is to take advantage of the often overlooked ceiling space.
Overhead Lifting Solutions
There are many overhead lifting solutions and custom crane systems available to reduce clutter, enhance crane safety, and increase productivity within manufacturing plants. Overhead lifting systems, such as cranes, monorails, hoists, jibs, bridges, gantries, and trolleys, can all be operated manually, pneumatically, or electrically.
Offering extreme precision and control, each type of overhead system maneuvers loads along three axes to an exact location while minimizing product damage during movement. The automation and built-in technology of these lifts also enables real-time data output on load info and run time, so plant managers always have an eye on production to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
Most importantly, overhead lifting solutions help to prevent work-related injuries by reducing the number of obstacles on the floor and limiting the amount of manual lifting employees must do. These solutions offer the lifting capacity and precision required for high-efficiency production output, by keeping facility floors clear, thereby reducing the need for manual machine operation.
By designing a manufacturing plant with these options in mind, EPC companies can help to create safer, space-optimized production facilities for their clients.
Other Safety & Space-Saving Advantages
If you are interested in learning more about the safety and space-saving advantages of overhead lifting equipment in your facility, we invite you to download a free copy of our guide, The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Overhead Equipment.
As we officially move into the fall season, many people are thinking about the approaching drop in temperatures. But many more changes are underway, though some are more expected than others. Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes can result in power disruption, structural damage, property loss, and more. To combat these issues, government agencies have banded together in support of National Preparedness Month each September. The campaign works to boost awareness of common (and uncommon) disasters and how people can prepare themselves.
But natural disasters aren’t the only emergencies we all must prepare for. Every day, we read reports of equipment failures, warehouse accidents, and other industrial crises. To avert these dangers, American Crane’s Service division works to ensure that equipment is working at its peak. Our technical staff is trained and experienced in evaluating equipment to ensure that it is safe, while identifying any weaknesses or OSHA violations. We then provide a detailed proposal and cost estimate, and work with our customers to complete necessary upgrades and rebuilds. In this way, we help our customers to avoid the worst-case-scenario.
In addition, American Crane is experienced in assisting customers with specific needs, such as planned and unplanned nuclear power plant outage support. We also provide necessary outage support for other industries, including fossil power plants, chemical processing plants, Department of Energy sites, etc.
At American Crane, we work with some of the most recognizable brands in some of the most unpredictable industries. As such, we make it a priority to ensure that our customers are aware of any potential problems that may arise, and are prepared in the case of emergency. Of course, our most important objective is making sure those emergencies never happen, if they’re preventable.
To learn more about American Crane’s Service division, please visit us online. For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit the CDC’s page with quick tips and other materials and links.
Even the most experienced 
Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO)’s Crane and Hoist Inspection and Certification training was professionally developed by our full-time training staff. The program, the most comprehensive training course available in the industry today, applies to all brands of 
But natural disasters aren’t the only emergencies we all must prepare for. Every day, we read reports of equipment failures, warehouse accidents, and other industrial crises. To avert these dangers, American Crane’s Service division works to ensure that equipment is working at its peak. Our technical staff is trained and experienced in evaluating equipment to ensure that it is safe, while identifying any weaknesses or OSHA violations. We then provide a detailed proposal and cost estimate, and work with our customers to complete necessary upgrades and rebuilds. In this way, we help our customers to avoid the worst-case-scenario.