Tag Archive: OSHA

1. Why Crane Inspections Are Crucial

   July 4, 2024 7:45 am Leave a Comment

   

   Safety is a main concern on any job site. At American Crane & Equipment Corporation, we understand the importance of maintaining the highest safety standards to protect your team and equipment. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), regular crane inspections and maintenance are essential to prevent worksite accidents and ensure optimal performance. Keep reading to find out why crane inspections are so crucial.

   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.

2. 6 Tips for Increasing Crane Safety in Your Facility

   April 20, 2016 2:13 pm Leave a Comment

   Over the past 50 years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) specifications for crane safety have remained relatively unchanged. To begin enhancing the training and safety opportunities in the overhead lifting industry, OSHA has recently renewed a five-year alliance with the Crane, Hoist and Monorail Alliance (CHM).

   The partnership demonstrates OSHA’s confidence in CHM as a trusted resource in an ongoing effort to increase workers’ safety. In a recent EHS Today article, OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels said, “Our alliance with CHM has been invaluable in helping to reduce and prevent serious or fatal incidents in the material handling industry.”

   To follow the example that these industry leaders have set, here are six ways that you can increase crane safety within your own facility:

   1. Create Accountability with Your Inspection — Develop written guidelines for your crane and hoist inspection and maintenance programs; implement this code to train every operator on proper crane equipment use and safety protocol.
   2. Schedule Your Inspections — Create a pre-planned schedule to stay on top of equipment functionality through preventative maintenance. Having a schedule will help to avert any breakdown repairs by ensuring that your equipment always meets the necessary safety requirements.
   3. Read the Manual — It may sound silly, but it is crucial that every operator has read the manufacturers’ operation manuals. Implementing this practice will add an extra level of protection at your facility.
   4. Conduct Pre-Shift Inspections — Crane operators should understand the applicable OSHA, national, state, and local inspection requirements for their machinery and ensure that all products are in compliance with these specifications at the start of each shift.
   5. Implement a Lockout/Tagout Procedure — Lockout procedures safeguard employees by cutting equipment off from the energy source before any maintenance work. This precaution helps prevent accidental or unexpected operation from stored energy, as well as the resulting risk of injury.
   6. Know Your Equipment’s Limits — Employees should always be aware of crane load limits as well as the capacities of each payload.

   By taking these simple precautions, you can increase everyday workplace safety for your operators. To learn more about how to increase crane safety in your facility, we invite you to download our maintenance troubleshooting guide, “What Your Cranes Wish You Knew.”
   
   
   

3. Join Our November Food Drive

   November 4, 2015 9:15 am Leave a Comment

   Thanksgiving Campaign Will Benefit Greater Berks Food Bank

   The community we call home is important to us at American Crane, and we love getting the chance to give back. This November, we’re launching a campaign with the Greater Berks Food Bank to help feed hungry families for the holidays.

   With every parts order placed during the month of November, the American Crane team will donate a can of food to the charity. Donations support their full network of programs, including providing healthy meals, emergency food supplies, a food pantry, as well as specific initiatives for youth and seniors in need.

   The Greater Berks Food Bank has supported our area since 1983, and is dedicated to feeding over 60,000 people each year. Without food donations this organization would not be able to accomplish their mission.

   With 40,000 standard cranes and hoists, rigging items, trolleys, lifting devices, spare parts and specialized products in our online store, there are plenty of ways to pitch in and help. Even specialized hoist orders contribute to the effort, including:

   • CM Man Guard Electric Chain Hoist
   • Coffing JLC Electric Chain Hoist
   • Coffing LHH Hand Chain Hoist
   • CM Hurricane Hand Chain Hoist
   • And more!

   American Crane’s online parts store offers a vast inventory to support heavy lifting needs in a variety of industries. Standard and customized hoists, cranes and material handling solutions are just the beginning of their 80,000 piece catalogue.

   For special projects and needs beyond the standard catalogues, our Service and Parts Department provides load testing, retrofit, product support, outage support, and upgrades, OSHA and other inspections, spare parts and custom fabrications.

   Check out our online store now, or submit a request for more information on your custom order. If you’d like to get involved directly with our friends at the Greater Berks Food Bank, learn more about what they do at www.berksfoodbank.org. Cheers to the holiday season!