This is a question that had crossed
my mind while trying to come up with an idea to write a presentation for the
CCAA Spring Conference in San Diego. I had an idea in my mind of the answer to
this question. I decided to ask as many people that I could on this subject. I
started with inspectors and then moved on to managers. This is what I found in
my small assesment.
What is the number one component on
an overhead crane that gets missed the most during an inspection?
1.Wire
Rope
2.
Pattern Sheave Wear
3.
Coupling Lubrication
4.
Brake Adjustments
5.
Load Hook Wear
6.
Load Block Cracks and Wear
7.
Wire Rope Terminology
8.
Sheave Wear Under and on Sides of Wire Rope
9.
Wire Rope Wraps on the Drum
10.
Load Chain Wear
11.
Regulations
In the crane industry, how do we
limit the amount of missed discrepancies during an inspection? I believe it can
be done in three ways.
To keep inspectors up with the
latest regulations that tend to change every year, inspectors need refresher
training on the codes at least once a year. They should also be getting
training on various equipment direct from the manufacturer. There are many
hoist manufacturers that provide technical training on their equipment and
components on your site or at the factory. Contact your hoist manufacturer or a
crane
training company to help you with this.
2. Culture
Culture is something that takes a
long time to develop. So if you don't have it in your company now then NOW is a
good time to make that change. To create a culture of safety awareness, and
inspection mindedness it needs to start at the top. Like everything, it will
trickle down to affect everyone. Don't just relay information and tell people
to take inspections seriously. You take it seriously. Talk about inspections at
every safety meeting. Discuss why it is important to you and them. Explain the
consequences of missing components on inspections. Pick a component during the
safety meeting to discuss the proper inspection procedure. Don't just relay the
information but get everyone involved and ask their opinion on it. Make it an
ongoing discussion.
Another key to producing good
inspection results is having the right inspectors out there. Only use
inspectors who have demonstrated a excellent knowledge in the field. They
should have a high amount of field hours. I would say 4,000 hours is a good
amount of time to have under your belt before you become an inspector. Those
hours should consist mostly of troubleshooting and installing crane components.
This will help them greatly when it comes to narrowing something down on a
crane inspection.
When training your personnel you
should refresh them on certain component requirements. Especially on the
components listed above. It is key to keep inspectors up to date on the updated
regulation requirements
Load
Hook
- Discard Load Hook if...
- Throat Opening is stretched 5% or not over 1/4 inch.
- No Degree of twist.
- Saddle Wear of 10% or more`
Wire
Rope- A minimum of two wraps must be on the drum at its lowest point.
- The three parts of the wire rope from largest to smallest is the Core (D), Strand (F), and Wire (E). Always remember that a wire rope with one bad wire is acceptable but a wire rope with one bad strand is not. The wire is the smallest component of the wire rope and it is what makes up the strand.
- Depending on what state you live in you are only allowed a certain number of failed wire rope parts. By OSHA standards you are required to change the wire rope once you have 12 randomly distributed broken wires in one lay or 6 broken wires in one strand of one lay.
·
What is a wire rope lay? A lay is
the distance it takes for the wire rope to make a complete revolution around
the core of the wire rope. In California by CALOSHA standards you are only
allowed 6 randomly distributed broken wires in one pay or 3 broken wires in one
strand of one lay.
There is no point doing an overhead
crane inspection if it is not going to be accurate. To ensure you’re getting an
accurate inspection you need to ensure that you are creating a culture that
takes inspections to a higher level, you need to continually provide training
for
all personnel who will be inspecting the overhead cranes. Start with
something during all your safety meetings about one overhead crane component.
This will help create a culture of mindful inspectors. At the same time if your
information is new and pertinent then it will also keep your inspectors up to
date on all the new codes and regulations.
What do you feel gets missed the
most on overhead crane inspections?
What is a good way to keep your
inspector from preventing these mistakes?
As a crane owner what do you expect
from your inspection company and how do you know your getting a good
inspection?
