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There are many calamities that can potentially occur if you a crane operator. You must always observe the most current OSHA standards, and of course good common sense when operating cranes and heavy equipment. John Fink, an experienced property & casualty insurance specialist of over 21 years can attest to this fact.

He sells a considerable amount of crane insurance and advises on crane safety. The kinds of cranes commonly used in the workplace like rough terrain and wheel mounted telescoping boom, hydraulic boom, lattice work boom, tower boom, tower crane, luffing boom, articulated boom, trolley boom, crawler-mounted latticework boom cranes and the list goes on because engineering science is ushering new types of efficient improvements to these systems. However, there are hazards associated with the use of heavy equipment. The most common hazards are; a power line contact where the live power line in contact with the metallic parts of a crane with high voltage power lines. Most power line contacts occur when a crane is moving materials adjacent to or under energized power lines and the hoist boom touches a live power line. Contact also frequently occurs during pick-and-carry operations when loads are being transported under live power lines. Another problem is lifting construction personnel close electrical transmitting lines.

Thus OSHA has some requirements for site managers and operators; when using crane and or equipment near energized power lines of 50,000 volts (50kV) or more, make sure the minimum distance between the lines and any part of the crane is 10 feet plus 5 inches for each 10kv of 50kv. All of this sounds very complicated but it also very ground common sense when operating around power lines which statistical analysis indicate is a growing cause of crane related deaths in the United States. John Fink can speak at lengths about the financial problems that can impact any size project owner but also the human impact of a lost life and or injured site workers and crane operators. He is a advocate for project owner safety education and the purchase of adequate crane insurance. As John Fink can explain, there is also a significant number of injuries related to cranes falling onto the crane operator and on-site workers near the over-loaded, or improperly assembled crane systems. Both latticework and hydraulic boom cranes are prone to two-blocking. When two-blocking occurs on latticework booms, the hoist line picks up the weight of the boom and lets the pendant guys go slack. Another problem; Often a whip action is created when a crawler crane with a long boom without a load is ?walking? and the headache ball and empty chokers can drift up to the boom tip. Often, while the operator is busy watching the pathway of travel to avoid any rough ground that can violently jerk the crane, he or she does not watch the boom tip. When a hoist line two-blocks, it assumes the weight of the boom and relieves the pin-up guys of the load. Then, if the crane crawler goes over a rock or bump, the fly-pole action of a long boom is sufficient to break the hoist line. The weight of the load plus the weight of the boom on a latticework boom (when combined with a little extra stress when lifting a load) can cause the hoist line to break if two-blocking occurs. The power of the hydraulic rams that extend hydraulic booms is often sufficient to break the hoist line if two-blocking occurs. If operators fail to pay out the load line while extending the boom, the hoist line can be inadvertently broken. If the load line breaks while supporting a worker on a boatswain?s chair or several workers on a floating scaffold or a load above people, an accident can result. When an operator must use two controls, one for the hoist and one for the hydraulic boom extension, the possibility of error is increased. In many circumstances, both latticework and hydraulic boom cranes will two-block when the hook is near the tip and the boom is lowered. Two-blocking incidents can also occur without resulting in total failure, but causing damage that will result in failure at a later time. In conclusion, refer to all OSHA guidelines for safety and do seek adequate crane insurance from John Fink.