Ok, so the headline is a bit off-putting to anyone who operates a crane. But during our time showing companies how to better use their knuckle boom HIAB crane, we have seen many “interesting” outrigger pads that we will not allow to be used during our training. In Alberta, this is what OH&S says: “Despite section 88, an employer must ensure that a mobile crane equipped with outriggers is set up with the outriggers on load-bearing floats or pads that are of adequate size, strength and rigidity.” What we see: 2×4 lumber with long bolts holding it all together – WRONG (bolts will bend and 2×4’s will deteriorate quickly) 18″ x 18″ x 1″ plastic pads that are now “cupped”
Crane Outrigger Pads – Do You Need Them?
And so it goes, another crane “incident” that could have been prevented. This crane was unloading not only too close to the embankment, but did not use outrigger pads. Too much pressure on the crane outrigger leg “shoe” ended up punching a hole through the pavement and the ground beneath it was far too soft to continue to support the crane, extended boom and weight at the end of the boom, resulting in substantial damage to crane truck and surrounding area. TOTALLY PREVENTABLE. We provide a full range of outrigger pads to choose from. Why wood outrigger pads? Here is why: Far less expensive and renewable (yes good for the environment) 18″ x 18″ is the smallest we recommend (yes
Where’s The Line – Does This Really Work?
We’ve been HUGE advocates of line safety, we are a dealer for the SigAlarm High Voltage proximity alert systems not simply because we wanted a product line, but simply because more people need to stay away from over head power lines. I know that is the obvious statement, however it’s not that obvious. We see the messages, the advertisements of “where’s the line”, the meaning is good, the delivery…not so much so it seems. One recent training we did, one of the students brought up a very valid point, “we are bombarded with safety stuff all day, we become desensitised to the posters” even tho they have a very strong safety culture. Far too many people’s lives are forever altered
HIAB Crane Training & Certification in Alberta
We understand and recognize that HIAB cranes are one of the more popular brand of ‘pickers’ in the market for good reason. Our training does not recognize one brand over another, it recognizes that ALL brands of knuckle boom cranes are good, it becomes the operator who starts to take chances running the crane improperly, whether it’s in the Alberta Oil patch, Saskatchewan’s Potash Mines or any other area where knuckle pickers have proven themselves to be the right product for the application. In the past, companies relied on the crane dealer to do a ‘hand-over’ to the end user, showing them the basics on the knuckle boom crane. It was mainly by sheer luck on the part of the
Is It That Important to Know How Much You Are Lifting?
Does it really matter how much weight you are picking with your crane, so long as the safety systems are working and with knuckle pickers, they will stop when the crane becomes ‘overloaded’ anyway right? Well, usually they do, it’s built into the mechanics of the crane on HIAB, Palfinger, Fassi, etc, they all have a form of ‘overload’ protection built into them for your safety. In spite of how protected you feel you may be, independent testing has found out that many small picker units will exceed the stability of the truck before you reach maximum reach/capacity. Meaning simply that your operator really doesn’t get full use of the crane or capacity before it begins to tip over, and
Power Line Strikes ~ Is it possible to avoid on the job site?
As much as this seems fairly straight forward, it’s not always possible. On many lease, construction and commercial sites involving large equipment, many times we see the identifying line to show “danger, overhead power lines” marked well in advance (usually when equipment crosses underneath it’s at a minimum of 3m away), for clearance purposes. When I train with companies, I always ask, what is the travel height of the vehicle you are driving (doesn’t have to be the crane truck), and most drivers have no idea. Why not take the time to put it on the dash? Sadly, in this photo to the left, the operator did not survive, and yes I get that people say “He/She should have never