Safety and Health Program- Cranes Chapter

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Crane and Hoist Safety

Purpose:

Many types of cranes, hoists, and rigging devices are used at the Company for lifting and moving materials. It is the Company's policy is to maintain a safe workplace for its employees; therefore, it cannot be overemphasized that only qualified and licensed individuals shall operate these devices.

The safety rules and guidance in this chapter apply to all operations at the Company that involve the use of cranes and hoists installed in or attached to buildings and to all Company employees, supplemental labor, and subcontractor personnel who use such devices.

Responsibilities:

Supervisors are responsible for-

· Ensuring that employees under their supervision receive the required training and are certified and licensed to operate the cranes and hoists in their areas.

· Providing training for prospective crane and hoist operators. This training must be conducted by a qualified, designated instructor who is a licensed crane and hoist operator and a full-time employee.

· Evaluating crane and hoist trainees using the Crane Safety Checklist and submitting the Qualification Request Form to the Safety Office to obtain the operator's license.

· Ensuring that hoisting equipment is inspected and tested monthly by a responsible individual and that rigging equipment is inspected annually.

Crane and Hoist Operators are responsible for-

· Operating hoisting equipment safely.

· Conducting functional tests prior to using the equipment.

· Selecting and using rigging equipment appropriately.

· Having a valid operator's license on their person while operating cranes or hoists.

· Participating in the medical certification program, as required.

· Equipment will not be operated within 10 feet of energized electrical transmission lines or distribution lines.

· Ensuring that a fire extinguisher, rated at least 5BC, shall be located in the cab of the crane

Maintenance Department is responsible for-

· Performing annual maintenance and inspection of all Company cranes and hoists that are not covered by a program with maintenance responsibility.

· Conducting periodic and special load tests of cranes and hoists.

· Maintaining written records of inspections and tests, and providing copies of all inspections and test results to facility managers and building coordinators who have cranes and hoists on file.

· Inspecting and load testing cranes and hoists following modification or extensive repairs (e.g., a replaced cable or hook, or structural modification.)

· Scheduling a non-destructive test and inspection for crane and hoist hooks at the time of the periodic load test, and testing and inspecting before use new replacement hooks and other hooks suspected of having been overloaded. The evaluation, inspection, and testing may include, but are not limited to visual, dye penetrant, and magnetic particle techniques referenced in ASME B30.10 (Hooks, Inspection and Testing.)

· Maintaining all manuals for cranes and hoists in a central file for reference.

Safety Department is responsible for-