The radius must be known and should be measured. WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM RADIUS? The radius is defined as the distance between the center of rotation of a crane and the center of gravity of a freely suspended load.Most loads are shipped to the work site by truck the trucking company weight ticket is a good source for weight information.In any case, the load weight is critical and must be known and verified. Many smaller loads can be easily calculated such as a bucket of concrete or a steel beam. WHAT IS THE “VERIFIED” WEIGHT OF THE LOAD? It is not possible to make a safe lift when the weight of the load is not known or verified.The Ten Questions that must be answered include: Or, the crew may need to move the crane a few feet to reduce the radius which significantly improves the capacity and safety of the lift. It has been shown that when a lift plan is required for every lift, the supervisors, operators and riggers catch mistakes before they happen.įor example: The lift could be at a high percent of capacity.
It only takes a few minutes and could prevent a costly accident. Then, require the crane operator to complete it before each and every lift. The ten questions can be converted into a simple lift plan form. This list should be considered as the basics, i.e., a lift plan for standard lifts. There are ten questions that must be answered for any lift. In my experience, the majority of crane accidents result from lifts that are classified as standard when in fact there is nothing standard about any lift. In most cases there is little or no planning – and when things go wrong – accidents result. We don’t do as well on the everyday routine or standard lifts. These major lifts are executed with precision and are successful if the plan is carefully followed. As an industry, we do a great job planning critical and super lifts.
For example, a lifting plan would ensure that the crane is safely deployed and operated, and the lifting crew are clear about their roles and responsibilities.īefore you start any lifting operation, you must prepare the following: A lifting plan provides a systematic approach towards planning a lift and ensures that the lifting operation is properly managed.