Thursday, March 5, 2015

Increase Equipment Reliability With Tower Crane Inspections

By Leslie Ball


Handling of cranes is one thing that can pose risks when things are not done the right way. Operators, employees, cranes owners, contractors, and other people involved in use of such equipment all have a duty to accomplish when it comes to maintenance, safety, inspections, set ups, and other aspects pertaining to use of crane equipment. Seeking help of technicians qualified in tower crane inspections Tennessee is not only a legal requirement but also a sound decision by cranes owners and users.

The mechanical problems can cause break downs of tower cranes or accidents. Loads being hauled up or lifted could detach from the slings, hooks, or hoists and crash down causing extensive damages. If there are people around the areas, they could be injured seriously. Disasters in cranes operating areas may also be contributed by people who work in those locations.

The weight of the load, the angle that the boom takes, and the radius or the distance from the rotation center to the load center, as well as the center of gravity are aspects that determine stability of mobile cranes. These are elements that will interrelate to create stability in cranes and they should be evaluated properly by operators of cranes and the inspectors.

Whenever there is an issue with these aspects, it may create instability, which could result to malfunction, wear of parts, or accidents. The stability may also be determined by the condition of loading or lifting. If the load moment excessively acts to overturn the machine and the resist moment is overwhelmed, this could result to overturning of the crane thus causing an accident.

A comprehensive inspection is done periodically and by experienced technicians. The services of professional and certified inspectors should be sought by cranes owners to ensure that the machines undergo thorough inspections and the environment they operate is evaluated comprehensively. Detailed checkups, load testing, strength evaluation, and stability issues should be checked by the professionals.

Ahead of operators of cranes beginning their shifts, they should do a quick examination of sensitive parts of cranes. The slings, hoists, boom, wire ropes, bolts, nuts, balance, stability, and hydraulic parts have to be examined properly. Operators can check for things that could trigger accidents in cranes such as corroded bots and nuts, twisted wire ropes, worn out slings, and other things that are not in order including balance and stability of such cranes.

The operators should never exceed the weight of load or what is termed as the rated load even under what operating conditions. There are times when huge amounts of loads have to be lifted and this can tempt operators to take large loads at one time. This may be a big mistake that could be disastrous and damaging.

Cranes companies are supposed to select inspectors who are qualified. Identifying the right inspectors can help greatly in finding trouble with cranes. The safety of cranes operations largely depends on how often and thoroughly they are inspected and the actions taken thereafter. Inspectors can provide the best accurate details on flaws discovered in cranes but if preventive maintenance or repairs and replacement are not provided, it may be another flaw.




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