CRANES, LIFTING EQUIPMENT & WINCHES A Bespoke Approach to Crane Safety Systems
Cranes are often regarded as the main artery of an offshore platform with these vital pieces of equipment used for lifting essential supplies to the platform. Disruption to crane operations can impact heavily on other activities and failures can also have severe consequences for the asset and personnel on board.
Crane safety systems play a critical role in reliable lifting operations however they are not expected to be used daily. As a result, it can be difficult to predict if the system will fail to activate so effective testing procedures are required.
Design For Safety For safe crane operations to be assured, it’s vital that operators understand the systems they are working with. One of the most important aspects is identifying potential failures. If this isn’t explored, there is a danger in assuming the safety limits will work regardless.
In cases where Sparrows has identified cranes are at risk, new safety systems have been designed and developed, with maintenance routines and testing procedures also amended to reflect the changes. This provides assurance of the equipment’s ongoing integrity. When making modifications, it’s essential to document them as no two cranes are the same, even across manufacturers. Often, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have a standard model of crane and provide a generic manual. However, when the crane is purchased it is manufactured to the owners’ specifications which can differ from the OEM basic machine.
Testing The Limits Once it’s understood how the safety system is designed to work and any failures that might occur, a testing regime
can be developed. Although checklists establish that the crane operator should test limits, they often don’t define the parameters to ensure the system is working correctly.
Ensuring the test process is simple is also crucial. For instance, markings can be used on the platform deck for assessing the boom limits at various radius’. The operator can boom up, ensuring that when the limit activates, the hook block is within the square on the deck. This provides a clear indication if the limit has worked in the right place and if not, it identifies an issue and that calibration is required.
A Bespoke Approach To Safety Different cranes require different testing approaches. Doing a full function test on an overload system could potentially put a crane at risk, so consideration should be given to an appropriate simulated assessment. This could be carried out by putting a test curve in the rated capacity indicator which will act like a load multiplier. The crane can then lift a load which is within its limits, but the control system thinks that it’s being overloaded and activates the protection system. This effectively demonstrates the safety system works without any stresses being applied to the crane.
There are hundreds of cranes operating in the North Sea and each is unique which makes a standard approach to safety testing unrealistic. Understanding the individual crane, and what systems it already has in place, are the first steps to developing a suitable and reliable testing regime. This ensures the long-term integrity of safety systems is assured.
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www.sosmagazine.biz November 2019
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