MAINTENANCE | MANUAL CHAIN HOISTS
scheme, where we sit down with the customer and say, ‘look, what would you like inspected on this?’ Or ‘we would recommend doing this at these periods’.” As an example of what CraneServe
can offer, Simpson refers to one of its customers, a manufacturer. “They have these carriers that are in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he begins. “We’ll drop five out every week and we’ll strip them down, inspect them, relubricate them and put them back into the system. “And we’ll make an examination scheme
where we’ve developed our own reports. It’s basically a check list: have you inspected the bearings, the bushes etc? And then if we do make any repairs, we note them down and report them to the customer. “Obviously, you can do this with any
sort of lifting equipment and maintenance on cranes – as long as there’s a history of what’s being done to that piece of equipment and at what time scale. “If it’s in frequent use and it’s getting hammered 24 hours a day, lifting near a safe working load, you’d probably recommend an examination scheme of every three months or every six months, depending on the equipment and the environment it’s in.” The company also provides training. “I think that’s very important to be
honest. The right training goes a long way,” says Simpson. “I think a lot of operators are very
unaware with what they’re actually looking
RWP “These images are examples of incorrect lubrication in a paper mill,” says Simpson. “Dry lube would be the correct choice for a dusty environment, but the customer used a thick lube, which has made the dust and paper in the atmosphere stick to it. The top sprocket is contaminated with the paper/dust.”
at, and there are a few times where I’ve pointed out something to an operator and they’ve been ‘Oh – I didn’t know that’. “I would probably say get some training, and then get actual pre-use check cards in place as well so that you’ve got an assigned visual there [that confirms] the equipment’s been looked at. Even if it’s a weekly check, a monthly check, daily check, whatever – just as long as it’s getting looked at by somebody who’s got that knowledge and had that training.” Training, says Simpson, would help operators to spot the danger signs early
before they become a safety concern. He says the first thing he would do is start with the hooks and ask whether they are distorted or stretched. Also ask, for example, whether the safety catch is working and engaged properly? Normally, if the hook stretches, the safety catch won’t be engaging and will be “flipping about”. And examine bearings, and the chains, mainly in the saddle of the links. As Simpson says, with any sign of wear in the link, “it’s best to nip it in the bud and get it changed before it gets any worse”. ●
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