FEATURE | SAFETY
is entirely free of obstructions for its overhead travelling cranes; walls, pillars, fixed machinery have to be manoeuvred around. One hopes that the routes of travel are free of people also: one of the most elementary rules of safe lifting is ‘Do not have anybody standing or walking underneath the load.’ Restricted travel areas, also known
as ‘no-fly zones’ can be set digitally, so that the crane will not move its load close to obstructions and walking routes. Simple limit switches will restrict trolley movements to rectangular zones; digital laser and encoder devices can accommodate more complex boundaries. Related to no-fly zones is anti-collision
technology, for situations where, for example, two or more cranes operate in the same area; sensors ‘tell’ each crane where the other is, and prevent them from trying to occupy the same space. Had these technologies been installed
in the fourth of our opening examples, where a C-hook struck a piece of machinery making its coil fall off the hook, would the fatality still have occurred? In the absence of further information,
one would be very strongly tempted to answer ‘No, it would not have. The employee would still be alive.’
At 5:38 p.m. on November 9, 2023, an employee was pre-staging a panel die that weighed 88.8 tons for a press machine. He moved the die while standing between two dies with an overhead crane. The die tilted because the crane was not centred over the die. The die moved towards him and pinned him between it and another die in storage. He died from his injuries of traumatic asphyxia at the scene.
Nor should expense be a consideration in installing such technology. There is no need to replace existing, pre-digital, overhead cranes if they are still in good condition; retrofitting of digital sensors and controls is almost always an option. In the UK, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 require that all lifting equipment used at work is inspected by a competent person at least every 12 months (six months if it is used to carry people. Accessories also must be inspected every six months.) The inspection must be done by a ‘competent person’. The term ‘competent person’ is not defined in law but the LOLER Approved Code of Practice and guidance (Paragraph 296 on ‘competent persons’) states that: ‘You should ensure that the person carrying out a thorough examination has
such appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined as will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the lifting equipment.’ The competent person is often
employed by an outside organisation. This is not essential as long as they are ‘sufficiently independent and impartial to ensure that in-house examinations are made without fear or favour.’ However, this should not be the same person who undertakes routine maintenance of the equipment - as they would then be responsible for assessing their own maintenance work. Records must be kept of all inspections.
HSE point out that this ‘thorough inspection’ is NOT the same as ‘routine
CRANE STRIKES SCISSOR LIFT, FRACTURES SKULL
36 | October 2024 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
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