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January 16 2015 0Comment
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Why is the proper inspection of overhead cranes significant, and how to do it properly?

In case you have recently installed overhead cranes or gantry cranes in your warehouses and factories, you might not yet be aware of the importance of its proper and timely inspection. Even if you understand why it needs to be done, many such facets, such as the frequency and proper manner of the inspection, which can be passed as qualified personnel for the inspection, can be of concern to you. The article is intended to clarify such doubts and questions that might arise when you think about inspecting your overhead cranes.

Why is it vital that you inspect your overhead crane?

As per OSH guidelines, all active overhead cranes must be inspected annually. The main reason behind such guidelines is that cranes' daily factory usage subjects the crane components to severe wear and tear. This can result in a complete breakdown or a fatal failure that might put the operator and the team in a vulnerable situation. It could then jeopardize the operations being performed through it as well as physical harm the factory and its workers. A proper and timely inspection would help identify potential hazards and avoid such fatal situations and ensure the proper functioning of the crane. A proper inspection can provide the following benefits to the company and its associated people.

  • It is detecting potential areas of hazards beforehand.
  • We are reducing downtime due to any potential unexpected machine failure.
  • I am unearthing any fatal condition which might not be apparent to the operator but might bring safety hazards in the future.
  • Reducing repair costs as it fixes any potential damage before it occurs and impairs the crane heavily.

What is a daily inspection?

While a designated and qualified personnel would be required to perform the annual inspection and routine inspection needs to be performed by the operator daily. This needs to be done every day before and after the crane is being operated. A checklist must be maintained and signed off, ensuring all routine checks are performed. OSH guidelines refer to this daily inspection as a safety check, and it is necessary to avoid factory floor mishaps and malfunctioning.

An overhead crane that needs to be considered while performing a daily inspection is as follows.

  • Any form of deterioration, such as leakages in tanks, valves, drain pumps, etc., must be taken into account and looked out for.
  • All the crane components that function during operation need to be checked for maladjustments that might hinder the operation.
  • Cracks or deformation on hooks and bolts must be visually inspected.
  • Any form of connection such as hoist chains needs to be visually inspected for twists, distortions, wear, and tear.
  • Every working component or mechanism must be inspected for excess wear and tear.
  • Any non-compliance of rope reeving concerning the manufacturer's recommendations must be tended to.

Factors to know before performing a proper inspection

Before one can perform a thorough and effective inspection of an overhead crane, one needs to be aware of a few factors or aspects concerning it. They are listed below in brief.

  1. The particular items which are to be inspected must be identified beforehand.
  2. The proper manner of usage of the crane's particular components must be known while inspecting the crane.
  3. The inspection procedure has to be documented properly for perusal and further analysis requirements.
  4. The lockout or tag-out procedures of the inspection must be ascertained beforehand.
  5. The contact person we need to connect with if anything goes wrong and requires repairing or servicing.
  6. Any extra information provided in the operational manual must be given a read and paid heed to.

Who can be deemed as qualified to perform the crane inspection?

CMAA (Crane Manufacturer's Association of America) dictates that a crane inspector must have a cumulative field experience of at least 2,000 hours relating to the functional testing, maintenance, servicing, repairing of cranes and the associated hoist equipment.

It further states that no individual must be allowed to perform any form of crane inspection if they are devoid of any appropriate training and subsequent knowledge of the regulations and codes of the concerned equipment. Formal training is required in the following aspects to be eligible for performing an inspection.

  • Basic understanding of report writing and related documentation.
  • Thorough knowledge of cranes and hoist equipment and its associated terminology so that he or she can effectively communicate.
  • Safety and design regulations relating to overhead cranes.
  • Local, State and Federal standards and codes must be adhered to.
  • Safe and Best practices of the opening of hoists and cranes.

Proper Crane Inspection Amplifies Efficiency And Workplace Safety

In the production or process-based Ecosystems, Cranes constitute one of the critical components. It keeps serving manifold purposes and functions, contributing to organizational productivity and efficiency. Thus, appropriate maintenance of cranes becomes inevitable. In that regard, Proper crane inspection is unavoidable and not a matter of choice. Reasonable inspection in regular intervals ensures that the crane stays in perfect working conditions. Thus, organizations can ensure adequate safety to the workforce, and most importantly, optimize productivity, helping businesses enhance their revenues and profits. Therefore, you must take up regular inspection schedules that will produce manifold benefits to your organization.

Regular inspection points out the issues with the cranes that are likely to come up. 

Prevention Is always better than cure. If you are operating without regular inspection, you are ought to experience the crane going to downtime all of a sudden. On the other hand, when you keep inspecting the crane regularly, you can identify the possible issues early, and consequently, you can address these threats before the problems intensify. Thus, you can optimize the productivity that helps you to run your business with higher profitability.

You can escape the threats of workplace accidents and injuries.

Workplace injuries and accidents come as a significant challenge for productivity and efficiency. It even compels an organization to incur extravagant unproductive expenses in paying compensation to the victims. In that regard, regular crane inspection can make a significant contribution to nullify these threats. Thus, you can escape the dangers of incurring these costs, and you can focus more on optimizing the output that makes your business all the more competitive.

From the perspective of Human Resources, it will enable you to display more care to the workforce. It helps you show a healthy respect for your crew that will boost their engagement with the organization. It is only a pool of engaged and committed workforce that can take the organization to the next level of success.

You can escape the threats of direct and indirect productivity losses. 

When you are regular with the inspection schedules, the maintenance activities become the best. Appropriate maintenance helps in keeping the crane in perfect working condition. It allows you to combat the wear and tear and support the machine to perform to its full capacity. It will significantly enhance productivity and bring efficiency. Most importantly, you can escape the threats of direct and indirect productivity losses due to downtime.

Regular inspection helps you to escape the massive repairing and replacement needs. 

Organizations end up incurring significant expenses in massive repair and replacement activities. These instances escalate the unproductive costs that eat away a substantial portion of the business revenues. Considering the intense competition in the business domain these days, you cannot afford it to happen if you have to keep your business competitive. Regular and appropriate inspection is the only way to escape these threats. The periodic review helps you detect the problems early and is still in the nascent stage. Thus, you can manage things better, and you can overcome the possible threats with minor repairs and replacements. In other words, it helps you to safeguard your business revenues from getting eaten away.

Appropriate inspection enhances the lifetime of the crane. 

You require investing an extravagant amount in buying and installing a crane. With regular use, wear and tear are obvious to come up. Thus, the lifetime of the crane is likely to drop down significantly. How to combat this threat? The only way is to keep inspecting the crane from time to time. It will help you to overcome the possible dangers, extending the lifetime of the machine significantly. Thus, you get the best value on your investment.

It is a compulsion for Quality Management. 

As a professionally managed organization, you must be following the global quality management guidelines. Regular and appropriate crane inspection is a compulsion in that regard as well. If you are not complying with this compliance, your accreditation will likely be withdrawn. Thus, proper and regular crane inspection is never a matter of choice. Instead, it is a compulsion if you have to keep your business competitive

Speaking about the inspection activities, you must engage skilled and experienced inspectors to conduct these assignments. Their expertise and experience will make the inspection fruitful, helping you to escape the unsolicited instances. You may see recommendations from reliable people to find the best Crane inspection companies. Alternatively, you can refer to the review sites and hire the parties with the best reviews. With these providers, you can expect the best services at the most competitive rates.

The question is, how frequently should you keep inspecting the cranes. Well, it has to be informed about decision making. Cranes that perform heavy duties, or keep working for long hours, demands more frequent inspection. On the other hand, you must comply with the guideline set by the crane manufacturer. Again, it is a compulsion to comply with the Quality Management guidelines that lay down clear direction about the frequency in inspecting the cranes. It will ensure that the crane serves your business in the best manner.

Conclusion

If the overhead cranes you are planning to operate has been inactive for over a period of 30 – 180 days, the cranes have to go through a complete inspection according to the points applicable. If the crane has been inactive for more than six months, then both complete and periodic inspections have to be performed before it can be deemed fit for usage. An effective inspection is imperative in ensuring optimum working of the overhead crane as well as to avoid any impending hazard at the workplace.