Sometimes it’s best not to make the 5 o’clock news. When you’re an established, national company, like Manson Construction Co., you make quality crane inspection a top priority.
“We work on high-risk, high-profile jobs,” said Shawn Hillis, vice president and equipment manager of Manson. “The last thing we want to do is to have someone hurt by our equipment.”
Nationally accredited inspectors who are aware of special considerations for specific locations and situations ensure that cranes receive thorough, accurate inspections.
“It is up to us to maintain and operate the cranes in a safe manner,” Hillis said. “We look to Arxcis Inc. to provide oversight and recommendations on how we can continue to improve in this endeavor.”
Experience and Collaboration Produce Quality
Experienced inspectors examine hundreds of cranes every year. They also collaborate with all of the different people in the process to make sure that cranes meet the highest safety standards.
If Arxcis inspectors come across something new, they consult with each other, crane operators, parts and service suppliers and manufacturers to ensure nothing is overlooked during the examination. They also work closely with state and federal officials, military bases and other industries to meet all compliance standards and create the proper paper trail.
This thorough review ensures that cranes meet the highest specifications on projects, like Manson’s work along with two other contractors on the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco. Manson’s main portion of the project involved the pier foundations that support the road structure, driving sheet pile cells, cell excavation and pile driving. Arxcis inspected the cranes on Manson’s Derricks Vasa, Derrick 24, Derrick Haakon and the many barges and tugs.
“Arxcis did all of our inspections and load testing on these machines, verifying that the machines were OSHA compliant,” Hillis said. “They accomplished this with thorough examination of the cranes’ structure, boom and tackle. Operational tests were conducted along with 10 percent overload testing.”
Regular Inspections
Promote Safety
Regular inspections help ensure safe equipment and prevent accidents. When inspectors review a crane that has not been certified by a third party in a while, the list of things that need to be fixed is quite long compared to a crane that has been inspected on an annual basis.
Not only can skipping checkups lead to unsafe machinery, but also it can lead to many OSHA citations. If OSHA conducts an inspection, the company could be cited for not having the proper certification and for each unsafe item it finds. These items could include a missing safety latch, missing warning labels or something more dangerous such as a fatigued hoist line or other damages to the crane.
In the worst case scenario, an injury or fatality leads to an investigation. In this situation, expensive lawsuits follow the citations. The cost of the litigation can many times dwarf the expense of the citations.
Sources of Inspection Standards
All cranes used in shipyards, maritime and long shoring need to comply with OSHA inspection standards and must be certified by an OSHA-certified inspection company. Many companies and private contractors require current inspection records for cranes on their work sites.
Some states have special certification programs. For instance, in California and Washington, certain companies are accredited to do shore-based crane inspections. Washington also is expected to pass legislation requiring all cranes used in construction to be certified by inspectors accredited by the state.
Another source of inspection standards is the military. Most cranes that go onto military bases must be certified by an inspector accredited by the base. And the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) also has standards for the equipment. These standards apply to manufacturers, owners, renters and users.
Inspections for Different
Locations and Situations
Basic inspection standards don’t vary drastically between locations. But skilled inspectors will adapt their work to the environmental variables. If a crane is used in harsher environments or has high-cycle use, then that is taken into consideration during the inspection. The periodic inspection of high-use machines also must happen more often, and records need to be kept of each inspection.
Arxcis inspected the cranes on Manson’s Derrick Viking and Dump Barge Southport that were used for dredging 300,000 cu. yds. (229,000 cu m) of infill from the face of the Anchorage Ship Berthing Facility. The inspection of this equipment used in Alaska varies from Arxcis’ inspection of Mason’s Derrick Wotan used in the Gulf of Mexico for driving pile and placing exploratory jackets for oil test drilling.
There are some slight variations in inspection standards and requirements in different places. In Washington state, all shore-based maritime cranes require anti-two-block devices, whereas these devices are only normally required on cranes used to hoist people.
Also, laws evolve with improved safety technology. And in some locations, load moment indicators may be required on new cranes, even though older cranes are still exempt.
When companies move equipment to different parts of the country or the world, they need to address language barriers. The crane’s safety labels, operator’s manual and measuring systems must be understood by the operator and the others working around the equipment. This translation relates to written words and measurements, such as having the radius on the boom in meters instead of feet.
Different types of use also require different inspections. For example, a crawler crane that works on construction sites receives one type of certification. If it is moved to a shipyard, it will need another type of certification. If it then goes onto a barge for dredging or driving piles, then it will need the appropriate certification for cranes and vessels.
The key is to work with inspectors who are acutely aware of the various requirements in different locations and situations. These professionals use their experience and collaborate with all of the key stakeholders to ensure the highest level of safety — and keep companies out of the headlines.
Kerry Lee can be reached at kerry@arxcis.com. For more information, visit www.arxcis.com.
