Importance of Proper Maritime Training for Shipyard Crane Safety

It's estimated that over 95% of the goods the United States imports go through shipyards. Shipyards rely on massive cranes and other mechanized equipment to manage the massive shipments coming in and out of the country.

While there's no denying that cranes are an essential part of any shipyard, they also represent a unique safety problem. That's why investing in proper shipyard crane safety training is vital.

In this guide, we'll explore the problem of crane safety for operators and employers. Then, we'll discuss how training can help save lives while reducing your liability.

What Causes Accidents With Shipyard Cranes?

There are many different ways that shipyard cranes can cause accidents. Perhaps the most common include run-of-the-mill incidents.

Some examples of this would include the boom collapsing, the crane hitting a power line, someone falling off the crane, or the crane dropping its cargo when it's not supposed to. Other times, the crane can cause accidents because of a specific instance.

For example, if the crane was constructed or assembled incorrectly. Or because the crane hasn't been properly maintained.

Another common cause of accidents is a lack of proper training with the crane operator. This can cause them to misuse or overload the crane, which can result in some of the most devastating types of accidents.

Common Crane-Related Injuries

When you hear about a crane-related injury, most of the time, it will be caused by someone being struck by a falling object. Typically, this is caused because the operator overloaded the crane or isn't properly trained in attaching/detaching procedures.

Regardless, it can cause substantial physical trauma, with broken or crushed bones and significant internal injuries. Some of the other types of crane-related injuries include things like:

• Electrocution through contact with a power line
• Getting caught between the crane and another object
• Falling from the crane
• Getting caught or struck by the rigging components of a crane
• The crane overturning on to people or vehicles
• Injuries that occur during maintenance

Sadly, due to the heavy nature of crane cargo, it's not uncommon for many of these injuries to be fatal. Sources have found that there are nearly forty-two crane-related deaths each year.

Who's Held Responsible for Crane Accidents?

Usually, there are multiple parties responsible for safe crane operations. It might be the fault of the crane operator or the company that constructed the equipment.

However, typically, the consequences of a crane accident fall on the project manager and company owner. It's the responsibility of a shipyard to create a good work and safety culture at the worksite.

As such, if it's found that they're cutting corners by not investing in shipyard crane safety training or ignoring crane maintenance schedules, they'll likely bear the brunt of the punishment associated with these accidents.

Operator Training Is Vital

Crane safety begins with the operator. There are numerous regulations, standards, and requirements that are necessary to become a heavy-lifting operator.

In addition, the person controlling the crane needs to be able to identify potential hazards while following all safety guidelines. That's why you must make sure any operators you hire have received the proper type of crane safety training.

Develop Safety Precautions

There should be a variety of safety precautions in place within your shipyard to make sure that both employees and operators are safe. That starts with everyone keeping a safe distance from both the crane and its swinging distance.

PPE equipment, like hard hats, eye protection, steel-toed boots, and high-visibility clothing, should be worn around the crane at all times. When the crane is operational, there should be a variety of warning signs and barriers to protect anyone on the site.

Under no condition should anyone ever stand under a crane while it's carrying cargo. Lastly, everyone should learn the proper hand signals needed to communicate with the crane operator if there's a radio malfunction.

The crane needs to be properly maintained. Never skip an inspection, and make sure your employees know that they should report any potential issues to their manager or supervisor.

Lastly, before ever setting down cargo, your employees need to make sure that the ground is both level and stable enough to support it properly. That way, there's no risk of heavy cargo collapsing on people.

How a Shipyard Crane Safety Course Can Keep Your Employees Safe

Many people believe that shipyard crane operators are the only people that require safety training. The reality is that everyone on the maritime job site who's around cranes needs proper training as well.

Specifically, they need to know things like proper hand signals, how to identify potentially dangerous situations, and what PPE to wear around the job site. It doesn't matter if you have the best crane operator in the world.

If you have an employee who's ignoring safety procedures while they're operating the heavy machinery, accidents will eventually happen.

As such, we recommend investing in this Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations Safety Training course. Check out this page to learn moreabout it.

Need Workplace Safety Training? Use Compliance Training Online

We hope this guide helped you learn more about the importance of shipyard crane safety. When dealing with a busy maritime shipping schedule, it's easy to delay proper training. You may push it back and hope nothing bad happens.

However, this is an extremely risky decision. The better choice is to work with Compliance Training Online.

We make it easy and quick to train all your employees. Plus, we offer a huge range of safety and compliance courses. Check out our full course list today to find what you need for your business.