Shipyard Crane Safety

Case Study: Two workers were assigned new jobs on their worksite. One was briefly shown how to operate a crane and the other was assigned to help rig the loads.

The worker tasked with operating the crane spent a short time practicing, during which multiple alarms and warning signals went off in the crane’s cab. Despite not understanding why these alarms and signals were executed, the new operator used what knowledge he had of the crane’s controls to turn them off

Meanwhile, the second worker stood directly under the crane’s lifting gear while the crane was being extended. In preparation for rigging, the headache ball was pulled tightly against the crane by its cable. It then broke free and dropped, causing it to land directly on the worker.

Since the warning signals were turned off by the new crane operator, no warning was issued before the headache ball broke free.

Key Takeaway: The crane operator and riggers in this incident were not properly trained on how to correctly rig and operate a crane. OSHA regulations regarding crane operations state that any person engaged in a crane operation must be certified or qualified.

If the workers involved in this operation were trained properly, they would have known that a crane’s safety and warning devices should never be shut off during operation. They would have also known that riggers should never place themselves under a crane’s boom, hook, or load.

Remember, crane operators, riggers, and signal persons must be properly qualified to perform rigging and hoisting operations to prevent injury to workers.