How to tackle sudden crane failure
Overhead cranes are a vital part of any industry. Cranes not only save manual efforts, they save time and money too. Imagine the life of the workers in an industry that runs without cranes.They will have to go through extreme physical stress to lift heavy weights which otherwise will be done within minutes with the help of overhead cranes. Being the leading eot crane manufacturer in ahmedabad, we can say that cranes have proved to be one of the most important assets for industries and have really changed the way they used to work earlier.
Cranes are undoubtedly the best thing that have happened to industries but their failures or accidents can cause fatal injuries not only to the ground staff but to the operator operating them. There have been cases where sudden crane failures have taken several lives resulting in huge mental and financial setbacks for the industries. There may be multiple reasons for sudden crane failures and pepper maintenance and checks are required to be performed from time-to-time to avoid or minimise thee failures
Steps to be taken when cranes fail suddenly
As discussed above, cranes can fail or collapse due to multiple reasons from lack of maintenance to inexperienced operators. Although proper care must be taken before operating cranes and also while the crane is in operation but if any accident occurs, following steps must be taken immediately to minimise the loss of life and property.
- Operational Failures– Operational Failures occurs when the controller does not stop correctly at zero while parking and the crane does not stop on time. If the driver is inexperienced, he will think that the rapid drop in the load is the result of the brake failure while the incorrect method of manipulating the handle of the controller is the actual cause of the accident.
To avoid such failures you must hire an operator who has practical experience in operating cranes and who can quickly identify the root cause of the accident as soon as it happens.
- Contactor Failures– These kind of contactor failures occur when the controller is in the regeneration down position and it does not exist when it has returned to zero. Since the motor stops getting powered, the load falls freely which causes fatal accidents leading to major injuries to the ground staff.
Since the accident has already occurred, the only way to prevent more damage is to stop immediately and check the damages that has happened. Free falling of the hook holding the load can be a disaster if not controlled on time so it must be checked from time to time.
- Brake Fails– Brake fails are one of the most common causes of crane accidents and lead to fatal injuries. These accidents occur mainly because of ignorance and lack of maintenance of brakes which must be done periodically.
In case of brake failures, reverse operation must be performed immediately to stop further damage. A warning signal must be sent to the entire floor so that the whole ground staff can be made aware of the accident. The point and vehicle operation and the anti-vehicle operation must be performed immediately.
Use the normal operation if the load is close to the ground and there is no danger of a free fall. Turn the controller handle in the ascending direction step by step and open the anti- vehicle.
How to fix the accidents
Being the leading eot crane manufacturer in ahmedabad we take enough precautions while manufacturing the parts of the cranes and also issue manuals for the operators to efficiently operate the cranes.
One of the most important factors that is responsible for a majority of accidents is the driver being inexperienced. An experienced driver would always know how to minimise accidents and what steps have to be taken after the accident is caused. Efficiently managing things after accidents can definitely minimise the further damage to life and property. Driver must be efficient and experienced enough to minimise accidents and losses and must not lose calm under any circumstances.
Drivers must always perform a pre-check before handling the controllers and always ensure that the parts are well lubricated to avoid friction between the parts that could lead to potential accidents. Free falls of load must be avoided under any cost as it causes fatal injuries.
