Getting along with OSHA can mean safer lifting. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Published in: Construction Equipment
Date: 7/15/1989
By: Moore, Walt
On July 10 last year, the hoist rope on a 50-ton crane suddenly ran free, and the manbasket suspended by the rope crashed 30 feet to the deck of a ship, killing six men and injuring six more.
The manbasket was passing over the ship as workers were being moved from a barge, where they were working, to a pier. Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the crane-owning company $62,800, stating that the owner should have used gangways, instead of a manbasket, to transfer the workers.
Second-guessing a tragedy
Hindsight is always perfect, of course, but could the accident on July 10 have been avoided if the employer had been more diligent in seeking OSHA’s guidance on what was obviously a dangerous practice?
Although OSHA’s final ruling on manbasket use did not become part of the official standard for cranes and derricks until October 3, 1988, OSHA had addressed the subject numerous times since the early 1970s by issuing interpretations of the B30.5 code, published by the American National Standards Institute. One 1983 interpretation, OSHA Instruction STD 1-11.2B, suggested that manbaskets be considered only after evaluating other methods.
Could the accident have been avoided if OSHA had been more timely in clarifying its position on manbasket use, and then more effective in conveying this information to the employer?
The Federal Register for August 2, 1988, while providing background on the manbasket issue, indicated that OSHA’s work in this area fell short of the mark: “OSHA determined that these administrative interpretations (of manbasket use) have not provided adequate guidance for employers or protection for workers.”
A lesson to be learned
What’s to be learned from the tragic manbasket accident?
Part of the lesson, perhaps, is that OSHA needs to be more definitive in its pronouncements about jobsite safety, and needs a better mechanism for putting information on the employer’s desk. The guidelines OSHA issued concerning manbaskets likely were readily available only to compliance officers. The employer may have become aware of these guidelines only after an inspection or an accident.
Part of the lesson, too, is that crane owners and operators can make jobsites safer by becoming completely familiar with the provisions of OSHA’s current crane and derrick code, 1926.550. If you’re not familiar with these regulations, secure a copy of OSHA Safety and Health Standards (29 CFR 1926/1910) from your local OSHA office.
Also have a copy of all the standards referenced in the 1926.550 regulations, including those published by the Power Crane and Shovel Association, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and, of course, the ANSI B30.5 standards. A reference by OSHA makes these standards law.
Besides making your jobsites safer, you could also save money if your cranes and operating techniques comply with OSHA standards.
If an OSHA inspector shows up unannounced on a jobsite where your cranes are working, you could be fined up to $1000 for every violation uncovered. And fines may become stiffer. A congressional oversight committee presently is considering two pieces of legislation that would mean sharper teeth in the OSHA regulations for the construction industry.
OSHA highlights
Of course, nothing takes the place of reading and understanding the actual OSHA 1926.550 regulations, along with those sections of other codes that OSHA references. But for those unfamiliar with these regulations, the following discussion quickly covers the highlights.
Since the latest revision to the OSHA code addresses manbasket use, reviewing these new rules may be a good starting point.
Basically, the new rules prohibit using a crane or derrick to lift workers in a manbasket, except under special circumstances. The practice is allowed only “when the erection, use, and dismantling of conventional means of reaching the worksite, such as a personnel hoist, ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform or scaffolding would be more hazardous, or is not possible because of structural design or worksite conditions.”
Among the regulations for the crane itself are specific requirements for load-line capacity, and the requirement for either an anti-two-block device or a two-block damage-prevention feature. Machines with variableangle booms must be equipped with an angle indicator, and telescopic-boom units must have an indicator either for boom length or load radius.
Much of the new regulatory language addresses the basket itself. The basket, for example, must be designed by “a qualified engineer or a qualified person competent in structural design.” Fabrication of the basket and its components must be performed by a qualified welder familiar with the materials and weld types specified in the design.
Other aspects of the new regulation provide details for rigging the basket, making a trial lift, and for inspecting and prooftesting the device. A trial lift with a weighted, unoccupied basket is required before workers can be lifted, and the procedure must be repeated every time the crane is repositioned. Also required is a prelift meeting of all personnel involved, including the crane operator, signal people, the workers to be lifted, and the supervisor of the lift.
Electrocution avoidance
When working near live electric lines rated at 50 kilovolts or below, OSHA states that the minimum clearance between the power line and any part of the crane or its load must be 10 feet. For power lines rated at more than 50 kilovolts, minimum clearance generally should be 10 feet, plus 0.4 inch for each additional kilovolt.
In situations where the operator has difficulty judging the distance between the crane and power lines, the crane must be accompanied by an observer to warn the operator of potential danger.
Even if the crane is equipped with anti-electrocution devices, such as insulated links, cage-type boom guards, or proximity warning systems, the operator must still comply with OSHA regulations.
And when working near a transmitter tower that may induce an electrical charge in the crane or its load, a test is required to determine if a charge is being produced. If the test is positive, then an electrical ground must be provided directly to the crane’s rotating upper structure; ground cables must be connected to the load; and workers must be furnished with non-conductive poles for attaching ground cables to the load.
Wire-rope provisions
OSHA states that the safety factors for various wire ropes used on your crane must comply with specific ANSI and SAE standards. You’re safest when you replace wire rope with strict regard to the crane manufacturer’s recommendations.
OSHA also requires that wire rope be immediately taken out of service when certain damage is present. Any damage that results in “distortion of the rope structure,” for example, is cause for replacement, as is heat damage from any cause. The regulations also call for replacement when rope diameter is reduced beyond acceptable limits, or when breakage of individual wires occurs in specific patterns.
Machine inspection
Another demand OSHA places on the crane owner is regular inspection of the machine.
According to OSHA, the employer must designate a “competent person” to inspect the crane “prior to each use and during use, to make sure it is in safe operating condition.”
In addition, section 1926.550(b)(2) of the OSHA code states that the crane must also meet ANSI’s B30.5 standards for inspection. The ANSI standard divides regular crane inspection into two categories–“frequent” and “periodic.”
Frequent inspection, which ranges from daily to monthly intervals, involves checking the operation of such items as safety devices, control mechanisms, hoses, electrical apparatus, tires, hooks and reeving.
Periodic inspection, recommended at intervals ranging from one to 12 months–or as specified by the manufacturer–includes a long list of detailed maintenance checks.
Included on the periodic inspection checklist are such items as investigating wear on brake and clutch parts, linings, pawls and ratchets; engine evaluation; thorough inspection of all hydraulic and pneumatic hoses, fittings and tubing; evaluation of hydraulic pumps and motors; and checking for deformed, cracked or corroded members in the crane structure and boom.
The OSHA code specifically calls for a thorough annual inspection of the machine, to be made by a competent person or by a government or private agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA requires the crane owner to maintain a record of the annual inspection, and this document must be produced if requested by an OSHA representative.
If you need an annual inspection form, the crane manufacturer normally can supply the document. Or, you can secure a copy of the OSHA form from a local office of the agency. If you need a competent person or a certified private agency to make the inspection, OSHA can also supply a list of qualified individuals and organizations.
Ask for help
If you have questions after reviewing the OSHA code for cranes and derricks, or questions about referenced codes, especially ANSI B30.5, ask your local OSHA office for clarification. Understanding what’s expected of you as a crane owner can make your equipment and your jobsites safer.
COPYRIGHT 1989 Reed Business Information