5 Crucial Tower Crane Safety Best Practices

When large scale or high rise commercial and residential (multi-level buildings) properties require construction or renovation, construction sites employ tower cranes. Tower cranes contribute as a centerpiece of a large-scale building project. 
 As a crucial construction equipment, tower cranes can perform various vital roles on site, such as conveying building materials vertically and horizontally throughout the construction area.
But if used inappropriately, tower cranes can become a serious on-site liability, contributing to a number of serious or even fatal accidents. 
 To ensure that tower cranes are used as intended, we cover below several key best practices to reduce associated risks with tower crane deployment and use.

1. Use only authorized and qualified crane operators

A tower crane operator is a highly skilled individual who is required to pass written and practical tests and training to qualify as a crane operator. Such a role, with its associated risks, requires a license or certification that demonstrates competency and knowledge of equipment and safety procedures.
 
To maintain a high degree of safety knowledge, this license will require periodical renewal.
 
Ongoing assessment and development are essential to maintaining a high degree of technical knowledge. The on-site employer and crane operator are jointly responsible for maintaining and updating qualifications and technical skills. Ongoing development is crucial to address potential changes in legislature and working practices, and updating of product knowledge.

2. Use a tower crane inspection checklist

Before a working crane hired from a trusted supplier gets erected on a construction site, the owner of the tower crane (or a competent mechanical engineer) should engage in a predetermined checklist to confirm that the tower crane meets the basic requirements for safe crane operations. This checklist should cover pre-delivery, pre-operations and post-use verification.
 
There are numerous checklists available online or through regulatory agencies that will highlight essential elements to examine before a tower crane can be approved for on-site use. 
 
A generic crane safety checklist should include the basic requirements (though this is a non-exhaustive):
 

• Inspecting the area of operation (ground conditions)
• Confirming the machine’s condition (warning signs, condition of brakes and controls, etc.)
• Checking potential trouble spots for visible damage (wire ropes, outriggers, crane hook, etc.)
• Ensuring adequate housekeeping (a preventative measure)
• Performing daily preventative maintenance checks

 
Consultancy should occur with suppliers and manufacturers to address any concerns before and crane operation.

3. Plan for predictive maintenance

Often, on-site maintenance management programs employ a run-to-failure or breakdown practice. In other words, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” logic. This approach is employed by many throughout the construction industry to keep costs low and limit expenditure. 
 
The problem with this maintenance system is that elements of a tower crane could present failure in the most inconvenient moments, resulting in needless repair costs, considerable downtime, and even worse, immediate and unacceptable risk to the workforce.
 
A better approach to crane safety best practices is to deploy the predictive maintenance approach. This approach is more condition-driven rather than mean time to failure. This means maintenance is done according to key elements, such as: 
 

• Mechanical and electrical condition
• Frequency of use
• Environmental factors
• Load spectrum 

 
Using individual machine statistics to determine maintenance requirements achieves the best balance between unplanned risks and failures and manageable maintenance costs.

4. Perform specialized risk assessment

By nature, most construction sites will have hazards. And while these may need to be taken into account during a risk assessment, performing specialized risk assessment is a fundamental best practice to identify potential hazards correlating with the proposed crane operation. 
 
The assessment should be carried out by a competent person (a supervising engineer, for example) alongside the owner before the operation of self-erecting tower cranes commences to evaluate inherent prospective risks.
 
This will inform the necessary measures required to mitigate those risks, across the lifecycle of crane operation, from commencement to dismantling.

5. Consider other important points ​

There are several other provisions that must be considered before the commencement of any crane deployment. These key points enhance the safety of all individuals on site and heighten awareness that promotes improved crane safety. 
 
Points to consider include:
 

• Ensuring specific training has been provided to address associated hazards with operating a tower crane (material handling, fall protection, signaling, rigging, etc.)
• Confirming subcontractor qualifications
• Determining if rescue procedures are in place in the event of an accident or injury
• Regularly load testing crane equipment

 
Safety always comes first onsite 
When properly inspected and used with careful consideration, tower cranes can contribute to safe and efficient site processes. Failure can occur if crane safety is overlooked or ignored. The consequences of tower crane failure can be disastrous, resulting in serious injuries and potential fatalities.
 
By employing this safety best practice guide, in conjunction with training and awareness to risk, tower cranes can be operated in a safe and successful manner.
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Author

​Hermann Buchberger is the Founder and CEO of Active Crane Hire (ACH). He’s taken the company from start-up to Industry Leader offering the largest fleet of construction cranes in Australia. ACH launched a new type of crane previously unheard of in the Australian market: electric tower cranes. The company's infrastructure and associated services now comprise a fleet of trucks and trailers, a crane-rigging team, mobile crane technicians, a fleet of service vehicles, and an extensive range of crane spare parts.