New OSHA Guidance – Roadmap to Complying with its Cranes and
Derricks in Construction Standard
10/30/2014
Although
OSHA implemented its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard (29 C.F.R.
1926 Subpart CC) back in 2010, it just now released its directive for how OSHA
inspectors should enforce that rule. Multiple
layers of legal review and approval, as well as revisions and challenges to the
standard, contributed to the delay.
Released
on October 23, 2014, this directive includes an
abbreviated inspection checklist and inspection guidance for OSHA inspectors to
follow, as well as recommended citation policies for complex requirements.
Reviewing
the procedures OSHA expects its inspectors to follow can be helpful to assist
contractors and operators in ensuring they are compliant with the new standard,
and avoid a citation if an inspection is conducted. The abbreviated check list,
found at section VIII.B of the directive, provides a road map for what
inspectors will be looking at during a site visit. Contractors should read
through this list and make sure all persons who work with cranes on site
comply.
The
directive also includes inspection guidance and citation policies, which
identifies who should be interviewed at a site and what types of documents
should be turned over during the inspection. It is important to note that the
inspectors may likely be interviewing the following persons based on this
directive: (1) controlling employer; (2) employer of the operator and lift
crew; (3) operator; (4) equipment inspector; (5) maintenance personnel; (6)
lift and A/D directors; (7) crew members; (8) riggers and (9) signal persons.
Given this broad spectrum of persons who may be interviewed, in particular the
non-managerial personnel, it is important to ensure proper training and crane
safety compliance prior to an inspection, and certainly in the event of an
accident.
The
directive applies to the Federal OSHA plan only, however, State Plan States
must implement enforcement policies and procedures for their Cranes and
Derricks standards which are at least as effective as those in the directive.
If your projects are located in jurisdictions which operate their own State
OSHA plans, please check your State plan’s website, or the Federal OSHA webpage
to determine if there are additional requirements beyond those included in the
new directive. At a minimum, however, all construction projects will be
governed by the guidelines set forth in this directive. A state plan may
increase the requirements, but may not require less than what is set forth
here.
Loss Lessons involving Cranes
In
the last few months we have encountered claims involving tipping and damaging
buildings. Cranes are the most useful
equipment at construction sites.
However, if misused they can cause some serious harm. Both crane accidents we investigated were the
result of inadequate planning, which led to instability and overturning of the
crane.
The
first claim involved a 12-ton crane attempting to lift a 20-foot steel beam
weighting approximately 500 pounds. The
carne was stationed near the base of a new building and, despite being
available, neither wood pads for the outriggers nor counter weights were
utilized. During the lift, the right
front outrigger sunk into the ground approximately six to eight inches causing
the crane to tip onto the building damaging a steel roof beam, masonry, metal
framing, concrete fascia, and the crane itself.
The crane company had to employ two additional cranes to re-erect the
tipped crane. Some minor worker injuries
were also caused by the tipping of the crane.
The
second claim involved a 40-ton crane that was lifting three bundles of roof “I-Joists”
weighing approximately 2,080 pounds. One
of the front outriggers collapsed causing the crane to tilt resulting in damage
to a masonry wall, the parapet of adjoining masonry walls, metal support beams
and scaffolding. When the boom crashed
onto the wall, the joists fell onto the floor inside the building, damaging 30
of these joists. In addition, the hook
of the crane struck the floor and caused damage to the concrete floor. Finally, hydraulic fluid leaked from the
crane, which required cleanup and soil remediation.
Both
of these accidents could have been avoided by simple pre-planning. In the first case, the operator and site
supervisor should have identified that the crane should not have been situated near
the base of a new building, because this area is the softest, even when
properly compacted. Additionally, the
wooden pads need to be utilized at all times regardless of how many lifts will
be conducted. The wooden pads or
cribbing are necessary to distribute the weight of the crane and its load.
Pre-planning
should also include the verification that the crane being used is free of
hazards and defects. This is not only
common sense but is also a federal requirement.
The rule 29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart CC requires that the employer shall
designate a competent person who shall inspect all machinery and equipment
prior to each use, and during use, to make sure it is in safe operating condition. Any deficiencies shall be repaired, or
defective parts replaced, before continued use.
It
is necessary to abide by the OSHA Subpart CC, – Cranes and Dericks in Construction. Additionally, all manufacturer’s
specifications and limitations need to be followed. Accidents can be avoided by careful job
planning. The person in charge must have
a clear understanding of the work to be performed and consider all potential
dangers at the job site.
Driving
truck with raised boom results in overturn
November
5, 2014
A man trimming
trees for a utility company in Maynardville, Tennessee overturned the utility
truck/platform he was using yesterday, after he decided to drive it with the
boom raised.
The raised boom became caught up in the overhead wires, which was enough to pull the machine over. He was slightly hurt, but thankfully there was no one in the platform. It begs the question, why was he moving the lift while elevated?
The man, who works for ABC Professional Tree Services, was carrying out contract work for the Knoxville Utilities Board trimming trees back from around power lines. Power was apparently cut to a number of homes in the area – we assume that the power lines had been deactivated.
The raised boom became caught up in the overhead wires, which was enough to pull the machine over. He was slightly hurt, but thankfully there was no one in the platform. It begs the question, why was he moving the lift while elevated?
The man, who works for ABC Professional Tree Services, was carrying out contract work for the Knoxville Utilities Board trimming trees back from around power lines. Power was apparently cut to a number of homes in the area – we assume that the power lines had been deactivated.
The overturned
utility truck
Houston, Texas
A five
axle 170 ton All Terrain crane overturned on Friday in west Houston, Texas
dropping its boom into the back end of a car dealership yard.
The
crane, a Grove GMK5225 operated by Circle 8 Crane Services of Houston, was
working or setting up at a tower block construction site in Kirkwood when it
went over. No counterweights appear to have been fitted and the outriggers on
the side of the fall were either retracted or they have punched through into
the ground. The outriggers to the rear are fully extended – the boom appears to
have been fully extended at the time.
Thankfully
no one was hurt and the even the operator walked away totally unharmed. Property
damage – the crane excluded – was also light.
Photo from the
scene indicates an outrigger issue
Another
failed ground incident
November
8, 2014
A 3.5 tonne truck
mounted lift overturned in Hengelo, Netherlands yesterday after one of its
outrigger jacks broke through the bricks on the sidewalk/pavement.
The machine's
outrigger punched through the paved surface
The 20 metre
articulated unit was being used by a window washing company and from what we
can see no mats had been used under the jack pads. The lift came to rest
against the building and thankfully no one was injured. The damage was also
relatively light.
It does not look
like any mats were used
The boom came to
rest against the side of the building
The ground in the
Netherlands is generally almost pure sand with the majority of block paved
paths having no hard core to speak off.
It is negligent to contemplate forgoing the use of mats! Absolutely
shocking.
Crane Flips on
Highway, San Clemente, California
An All
Terrain crane with trailing boom flipped over while travelling on Interstate 5
in San Clemente, California – between Los Angeles and San Diego – on Thursday.
Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident.
The four
axle Liebherr crane with three axle boom trailer, owned by one of the state’s
oldest crane rental companies Bob Hill, swerved into the concrete centre
divider several times as the operator tried to keep control of it. Finally it
flipped onto its side.
An
aerial view of the incident
This is
not the first time that an All Terrain with trailing boom has flipped or caused
havoc on Southern California’s highways. A number of crane operators consider
trailing booms – which are dictated by road formulas – are considerably more
dangerous than higher axle loads of a longer chassis. At least this time round
there are no injuries.
The
unit has a three axle boom trailer
Metropolitan
Engineering, Consulting & Forensics (MECF)
Providing Competent, Expert and
Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services
P.O. Box 520
Tenafly, NJ 07670-0520
Tel.: (973) 897-8162
Fax: (973) 810-0440
E-mail: metroforensics@gmail.com
We are happy to
announce the launch of our twitter account. Please make sure to follow us
at @MetropForensics
To unsubscribe from
future technical blogs and announcements, please reply to this email with the
word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.
Metropolitan
appreciates your business.
Feel free to
recommend our services to your friends and colleagues.
We know you need to process damage
claims quickly and knowing the facts is now faster than ever – within 24 hours
of site visit. Our Pegasos Forensic Investigation Services (PFIS)
feature:
·
Expert Forensic Investigators on-site.
·
Defensible, Readable, Conclusive Reports.
·
Fixed-Prices starting at $499 per chimney or roof
inspection (volume discounts are also available). Flood loss assessments
start at $999.0. HVAC equipment only inspections start at $299 for local
(within one hour one-way drive) assignments.
·
10-State Coverage Area.
All of our employees and associates
are subjected to full FBI background investigations and security clearance.
