Tips On How To Safely Operate Your Mini Crane – Part 1

Operating a crane certainly brings many hazards, but do you know how to minimize them and safely operate your mini crane? There are many cases where crane operators get injured or killed because of not operating the cranes in the safest possible manner. Many crane operators make wrong decisions which cost them serious injuries and even lives. One common mistake they constantly make is not setting up the outriggers. Not using the outriggers makes the mini crane unstable, and usually the mini crane tips over when lifting heavy loads. In such scenario, the crane operators have not enough time to get out from the crane cabins and end up with serious injuries which in some cases are even fatal.

Furthermore, the crane operators forget to pay attention to the safety precautions. Although the larger cranes involve higher safety risks, many mini crane models are also dangerous machines for operation. Thus operating a mini crane requires knowledge and attention. The following tips can help you learn what you need to do in order to minimize the threats when operating a mini crane.

Are You Certified? – Do you have a proper certificate? Have you attended a course for safe operation of a crane? A mini crane in the hands of a person that is not qualified is like giving a kid a to drive a car. If you are an owner of a construction company, make sure that the crane operator you plan to hire is properly certified and mini crane trained.

Check Your Operating Area – When operating a mini crane, you need to find out what kind of surface you will use the mini crane on. If you need to set the outriggers on the operating area, the surface must be strong and flat. The outriggers deliver a great amount of force to the ground, which could easily punch through the ground, resulting in crane tipping over. One way to secure a safe operation with your mini crane is to put cribbing under each outrigger. But you need to make sure that the cribbing is capable to withstand the loads without failing or cracking.

Inspection Before Each Use – The crane operators need to check the condition of the mini crane before operating it. It is of great importance to check if all crane parts are working properly, and to make sure that there are no defects or cracks.

Continue reading part 2 of this topic…