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|  Mobile Crane Inspection Guidelines   for OSHA Compliance Officers  U.S. Department of Labor  Occupational Safety and Health Administration  June 1994
This information booklet is intended to provided a generic, nonexhaustive  overview of a particular standards-related topic. This publication does not  itself alter or determine compliance responsibilities, which are set forth in  OSHA standards themselves and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.  Moreover, because interpretations and enforcement policy may change over time,  for additional guidance on OSHA compliance requirements, the reader should  consult current administrative interpretations and decisions by the  Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and the courts.

Material contained in this publication is in the public domain and may be  reproduced, fully or partially, without permission of the Federal Government.  Source credit is requested by not required.

This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals  upon request.

Voice phone: (202) 219-8259;Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)  message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577

 

This report was written by Anthony D. Brown

 

**Mobile Crane Inspection Guidelines for OSHA Compliance Officers**

U.S. Department of Labor  Robert B. Reich, Secretary

Occupational Safety and Health Administration  Joseph Dear, Assistant Secretary

Office of Construction and Engineering  Charles G. Culver, Director

June 1994

**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0 MOBILE CRANES

2.1 Lifting Principles

2.2 Operational Considerations

3.0 REQUIREMENTS FOR MOBILE CRANES

3.1 OSHA Construction Requirements

3.2 ASME/ANSI and PCSA Requirements

4.0 INSPECTING A MOBILE CRANE

4.1 Preinspection

4.2 Crane Setup

4.3 Electrical Hazards

4.4 Load Charts

4.5 Safe Operating Precautions

4.6 Inspection Types

4.7 Starting The Inspection

4.8 Specific Inspection Items and References

APPENDIX A - GENERAL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

APPENDIX B - GENERAL LOAD CHARTS AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

APPENDIX C - BASIC CRANE COMPONENTS

 

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS**

Staff from the OSHA National Office provided assistance in  preparing this report. Mike Marshall and Chuck Hardesty, Office of  Construction and Engineering; Ted Twardowski, Office of Construction and Civil  Engineering Safety Standards provided initial information and reviewed  comments; James Calvert, Engineer in Training, typed and edited the report,  and developed charts, tables, and graphics for the report.    

  William Smith, Director of Safety and Health, International  Union of Operating Engineers;  Richard Giacin, Administrator, Local 478, International  Union of Operating Engineers, Meridan, CT.; and Scott Buck, Safety Director,  Local 150, International Union of Operating Engineers, Plainfield, IL,  contributed technical assistance, photographs and review comments throughout  the project.    

  Individual members of the ASME/ANSI B30 Committee, provided  technical information, materials, pictures and continual review comments.  Those members include:    

  Paul Zorich, U.S. Department of the Navy and Chair of the  B30 Committee; Theodore A. Christensen, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co; Bradley  D. Closson, President, North American Crane Bureau, West; James J. Headley,  President, Crane Institute of America, Inc.; Carson L. Huneycutt, Equipment  Operations Manager, J.A. Jones, Inc.; Edward E. Rudy, U.S. Department of the  Army; and Robert C. Wild, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.    

  A special thanks to Leon (Skip) S. Johnson, American  Equipment Company for his technical assistance and review comments and in  acquiring photographs and video footage of a simulated crane inspection on a  Flour Daniels, Inc., construction project in LA.    

  Steve Peterson, Training Manager, American Crane  Corporation, Dennis Eckstine, Director, Product Safety, Grove Corp., and Dan  Wolff, Manager for Engineering, National Crane Corp. for review comments and  technical assistance.    

  Tom Kollins, Vice President, Specialized Carriers and  Riggers Association, SC&RA, through the membership, provided assistance  and initial evaluation of contents and format.     

     

**ABSTRACT**

This document provides background information about  lifting principles and serves as a guideline for inspecting mobile  construction cranes. The relationship of many components of cranes and their  inter-dependence in lifting operations, OSHA requirements for proper  maintenance schedules, and safe crane operations will be discussed in this  document.

This document contains a listing and description of major  components or operations to be considered or examined when inspecting lifting  equipment. Two types of commonly used cranes, a crawler lattice boom crane and  a hydraulic rough terrain crane, were selected as examples in developing these  guidelines. Descriptive text and photographs illustrate 18 inspection items  critical to most crane inspections.

 

**EXECUTIVE SUMMARY**

OSHA compliance officers, project safety and health  managers, and insurance inspectors are often required to inspect construction  cranes. Inspections normally include lengthy checklists that identify  mechanical components and maintenance schedules without adequate descriptions  or explanations, pertinent to the relationship between these components and  the crane's overall function. Although some crane inspection checklist items are   self-explanatory, it must be recognized that due to increasing applications of  developing technology in the design and manufacture of cranes, OSHA compliance   officers need a better understanding of crane operations   and their basic lifting principles, and to keep abreast of  related developments in today's construction industry.

Since cranes affect a large segment of work at any  construction site, crane inspections by the compliance officer and project  safety manager must include a survey of the entire operation questions on how  the crane will be operating and how other crafts will be affected by working  with and around the crane.

Observing crane operations prior to an inspection, or  asking questions about how it will or has been operating, can indicate  possible problem areas that may need a closer review during the inspection  process.

This document provides an overview and background  information on lifting principles of mobile cranes for OSHA inspectors. Also  discussed is the relationship between various components of mobile cranes to  their lifting capacity and the manufacturers' requirements for conducting  proper maintenance schedules are also discussed.

TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION SITE LOAD BLOCK LOWERED FOR INSPECTION |
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  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