2 Safety Hazards to Be Wary of When Dry Hiring a Crane

Although the use of heavy construction equipment is mandatory for many projects, most people can agree that most of the machinery employed is cost-prohibitive. Consequently, it is not surprising that you may be looking to save on costs by choosing dry hire over buying a crane outright. While multiple advantages come with this option, it is important to bear in mind that working with this equipment without a skilled operator can be a dangerous endeavour. Therefore, you and your team must acquaint yourselves with the potential dangers posed when utilising cranes and how best to avoid them.

This article touches on a few of the safety hazards that you should be wary of when dry hiring a crane.

1. Electrocution

The leading advantage of cranes that make them a sought after piece of heavy construction equipment is the ability to access elevated areas. Thus, whether you are working on a roof or any other high area, a crane will assist your team by transporting loads from the ground to these elevated areas. Nonetheless, you should also bear in mind that aerial access also puts you near the electrical wires.

If you have not calculated how much clearance that the crane requires to operate, there is an increased risk of contact between the metal parts of the crane and the high voltage wires, which can result in deadly electrocution. With that said, you must make sure that there is no threat of this happening. One way of accomplishing this is by requesting the owner of the electrical lines to cut power to them. Secondly, you should also invest in insulated barricades that will keep the equipment and your operators a safe distance away from the power lines.

2. Excessive loads

A typical blunder that some individuals unfamiliar with operating cranes make is overloading the equipment under the impression that the more that they can lift with the crane, the faster the project will be completed but this is a massive mistake. The reality of the matter is that all types of cranes, from the mini versions to the standard options, come with a specified weight limit. This load limit dictates how much weight that the crane arm can handle at any given time.

When you go beyond this limit, the operator will have minimal control over the arm. As a result, not only can the arm sway the load and wreck properties in the process, but the load can fall off and harm the people on site. Rather than take this risk, it is best to be stringent about how much weight should be carried by the crane.

For more insight, contact companies the sell or rent cranes.