At Crane Tech we regularly accept calls for technical assistance. After all, we encourage our students to reach out whenever they need help or advice. We are happy to take a few minutes of our time to consult, regardless of where someone found us. One such recent call came from someone who found us online.

 The man explained that he has not been running cranes for very long and he's working in south Florida operating a 1968 Lorain friction crane. He started by asking if a crane in Florida needs to be inspected and certified? We talked briefly about his industry and I gave him the requirements for an annual inspection.

Inquiring as to why he was asking about inspection requirements he tells me he is getting ready to make a tandem lift, and he is concerned about the crane being able to handle his portion of the load. I didn't get the crane model number, but did ask what the maximum available gross capacity would be at the boom angle he would be making this lift.  He says, "If I am reading this chart right I have to be at 80-degrees to have the 160,000 pounds that I was told would be my portion of the lift."  He goes on to say that his boss didn't know he's calling, but he's concerned about his liability should the crane fail. 

Of course, this threw up more than one red flag for me. He sounded pretty nervous and was rambling on a bit, so I asked him to hold on so I could restate the situation. He concurred with my summary, then I asked him to listen to me carefully. I explained that this was the age old story of not wanting to lose your job by refusing to make a lift, but I explained that he has the right and legal authority to refuse to make the lift when there is a safety concern.

 I sympathized with what he was seeing as an awkward position by restating the potential obvious negative impact of him refusing the lift, then followed by voicing my opinion of the obvious negative impact of the crane failing, beyond just the liability concerns but also with the safety of the job site. "You are telling me you are getting ready to make a tandem lift with a 1968 crane that does not appear in safe condition, at 100% of the crane's capacity. Then I would recommend you not make the lift until safety is assured." I did not believe for one second that I was over reaching by advising him to protest the lift to his superiors until safety has been addressed. And, should they override him that he may just need to walk away.

 So hypothetically speaking, is the risk worth the job? I would love to hear how you would have handled this call. Please use the poll to let me know what you would have done,or if you would prefer, please e-mail me your thoughts and we will share with other readers how you would have handled this call in a future newsletter.

-- Bo Collier, President

Remember, if you ever need advice about a lift, feel free to call us to talk through the situation. After all, Safety through Education is more than our tagline, it is our guiding principle!