Crane Question

I couldn't find any specifics but I'll try and give you whatever info I've got.

We're in the process of picking a couple of 40-ton AT cranes off the lock walls and loading them onto one of the barges for transport to the next job site. The lifting crane is mounted on a barge ~100'L x 50'W x 8'D and drafts ~5.5' with no load on the crane. The rotational center of the crane is in the middle of the barge 25' from stern. The cranes being lifted are 80,000-lb. apiece and are located on the lock walls about 10' above and 60' away from the lifting crane.

Here's my question...when lifting an 80,000-lb crane why the hell do I have to bother wearing a hard hat?

'Gee, Jeb I hear they dropped a crane on your head at work today'

'Yeah, but it's okay I was wearing a plastic helmet'

jeb6294 said:

I couldn't find any specifics but I'll try and give you whatever info I've got.
We're in the process of picking a couple of 40-ton AT cranes off the lock walls and loading them onto one of the barges for transport to the next job site. The lifting crane is mounted on a barge ~100'L x 50'W x 8'D and drafts ~5.5' with no load on the crane. The rotational center of the crane is in the middle of the barge 25' from stern. The cranes being lifted are 80,000-lb. apiece and are located on the lock walls about 10' above and 60' away from the lifting crane.

Here's my question...when lifting an 80,000-lb crane why the hell do I have to bother wearing a hard hat?

'Gee, Jeb I hear they dropped a crane on your head at work today'

'Yeah, but it's okay I was wearing a plastic helmet'

Click to expand...

Because the Gods at OSHA have commanded you to do so. Failure to appease the Gods will cost your company heavy fines and could result in your termination of employment.

I suppose my little plastic safety glasses will keep my eyeballs from shooting across the lock when the crane hits me too....thanks for looking out for me OSHA.

Hey, we're not supposed to post questions from the NCEES PE exam!!

I think that was question #5 in the afternoon for me...

MA_PE said:

Because the Gods at OSHA have commanded you to do so. Failure to appease the Gods will cost your company heavy fines and could result in your termination of employment.

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True on all accounts. However, I would argue that if you are loading-offloading cranes, that you are most likely in an area where the hardhat would be protective from other potential hazards.

jeb6294 said:

I suppose my little plastic safety glasses will keep my eyeballs from shooting across the lock when the crane hits me too....thanks for looking out for me OSHA.

Click to expand...

I work in a lot of different environments but mostly out in landfill areas where there isn't much to come flying at you. Everyone is required to wear protective eyewear regardless of where you are on the company property. Interestingly, there was a safety incident report about two months ago from someone who wasn't wearing his safety goggles in the landfill area - he got some fly ash in his eye that lead to an abrasion on his cornea.

When considering safety - you have to look beyond the obvious and see if it just makes good sense.

JR

Granted the reason for a hard hat is for the misc. crap that may get knocked and come hurdling down at your cranium, it just seems a little silly when you're standing under a 40-ton crane and you start to think about it.

^^^ I would re-analyze the "silly" things if you were standing under a suspended 40 ton crane...

Please don't stand under the crane

jeb6294 said:

I suppose my little plastic safety glasses will keep my eyeballs from shooting across the lock when the crane hits me too....thanks for looking out for me OSHA.

Click to expand...

:lmao:

That was awesome. I always hated wearing my hard hat on concrete pours where nothing was coming at me...because I always forgot my "head" was higher up and whacked it into the chute.