A crane is a mighty assembly of a hoist rope, boom, jib, counterweights and gears. The machine is a must-have on construction sites; it helps lift and transport heavy objects from one place to another. Not only does a crane enable workers to increase productivity, but it also helps save time and money.
Here are the two common types of cranes used in the manufacturing and construction sector.
The Lattice Boom Crane
The lattice boom crane is a type of mobile crane that’s mounted on crawler tracks and can travel distances on job sites. The boom consists of a fixed length lattice structure that can be configured to different lengths by adding or subtracting sections. It is not uncommon for lattice crane booms to be as long as 300ft. Its structural system is quite strong and the length of the boom can be increased significantly with the option to add jibs at offset angles.
The Telescopic Boom Crane
The second type of mobile crane that can be commonly found at construction sites is the telescopic boom crane. These cranes have a hydraulic powered boom that can extend in and out. They tend to have a lower capacity than the larger lattice cranes but are more portable and versatile.
The best thing about telescopic boom cranes is that they’re portable, they’re mounted on wheels and can be driven from one construction site to another.
While cranes are recognized as versatile pieces of equipment that perform a number of integral roles at construction sites, the fact that they can turn into great safety hazards due to simple miscalculations shouldn’t be ignored. Statistics show that 72 crane-related fatalities occurred in 2006.
The good news is that you can prevent a misfortunate event from taking place at your job site by installing safety devices on your cranes.
ATB Warning System
An anti-two-block system can help you prevent a two-block accident from occurring at your job site. The audio and visual alarms in the device will warn you if there’s a risk of the hook of your crane getting in contact with the boom tip and damaging the hoist line.
Wireless Wind Speed Indicator
Should you continue your crane operations in weather conditions where wind speed is higher than your crane’s manufacturing limit, then there’s a risk of your crane overturning or dropping the load it’s lifting. A wind speed indicator will help you ensure such an accident never happens while keeping you aware of the wind speed at all times.
Load Indicator
A load indicator is a technologically advanced crane safety device that helps you monitor the weight of the load that’s being lifted by your crane. Over-loading a crane beyond its capacity can cause a major accident.
If you’re looking for high-quality crane capacity indicators to upgrade your crane’s safety, get in touch with Crane Warning Systems Atlanta today! We’re the leading distributor of the technologically advanced Rayco Wylie crane safety indicators in the U.S. and we provide a wide range of crane safety systems including crane A2B systems, wireless wind speed indicator, load indicator LMI, RCI and more!
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