The most important part in managing a crane failure is not the failure itself, but how the incident is managed in the first few minutes. There are a variety of responses that can make the situation worse; all of them lead to an even greater problems than the original failure. Responses can vary from continuing to work around the crane, to performing an unplanned and unsafely positioned field repairs.
Stop the Lift
The primary concern for the crane operator is safety of the personnel and the load. If a hoist is still functioning, the crane operator must lower the load to a safe position and leave clearance under the load. If the crane is stuck in position with the load it must remain in place until the situation is assessed by a competent person. An unplanned, and more importantly, an unsafe means to free the suspended load should not be performed.
The load should be down and clear before any next steps are taken. Isolate the crane by removing power if the isolation point is conveniently available and place a ** Out of Service** sign on the crane. The most likely scenario is for a new worker to come and take control of the crane to start working.
Nothing more accurately summarizes the adage that no good deed goes unpunished like the attempt to restore a functioning crane to service. The compulsion to get equipment operating on a hectic jobsite, even if it means improvising a repair, creates problems that could potentially be catastrophic. Imagine an operator resetting a tripped breaker without attempting to even understand the reason for the breaker tripping, or an operator bypassing a limit switch to get the hoist to move again. Each of these examples results in the removal of a safety mechanism and the concealment of a possible growing system failure.
Minor adjustments by someone competent are common. Repairing the crane’s structure, hoist, brakes, or electrical systems requires the appropriate knowledge and tools.
Report it
Immediate fault logging is critical. Describe what the crane was doing, what occurred, and what the crane did or failed to do in response. This helps with symptom identification and defines the scope of the issue for the repair technician. The report “The crane malfunctioned” is far less constructive than the report “The crane radius traveled in a circle.”
Incidents involving structural collapse, brake failure, or any situation where a load is at risk of falling is reportable under RIDDOR in the event of an injury. It should be investigated fully regardless of how the incident is ultimately resolved. An incident where a load remained suspended in the air because of a hoist failure (assuming no injury was reported) is an incident of particular interest as the lack of injury is typical of a ‘near miss’ and is strongly suggestive of a more serious event occurring in the future.
Prior to returning to its assigned duties, the crane should be assessed by a competent person.
The crane should undergo a thorough examination by a competent person after the reported fault and corrective maintenance have been completed. Depending on the repair and the nature of the fault, this may require a thorough examination to be conducted in compliance with the requirements of LOLER. The competent person is the only person authorized to make this determination and should not be pressured by anyone else to arrive at a particular conclusion.
If the crane’s fault revealed a failure of the crane that the competent person believed was a risk to people, they are obligated to notify the HSE or the Local Authorities. The site manager and equipment owner do not have the ability to overrule this decision. The crane will remain out of service until the risk has been eliminated.
Maintain a record
The breakdown, fault, repair, and return-to-service inspection must be recorded with the maintenance and examination records for the crane. Knowledge of the recurring faults for a particular crane is important. It can indicate a problem that is not being solved because of the individual repairs, and it is the type of evidence that a competent person needs to come to a conclusion regarding the equipment’s continued use.