Who Should Inspect Cranes?
When in charge of a construction project's safety, you must know whether you can trust your cranes to get the job done. The stakes are high, with an average of over 40 workers sustaining fatal crane-related injuries each year.
To prevent these tragedies, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires crane inspections by qualified and competent persons.
Keeping up with these regulations and knowing who should inspect a crane on your worksite helps protect your workers, maintain compliance, and minimize downtime.
Who Should Inspect a Crane According to OSHA?
OSHA requirements for crane inspections state that only qualified or competent inspectors may inspect a crane for a construction worksite. Some inspections, such as the annual comprehensive inspection, require an inspector with certification or other appropriate qualifications.
The simplest solution is to have someone on your worksite obtain a crane inspection certification or get certified yourself so you always have someone on hand for efficient inspections. Without an in-house inspector, paying for an outside inspector to visit is your alternative.
OSHA defines a qualified crane inspector as one who can resolve problems related to crane inspection by drawing on formal training or extensive knowledge and experience. Some industry bodies have more specific requirements. For example, for the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA) to recognize a crane inspector as qualified, the inspector must:
- Have at least 2,000 hours of field experience maintaining, repairing, servicing, and testing cranes.
- Have formal training in federal, state, and local codes and safety standards.
- Understand safety and design codes related to cranes.
- Know safe crane operating practices.
- Know how to write an inspection report and follow appropriate documentation procedures.
- Understand crane terminology to communicate with worksite personnel.
While crane inspectors must be qualified to conduct the more rigorous inspections needed for a new crane and after each year of use, competent persons can conduct routine visual inspections.
OSHA defines the competent person for crane inspection as someone capable of identifying worksite hazards the crane may cause and is authorized to address these issues if they find any. These competent persons could be crane operators or worksite supervisors.
Which Cranes Require Inspection?
OSHA regulations require inspections for power-operated construction machines that hoist, lower, and move suspended loads. This applies to all cranes, including mobile, tower, and any other crane or derrick on your worksite.
When Must Crane Inspections Take Place?
All newly assembled or modified cranes need inspection by a qualified person before being used on a worksite. This includes load testing for overhead cranes.
Besides the main scheduled inspections, additional inspections may be required if, for example, a crane is idle for three months or longer.
After the initial inspection, cranes used for construction must undergo three main types of inspection, each happening at different times.
1. Daily Shift Inspections
This is a visual check any competent person can do without needing certification. The competent person, such as a crane operator, must check the crane before each shift to assess if it is ready for work.
The aim is to identify any deficiencies that could cause safety hazards. If the inspector finds any deficiencies in the crane, they should investigate further and correct the problem if this is necessary and they can do so. If they cannot correct the deficiency, they must keep the crane out of service until it is repaired and ready to pass inspection.
Daily inspections do not require documentation, but having a checklist to guide a thorough inspection is helpful. Items to add to this checklist include:
- Controls.
- Safety devices.
- Hydraulics.
- Latches and hooks.
- Pressurized lines.
- Reeving and wire rope.
- Electronics.
- Cab windows.
- Tires.
Some crane deficiencies are only noticeable while the crane is operating, so it is important for operators to be competent and vigilant even after the crane passes its daily visual inspection.
2. Monthly Inspections
A competent crane operator or supervisor can conduct this inspection, which involves the same visual checks as the daily inspection. The inspector must document each monthly inspection and always retain the documentation from at least the last three monthly crane inspections, as the qualified inspector will examine these records for the annual inspection. Besides the frequency and documentation requirements, the only difference between the monthly and daily inspections is that tower cranes require two extra checks during each monthly inspection:
- Checking the mast bolts and structural bolts from the base up
- Inspecting the upper-most tie-in, braces, floor supports, and floor wedges supporting the tower crane
Although a competent person can complete monthly inspections, consider entrusting them to a qualified inspector if you have one on your team. A qualified inspector has the skills to conduct a thorough, compliant inspection every time.
3. Annual Inspections
These are more comprehensive inspections by a qualified person that all cranes in construction must undergo at least once yearly. Along with repeating all the checks from the daily and monthly inspections, the annual inspection involves checking the entire crane for deformation, excessive wear, inaccuracies, cracks, and leaks. It also involves functional testing, checking the last three monthly inspection records, and following up on any deficiencies. Completing this inspection may require disassembling the crane.
If the inspector finds any deficiencies, they must assess them, decide whether they undermine safety, and take the crane out of service until the necessary repairs are complete. Any deficiencies found not to present hazards should go onto the monthly inspection checklist for follow-up.
Systems and components to check at the annual inspection, besides those covered in the daily and monthly inspections, include:
- Brake and clutch systems.
- Booms and jibs.
- Bearings, pins, shafts, rollers, and gears.
- Locking devices.
- Hoses, tubing, and fittings.
- Stabilizer or outrigger pads or floats.
- Pumps and motors.
- Drums and sheaves.
If you use a tower crane, the inspector should also check the condition and torque of the tower and turntable bolts. For all annual inspections, the inspector should complete a document with the checklist of inspected items, the results, and the inspector's signature and name. You must retain this document for at least a year.
Become a Qualified Crane Inspector With CICB
If your worksite relies on cranes, inspections are vital for your project's safety, compliance, and productivity. The best way to keep up with your inspections and maintain compliance is to have a qualified inspector on your team. With crane inspector training from CICB, you or a team member could prepare to become a qualified inspector.
CICB training programs provide all the knowledge and experience you need to comply with OSHA regulations and CMAA, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and Certification for Crane Operators (CCO) standards. You will learn from certified crane inspection experts who are also certified in adult education to provide a quality training experience. Our training programs are available on-site at our Texas, Florida, and Arizona locations or at your company's facilities. Choose the model that suits you, and we deliver the expertise you need to prepare to become a qualified, OSHA-compliant crane inspector.
Contact us today to learn about crane inspection training with CICB's experts.
About The Author
CICB’s Texas Operations Manager John O’Connor, has held the position of senior instructor/inspector for CICB since 2006. He has a total of 28 years of experience in training, inspections, operations, planning, maintenance, administration, and personnel management for various types of lifting and earth moving equipment. He maintains a high level of proficiency in teaching crane and heavy equipment operations, inspections, and rigging using best practices, applicable OSHA, ASME and API standards and regulations. O’Connor holds NCCCO certifications for Operator, Inspector, Rigger, Signal Person, and Lift Director. He is also a NCCCO accredited Practical Examiner for Mobile and Articulating Boom Cranes, Overhead Cranes, Rigger, and Signal Person.
