When the Crane Owner, Site Supervisor, Lift Director, and Crane User and Crane Operator are at a jobsite, it can become very confusing as to who is responsible for certain tasks relating to the work. These titles are used in industry standards and may not be what one is called in the field, which may add to the confusion. To help decipher the Site Supervisors role, let’s look at the five responsibilities of the Site Supervisor per ASME B30.5 that are commonly thought to be someone else’s task. Please be aware that in some situations, the Site Supervisor and the Lift Director may be the same person.
Chapter 5-2 of the ASME B30 regulation discusses the inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements of mobile cranes. Before a crane arrives at a jobsite, the Site Supervisor must ensure that the crane has been kept in acceptable condition and is safe to be used for the intended purpose.
Unfortunately, many cranes arrive at the jobsite and their annual inspection has expired or they have deficiencies that prevents the crane from being used until it has been rectified. These delays can cost companies thousands of dollars.
The Site Supervisor is the person that is best suited for coordinating with others on the site that could be impacted by crane work, or who in turn, could impact crane work. It is the Site Supervisor’s responsibility to verify that all parties are working together to limit risk and to keep work as efficient and safe as possible.
Many times, there is more than one company working at a site and there is no fluid communication between the Crane Operators. Work can be delayed, and people put at undue risk. With a little forward planning, schedules can be altered, when necessary, or lift plans changed to reflect other traffic. By ensuring that these things are coordinated, the Site Supervisor is helping keep everyone much safer.
This responsibility that is most often overlooked by the Site Supervisor as most believe this to be the Crane User’s obligation. With the Site Supervisor being the major authority at the site, he is responsible for ensuring that the crane and its crew have a safe place to work once there.
Some of the requirements of this section include preparation of access roads to move the cranes/equipment to the desired location, enough room for assembly or disassembly, acceptable operating areas, including the monitoring of ground conditions and hazards, and traffic control to restrict unauthorized access to the lift areas.
There are many items that can have an adverse effect on crane operations. Commonly seen are wind, rain, extreme temperatures, fog, lack of lighting, changes in ground conditions, and ice. Many companies do not have policies in place to address these situations and the regulations are vague. The Site Supervisors must ensure that any items that can adversely affect the operations are being addressed.
When conducting special lifting operations there are many items that must be taken into consideration and the standards are very clear on which requirements must be met in order to complete these lifts. It is the Site Supervisor’s responsibility to permit these lifts only if the requirements have been met.
For More Information on the Responsibilities of Site Supervisors, contact the Subject Matter Experts at CICB. You can also visit our standards page.