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Tower Cranes |
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How Tower Cranes Work
Tower cranes are a common fixture at any major construction site. They're pretty hard to miss -- they often rise hundreds of feet into the air, and can reach out just as far. The construction crew uses the tower crane to lift steel, concrete, large tools like acetylene torches and generators, and a wide variety of other building materials.
Tower Crane Image Gallery - When you look at one of these cranes, what it can do seems nearly impossible: Why doesn't it tip over? How can such a long boom lift so much weight? How is it able to grow taller as the building grows taller? If you have ever wondered about how tower cranes work, then this article is for you. In this article, you'll find out the answers to all of these questions and more!
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| Anatomy of Tower Crane |
Safety Aspects of Tower Cranes
The safety of tower cranes essentially depends on the measures taken by
the manufacturers and the tower cranes’ operating companies
Tower Crane Accidents/Collapses:Mecca crane collapse: Saudi inquiry into Grand Mosque disaster
The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque as it was filled with worshippers, less than two weeks before the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Mobile tower crane falls 180 feet to the ground killing the crane operator.
During the summer of 1997 a 36-year-old employee for a crane service company was killed while working on top of a portable tower crane. The crane was set up at a large wind farm, to assemble a large wind turbine.
Construction Equipment - Crane, derrick, and hoist
Moving large, heavy loads is crucial to today's manufacturing and construction industries. Much technology has been developed for these operations, including careful training and extensive workplace precautions. There are significant safety issues to be considered, both for the operators of the diverse "lifting" devices, and for workers in proximity to them. This page is a starting point for finding information about these devices, including elevators and conveyors, and their operation.
Construction Equipment - Crane, derrick, and hoist
Moving large, heavy loads is crucial to today's manufacturing and construction industries. Much technology has been developed for these operations, including careful training and extensive workplace precautions. There are significant safety issues to be considered, both for the operators of the diverse "lifting" devices, and for workers in proximity to them. This page is a starting point for finding information about these devices, including elevators and conveyors, and their operation.
Crane, derrick, and hoist safety hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry, marine terminals, longshoring, gear certification, and the construction industry.
The
recent tower crane collapse incidents in Korea and the UK have once again
brought to our awareness the death and destruction that can be caused by these
towering behemoths. Although these two accidents resulted in the death of one
operator and the other seriously injured, the casualties and property damage
could have been much worse.
Regardless of location; governmental regulators, independent
safety organizations, and industry experts have held countless conferences over
the past 10 years lobbying to improve standards. surprisingly the thrust of
this attention has been focused primarily on the “operator”, mandating them to
extensive regulations and responsibilities far beyond their job title, yet the
statistics show operators are only responsible for 13% of accidents. Incredibly
those culpable for the vast majority of tower crane accidents (69%) are held to
much lesser standards. For the most part they are only “presumed” to be
qualified based on hear-say, rather then documented - specific training,
experience and licensing. For instance here in the U.S. a “Hairdressers” must
complete 1,500 hours of training, be tested in both written and practical
skills, and then be licensed. Yet few if any; erectors, inspectors and others
who work with cranes could comply similarly that which is required of a
Hairdresser!
Manufacturers should also be held accountable. Very
few offer accessible Erection / Dismantling and Climbing
training, and quite often their manuals regarding these procedures are unclear
and deficient. It’s no wonder that those in the field resort to unsanctioned
methods which are prevalent throughout the industry. Another alarming
issue is access to Manufacturer “Campaign Bulletins”. These manufacturer safety
alerts are currently only distributed to crane vendors, who
are reluctant to make known potential problems with the cranes their trying to
sell/rent. In this day and age, manufacturers should be mandated to allow
unrestricted access to these vital crane safety bulletins, especially to crane
inspectors.
Crane Operator Programs at Ontario Colleges
What
to expect from a career as a Crane Operator
Learning to
operate a crane may seem like an overly specialized career choice, but crane
operators are in short supply, and consequently, are in high demand. To become
a crane operator, you must have knowledge of machinery, attention to detail and
most importantly a recognition and respect for workplace and machine safety.
Crane operator programs at Ontario colleges can help you gain this unique
combination of skills and knowledge.
If you’d like to
become a crane operator and start a career in the construction industry, here’s
what you need to know.
Crane
Operator Courses
Crane operator programs are offered as
apprenticeships, which means much of the curriculum will be focused on
on-the-job training. In class work will consist of theory classes on crane and
workplace safety, wire, rope and rigging instruction, crane maintenance, and also
learning operations for both hydraulic and conventional cranes.
General Crane Operator Program
Requirements
In order to register for Ontario college crane
operator programs, students must have received their Offer of Training letter
from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and
Universities.
Crane
Operator Jobs and Salaries
Crane operators have numerous responsibilities –
they are charged with the assembly and operation of machines capable of lifting
and moving more than 1600 pounds, which is no small feat. On top of this, crane
operators are also expected to maintain, clean and inspect their equipment and
plan their lifts for efficiency, safety and to meet objectives.
Crane operators are employed across a number of
different sectors, from commercial building developers and construction firms
to manufacturing companies. Salaries can start as low as
approximately $32,000 per year, but can more than double depending on the job
and with experience and further certification.
Ontario
Colleges Offering Crane Operator Programs
Use the left-column navigation to refine your
search by College, Program Availability, Program Start Date and more, or see
the table below for a complete list of crane operator programs at Ontario
colleges.
Apr 14, 2016 / BEIJING — Authorities in southern China say 18 people have been
killed and 18 others hospitalized following the collapse of a massive overhead
crane at a construction site amid a fierce windstorm. The 80-ton crane fell
directly onto two-story ...
Construction site accident kills 18 - Investigation Launched.
Chinese authorities said Thursday that
18 people were killed and another 18 were injured in an accident at a
construction site in Dongguan city in the eastern Guandong province Wednesday.
The accident occurred after a crane fell on a shed that was sheltering the
construction workers due to heavy winds, South China Morning Post (SCMP)
reported...
Major Construction Crane Accident Hornsby, Sydney, Australia
February 26, 2016
Neighbors to a construction site in Hornsby Australia were evacuated after a
tower crane collapsed in Hornsby, a town in the northwest of Sydney. Fire and
Rescue did not believe that wind was the cause at the time. Three blocks of
buildings were evacuated nearby and cranes...
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