NTT Blog

What is Hoisting and Rigging in Industrial Settings?

The ability to safely move heavy loads from one location to another is important for the success of your business. Your employees should know how to safely use hoists in the movement of bulky goods. Hoists rely on slings to hold the suspended loads and they are important in the handling of materials.

Selecting the right sling for the job is only the first step in the hoisting and rigging process. The next step should be to ensure that your employees learn how to safely hold and move suspended loads by providing them with safety training.

Potential Dangers During Hoisting and Rigging

According to OSHA, there are approximately 125,000 cranes in the United States. Cranes help ease construction and other industrial projects. However, just like other heavy machinery improper safety practices and inattention to detail can cause tragic accidents. You should not understate the dangers of improper crane operations. By understanding some of the common causes of accidents during hoisting and rigging, you can help reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries and fatalities. Some of the common causes of crane accidents include:

Dropped goods due to improper rigging

Hoisting and rigging involve the movement of heavy and oversized goods, but when it’s not done right, your goods may be dropped which can endanger both your workers and your property. Failed rigging is often as a result of human error, from improper hoisting and rigging procedures to utilizing broken machinery. A single wrong move can cause the bulky goods to slide and fall.

Improper weight calculations

Different rigging equipment have different weight limits and excess weight can cause failure leading to boom collapsing. To avoid the collapse of your goods, ensure that your employees adhere to the indicated weight limits. Additionally, your employees should be able to calculate the total weight when preparing a load and include the weight of the hooks and chains that secure loads.

Crane tipping

Crane tipping is extremely dangerous for your workers. Although these incidents are rare most of them are caused by wrong outrigger use. This is often related to poor ground conditions, including excavation, depressions, uneven grading, and voids.

When the pad is placed on wet, unleveled, or unstable surfaces your crane operator may be unable to control the crane positioning. Through safety training, your employees will be able to conduct inspections, manage deflection levels and analyze the ground conditions.

Electrocution

Although more and more towns and cities are shifting to underground power lines, it has not been implemented in all areas. Several areas still use overhead power lines and your crane operators should be keen when working in such areas. Unfortunately, recent OSHA statistics indicate that electrocution is responsible for one in every 10 construction deaths.

How Formal Training Will Help Your Employees to Better Handle Hoisting and Rigging Activities

Workers who are involved in hoisting and rigging tasks should receive safety training. Safety should be your foremost concern when it comes to tasks involving moving airborne loads. Safe rigging activities require knowledgeable riggers that are aware of all elements that can reduce capacity, affect hoisting and rigging safety, and ensure safe rigging, lifting, and landing of loads. Hoisting and rigging training will also teach your employees how to:

Select the right rigging equipment

Selecting rigging equipment is very important as it can make or break hoisting and rigging activities at your workplace. However, through employee training, your employees will learn how to calculate the weight and size of the loads and the capability of your rigging equipment. Understanding the weight limit of rigging equipment from the hoists and ropes to the slings and hooks will enable your workers to create a strong structure that cannot be stretched beyond its limits.

Communicating effectively

Worksites tend to be noisy and it’s important to have clear communication when rigging equipment are being used. Your crane operators will need directions of sling loads and cranes which are out of sight. Through training, your employees will learn how to communicate effectively when giving directions using a radio or whistle. Mastery of this skill will greatly help to reduce worksite disasters caused by misunderstandings.

Using rigging equipment safely

Hoisting and rigging activities require your employees to work at great heights that can be risky. Therefore, it’s important that your employees have the right procedures to ensure the safety of both those in the air and those on the ground. This involves assembling of the equipment correctly so that it can maintain its integrity when being used. Through safety training, your employees will learn about perimeter safety screens and safety nets.

Accidents can happen anytime, but through formal hoisting and rigging training, you can help prevent them. To help reduce or eliminate employee accidents, visit NTT Training today if you need more information.

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