Cranes are a valuable workplace tool, but they have also proven themselves to be capable of tremendous injury and death. If your worksite involves a crane, there are a number of safety steps that your employer must take to protect employees. These safety considerations apply to both the crane operator and the crew working near the crane as it operates.Both the operator and crew must be adequately trained and clear worksite communication must be maintained so that the crane’s movements can be avoided by those working in its vicinity.
Risks Posed by Cranes in the Workplace:
Travel Accidents: Many cranes are now mobile, meaning they move from site to site under their own power and are not assembled on site. These mobile cranes are massive vehicles and can have many moving parts and poor sight lines. As a result, crushing and pinching injuries can occur as work crews move around the cranes and their articulated parts.
Falling Crane Loads: Cranes are useful because they are able to lift heavy loads vertically. But with insufficient training, insufficient slings or wires to secure the load or cranes used in high winds, the load can break free, falling and endangering workers in the vicinity.
Crane Boom Collisions: Poorly trained crane operators, operating in high winds, or operating in tight conditions can result in collisions between the crane’s boom and nearby buildings. Collisions can also occur if the crane operator lacks adequate visibility or does not have a signal person to direct the crane’s movements. In any of these situations, falling debris from the struck building can pose a potentially fatal risk to those working in the vicinity, as can a collapsed boom itself.
Overhead Powerlines and Electrocution: Power lines pose a tremendous danger to crane operators and workers on the ground. Those supervising crane should ensure that any live wires are de-energized prior to crane work occurring. When working near live power lines is unavoidable, extra precautions may be required. Employers should provide proximity alarms or a spotter to alert the operator to nearby overhead lines.
Tip-overs: An unstable crane is a dangerous crane. If the crew in charge of setting up the crane lacks the training or experience to set it up in a safe manner, a deadly tip-over may occur. Employers sometimes try to cut corners by not hiring experienced riggers who know how to position the crane’s pad and outriggers so that it can stand under the torsion and stress caused by lifting heavy loads at difficult angles. Similarly, inexperienced riggers may not realize that even if a crane appears to be set up correctly, soil stability and compactness can have a significant effect on the crane’s ability to bear weight. Unfortunately, these are technical, specialized skills that not all crews have. Failing to understand these intricacies can lead to dangerous tip-overs that endangers both the crane operator and workers on site.
What Should You Do If You Are Injured in a Crane Accident?
If you are injured on the job by a crane in Mississippi, you need to contact an experienced worker’s compensation attorney immediately. Having counsel by your side to guide you through the worker’s compensation process can mean the difference between a lifetime struggle and receiving the compensation you need to get back on your feet and make your family whole.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi worker’s compensation law firm, to represent you if you are injured in a crane accident.
Barrett Law has the experience to take on employers, insurance companies, and defense counsel that are focussed on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
