Lifting appliances and loose gear

• Pages: 113-171

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4. Lifting appliances and loose gear

4.1. Basic requirements

4.1.1. General requirements

1. Every lifting appliance and item of loose gear should

be:

— of good design and construction, of adequate strength

for its intended use and free from any patent defect;

— made to a recognized international or national standard;

— tested, thoroughly examined, marked and inspected in

accordance with section 4.2;

— maintained in good working order.

2. Occupational safety is affected not only by the de-

sign of lifting appliances but also by that of their accessories

and other loose gear used with them. The proper design and

maintenance of all of them are essential, since breakage of

any of them may cause serious accidents. Deterioration may

be visible, as when it starts from the surface, or concealed in-

ternally; in either case, the mechanical strength of the ma-

terial is reduced.

3. Documentation (as appropriate) relating to lifting

appliances should include:

— a driver’s instruction manual;

— an erection manual;

— a maintenance manual;

— a spare parts manual;

— the manufacturer’s certification of fitness for use;

— a certificate of test and thorough examination after

initial erection;

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— the manufacturer’s certificates for wire ropes installed

on cranes;

— examination and maintenance records.

4.1.2. Brakes

1. Every power-operated lifting appliance should be

provided with an efficient brake or brakes capable of stop-

ping a load while it is being lowered.

2. The brakes should normally be applied automati-

cally when:

— the motion control lever is returned to its neutral position;

— any emergency stop is operated;

— there is any power supply failure;

— in the case of electrically operated brakes, there is a

failure of one phase or a significant drop in voltage or

frequency of the power supply.

3. Band brakes generally act in a preferential direction

and are sometimes jerky. They should only be used for

emergency braking. Brakes with symmetrical jaws and two

pairs of pivots have a gradual action.

4. A slewing brake should be capable of holding the jib

stationary with the maximum safe working load suspended

at its maximum radius when the maximum in-service wind

acts in the most adverse direction. Sudden application of the

brake should not damage the jib.

5. The brake lining or pads should remain adequately

secured during their working life. Unless the brake is self-

adjusting, appropriate means should be provided to permit

brake adjustment to be readily carried out in safety.

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6. The design of electrically operated brakes should en-

sure that the operating solenoid cannot be accidentally

energized by the back electromotive force of any motor

driven by the crane, by a stray or rogue current or by break-

down of any insulation.

4.1.3. Electrical supply

1. Self-reeling flexible cables should not allow long

lengths of cable to drag on the ground where they can be ex-

posed to damage. Outlets should generally be not more than

50 m apart. The use of motorized reels is preferable to

springs or counterweights. Reels on quay cranes should be

placed on the waterside, preferably on the outside of the

gantry legs.

2. Trolley systems should be fed by overhead conduc-

tors or conductors in channels.

3. Overhead conductors should be sufficiently high to

prevent contact by a vehicle or its load. Supports should be

protected by suitable barriers where necessary.

4. Channels for conductors should be properly drained

and designed to prevent entry of any object likely to cause

danger.

4.1.4. Safe working load (SWL)

1. The safe working load (SWL) of all lifting appliances

and items of loose gear should be based on the factors of

safety set out in Appendix E.

2. Every lifting appliance and item of loose gear should

be marked with its safe working load. The markings

should be in kilograms if the safe working load is 1 tonne or

less, or in tonnes if it is more than 1 tonne.