Everyone loves new stuff... who doesn’t? The real question to ask, though, is if the new stuff perfect? Well, it is new so that should mean it’s perfect. Sadly, that assumption may not be the smart one. Every time you receive new equipment you should take the time to inspect it. According to 2015 Top […]

When it comes to the summertime we often think about and plan family road trips. Before getting on the road, we would typically have the car inspected and maintained. Cranes should be no different, and crane operators should be completing a pre-shift inspection already. When it comes time for the annual inspection, this is something […]

5 Key Questions for Developing a Sound Lift Plan Original Post: Travelers.com Crane lifts can be one of the most dangerous tasks happening on the construction job site. In best practices, it can also be one of the safest. To begin, it all starts with a solid lift plan. Here are a few key questions you […]

Put Your Junk In The Trunk – Emotional Distractions Distractions are known as the leading causes to accidents on job sites. For example, someone may be reading a text, tweeting about last night’s party or talking on the phone with a loved one. Any of these examples are quite common causes for accidents. Although, there […]

When we hear about a crane tipping over we often automatically assume that it was caused by lifting an object heavier than what the crane can endure. However, crane tipping accidents frequently occur with loads below the threshold of the crane. For example, Crane Tech posted an article about a mobile crane tipping over from […]

With lightning season approaching, it is best to learn and understand the safety regulations in regards to lightning. Lightning is a dangerous, spontaneous, and wild thing. Understanding what the proper procedures are and how to apply them is very important. Here are a couple things we should be most concerned about. When to suspend operations, […]

As kids, we were told to not ask “Why?” but to just do what we're told. This is the complete opposite when it comes to safety on a job site – knowing why an accident, incident, or near miss occurred. Per the basics of project management, learning from failure – or preferably learning without failure […]

With mobile cranes, there are three basic components that have individual center of gravity points. These are the superstructure, carrier and boom. Each of these components has its own center of gravity. Depending on how each piece is positioned, it can affect the other's center of gravity. Let’s break down each component and see what […]

When using rigging gear, or any gear for that matter, do you assume it's in perfect condition just because it's new? Sadly, we cannot look at it that way. Safety is requiring everyone to start assuming less and hold your contractors and vendors to a higher standard. Crane Tech came across a serious issue during […]

If you've watched our Sims Crane Minute videos, you'll recall how Bob Berry reminds us of the importance of good communication for a safe, smooth crane and rigging operation. The basic hand signals used by crane operators have been developed by professionals in the crane and rigging industry. They're universally recognized communication techniques and adopted […]