The Importance of Routine Crane Inspections
Routine crane inspections, essential for several reasons, prevent downtime, enable efficient equipment operation and, perhaps most importantly, help ensure jobsite safety for operators and crews. The benefits, value, practices and technologies that facilitate effective crane inspections were the subject of recent conversations with two crane service experts, including:
- Jason Mackenzie, president, Select Crane Sales, LLC
- Kevin Perkins, parts & service manager, Reynolds Equipment
Q: How do routine crane inspections benefit operators and owners?
Perkins: Routine inspections drive reliability and confidence. They enable operators to be invested in the equipment, and for owners they identify shortcomings to be corrected by repair before failure. In addition, truck mounted cranes, all-terrain cranes and boom trucks require a Department of Transportation inspection, which looks at roadworthy components.
Mackenzie: By scheduling regular crane inspections or having a mobile technician visit the jobsite, preventive maintenance can be built into your timeline and keep your projects on track. For example, a crane technician might be able to order parts in advance instead of having a crane down, putting your project in jeopardy.
Q: Are there ways to measure the value of inspections in terms of lower costs, equipment reliability, service life and safety?
Mackenzie: When it comes to safety, the cost of preventing a catastrophic failure is priceless. You can’t put a monetary value on safety because the risks involved go far beyond just equipment operating costs and availability.
Perkins: Crane inspections lower operating costs and keep the equipment in good working order. That promotes reliability and maintains the value of your investment.
Q: What inspection practices and intervals do you recommend for cranes?
Perkins: Best practices for routine inspections include daily inspections by the operator, monthly inspections by a certified crane technician and annual inspections by a third-party provider. Those practices add layers to the level of attention given to each crane.
Mackenzie: As a standard practice, pre-shift inspections should be performed by the crane operator. Routine preventive maintenance inspections should also be completed, along with annual inspections.
Q: Do these differ by type of machine or application?
Mackenzie: While each manufacturer provides recommended maintenance guidelines, no one knows the machine, scope of work, and site conditions better than operators and owners. Considering these factors, along with feedback from your operators, it may be wise to err on the side of caution and schedule inspections and preventive maintenance more frequently to ensure optimal performance and safety.
Perkins: There are proper materials for each inspection that relate to different crane types. For example, crawler, telescopic, articulating boom, truck mounted cranes and boom trucks each require a different type of inspection.
Q: Are there on-board or shop systems and technologies that facilitate effective crane inspection programs?
Perkins: Systems and practices should be in place for keeping records of inspections, planning future inspections on a schedule and staying on that schedule. Recordkeeping, in any form, keeps inspections current and helps promptly identify shortcomings and repair deficiencies. Using appropriate documents for recording and identifying the required checks for each type of crane is the key to a successful inspection program.
Q: Do telematics systems play a role in crane inspections?
Perkins: Telematics assist in planning and forecasting routine inspections such as monthly and annual intervals.
Mackenzie: Telematics systems can certainly play a role in inspections, allowing for the ability to track hours on machines and help schedule regular service. Some newer, more advanced systems can even detect and alert operators to errors or faults in the equipment. However, we believe the operator is the most familiar with a machine’s condition and ultimately bears the greatest responsibility for its upkeep.
Q: What training is needed to ensure technicians and operators conduct effective inspections and how can crane operators access training programs for their personnel?
Mackenzie: There are multiple programs that offer training to become a certified crane inspector. When looking for an inspector, we feel hands-on experience in crane repair is an advantage. Service technicians who have been trained to work on all makes and models have the knowledge to determine when components outside of the standard inspection checklist might need repair.
Perkins: Training and knowledge of key elements ensure proper inspection techniques for each type of crane. Check with your local and state agencies for training programs and facilities and keep training for inspectors and operators up to date. Training also helps you keep abreast of requirements by specific agencies and changes in the industry.
