More On Cranes

Beth Janicek

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 395

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Due to the exorbitant amount of crane accidents, with Texas leading the nation in crane fatalities, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation is stressing safety precautions to all employees and employers. They also recommend employers to be proactive regarding more frequent crane inspections.

Requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding crane operation and inspections indicate that employers shall do the following:

• “comply with the crane manufacturer's specifications and limitations for operating a crane;
• have a competent person inspect cranes prior to and during each use to make sure they are in safe operating condition; cranes should not be operated with defective or broken apparatus;
• thoroughly inspect hoisting machinery each year by a competent person or by a government or private agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor; and
• maintain records of the dates and results of inspections for each piece of equipment.”

For more information about obtaining safety resources, visit the TDI-DWC website at http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/safety/index.html, or call 1.800.687.7080. For OSHA’s safety regulations regarding cranes you can visit their website at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cranehoistsafety/standards.html.