Avoiding the Slippery Slope: Crane Setup Starts with Solid Ground Conditions
In October 2014, crane industry veteran Tracy Bennett authored an excellent ground conditions article entitled, “Avoiding the Slippery Slope: Crane Setup Starts with Solid Ground Conditions” in Crane & Rigging Hot Line.
Our team was asked to contribute to the article and assisted by defining Ground Load Rating and Soil Bearing Capacity in addition to providing images and graphics.
The focus of the article is the importance of providing adequate ground conditions for cranes. Read the full article in the October 2014 issue of Crane & Rigging Hot Line or see below for the highlights.
- In 2010, OSHA’s Cranes & Derricks in Construction rule, 1926 Subpart CC, addressed for the first time that the controlling entity of the job site must ensure that the ground where a crane will be working is level and provides adequate support. This includes the travel route, assembly/disassembly area, and the set up areas for any assist cranes or trailers.
- “Providing adequate ground conditions to support the crane and the load is among the most commonly misunderstood and disagreed upon topics related to safe crane setup, according to contractors and crane providers. “Ground conditions is a muddy issue at best,” quipped Chip Pocock, Safety and Risk Manager at Buckner Companies, Graham, N.C.
- “And it’s not an issue reserved only for highly engineered lifts. Firm, level ground is foundational to the success of any lift, even the common ones. “Figuring out what the ground is good for in a particular area is difficult for engineered lifts, and even more so for the everyday ones,” said David Duerr, P.E., 2DM Associates Inc., Houston, Texas.
- According to Richard Mikut Jr., a Construction Engineer for Babcok & Wilcox Construction Co., Barberton, Ohio, “The existing soil conditions and bearing pressures imposed on them by cranes have become increasingly scrutinized in the construction industry.”
Click here to continue reading the full article at Crane Hotline.
To learn more about DICA’s engineered products that can help make your set up safe, see the following links for our Outrigger Pad, Crane Pad, Cribbing and Magentic Sling Protector Products.