What You Need to Know About Crane Servicing

Overhead cranes are used in a vast array of different industries, from the production of trucks and passenger vehicles through to various functions in waste water treatment facilities, metal service centres and aviation – among many more. The purpose of the overhead crane is to move and hold the heaviest of loads, so they’re often built to withstand almost any weight. However, a piece of equipment of this size and weight can be dangerous if it isn’t used correctly or hasn’t been serviced or inspected for potential faults recently. Crane servicing is far too important a responsibility to sweep under the carpet or put off until a current job is done. Here are some things you need to know.

Why is Crane Servicing Important?

There are many reasons why it’s important to schedule regular inspections and maintenance for your overhead crane. Firstly, it’s a protective measure for your investment – identifying potential faults before they escalate into genuine problems reduces the expense and the amount of down time waiting for the crane to be fixed. Secondly, crane servicing improves workplace efficiency, as you’ll be working with equipment that is in peak condition. Thirdly, crane servicing is crucial for workplace safety. And finally, keeping up your scheduled inspections can protect you to an extent from a liability standpoint. If a fault occurs with the crane, you can prove you’ve not been negligent by showing records of regular crane servicing.

Why Do Crane Failures Happen?

It must be said from the outset that crane failures don’t usually happen without some sort of warning. It’s likely that there will be some sort of tell-tale sign that will present itself once the crane had been thoroughly assessed and serviced. Often with crane failures, the problem is that a crane has been serviced to meet AS 2550 standards, but not serviced or inspected frequently enough to account for the full duty cycle of the crane. In some situations, the faulty component might not have been included as part of the crane servicing contract agreement at the time and was therefore not inspected.

What Should be Inspected, and How Frequently Should Cranes be Inspected?

Any major crane servicing and inspection should comply with standard AS 2550. It should be extensive and include assessment of any wear, degradation, cracking or fatigue of any components of the crane that are critical to its safe operation and performance. A comprehensive inspection will always examine both structural and mechanical components of the crane.

A major crane inspection should always take place as a crane nears the end of its design life. Most won’t know the design life of their overhead crane, in which case any major inspection of the mechanical components should take place no longer than 10 years after use, while the structural elements should be inspected after no more than 25 years. In addition to major crane servicing, it’s also important that it undergoes pre-operational, routine periodic and third party periodic inspections to ensure optimal safety and performance.

Sally is an enthusiastic blogger and marketing manager. She maintains keen interest in progress and development in the marketing and business space.