How General Steel Crane & Rigging Focuses on Safety on Job Sites
When renting a crane, the safety of your project is paramount. Cranes have an incredible lifting power that can boost the efficiency and safety of your project. But achieving that safe performance requires both expertise and teamwork. You need the right crane for the job, a well-designed lifting plan, a skilled operator, and a team ready to make full use of the lifted objects as they are raised aloft and lowered into place.
General Steel Crane & Rigging is dedicated to job site safety surrounding the use of our rented cranes. That is why we always go the extra mile to ensure your project is ready, your crane has an operator, and your equipment is kept in pristine working condition. The safety of your crew and project is of the utmost priority to us, and we will work with you to ensure that safety standards are met and your project can progress as planned.
Choosing the Right Crane for the Job
First, we take the time to help you choose the right crane for every job. We will consult with you on the terrain, environment, lifting tasks, and travel requirements. We will make sure that we are always planning to lift with the crane that offers the greatest stability and performance for your lifting needs.
You might need an all-terrain crane for versatile traversal, a truck crane for maneuverability over paved spaces, or a rough-terrain crane that can lift in off-road and rugged locations. You may need extra height, mid-lift maneuverability, or a specific loadout. General Steel Crane & Rigging will always match the right crane for the job.
Qualified and Experienced Personnel
Our people know cranes. We also have access to numerous skilled and licensed crane operators to ensure that your lift plan goes according to plan. Our licensed lift operators are familiar with our cranes and know how to avoid over-extending them, can balance a workload, and help the crane navigate through complex building tasks.
Our lifting pros can assist you with developing a lifting plan, among other procedures, to ensure a smooth building process. A lifting plan outlines exactly what you need to lift, where the lift will take place, parameters to complete the lift, and how to enhance the safety of each lifting stage. The lifting plan is not just part of project planning; it’s also crucial to planning for safety.
The General Steel 10-Point Lift Safety Checklist
A proper lifting plan isn’t just a part of project management; it is the foundation of job site safety. Before any object is raised aloft, our team ensures the following parameters are rigorously checked and verified:
- Conduct a Terrain & Environment Audit: Assess the ground conditions, grade steepness, and surrounding environmental factors to ensure stable footing.
- Define Lifting Tasks & Travel Requirements: Clearly outline the exact items being moved, their weight, and the distance/path the crane must travel.
- Select the Correct Crane Classification: Match the specific job requirements to the highest-performing crane type (e.g., all-terrain, rough-terrain, or truck crane) to maximize stability.
- Verify Operator Licensing & Expertise: Ensure the assigned operator is fully licensed, highly experienced, and familiar with the specific crane model being deployed.
- Establish Exact Lift Parameters: Document precisely what is being lifted, the pickup location, the drop-off location, and the specific parameters required to complete the lift safely.
- Calculate Workload Balance: Mathematically confirm the load distribution to balance the workload and strictly avoid over-extending the crane’s boom or capacity.
- Map Obstacle Navigation: Pre-plan the crane’s movements to safely navigate through complex building tasks, scaffolding, or uneven ground.
- Perform Pre-Deployment Maintenance Check: Verify that the crane has been expertly maintained, inspected, and calibrated before it ever arrives at the job site.
- Establish On-Site Maintenance Protocols: Confirm that a service crew is either on-site or on-call, ready to handle calibrations, emergency repairs, or parts replacement without cutting corners.
- Optimize the Daily Lifting Plan: Review and adjust the lifting plan daily with the operator and ground crew to account for changing job site variables and to enhance the safety of every lifting stage.
Proactive Preparation for Safety
Our teams are always ready to help you prevent a safety incident. Proactive preparation is what makes some people ready for anything, including crane maintenance. We always make sure a service crew is on-site and ready to handle little matters of calibration, repairs, or parts replacement.
We make sure every crane is expertly maintained before we send it out to your job site.
We send operators to ensure someone is skilled in piloting the crane and to help optimize the daily lifting plan.
We also send on-call maintenance crews to handle maintenance, cleaning, and emergency repairs or part replacement to keep your crane both efficient and safe, and on track to complete your lifting plan on time.
We take the essential precautionary steps for the safe use of a rental crane. We are also always ready to provide safety advice and tips to clients to make the entire project go more smoothly without a safety incident.
Choose General Steel Crane & Rigging
General Steel Crane & Rigging is your partner in safe on-site construction. Our cranes are carefully selected to suit your needs. If you don’t have a pro crane operator, we’ll send one to ensure your crane can lift and maneuver safely at all times. And if your crane has a maintenance concern, we have repair teams ready to keep your crane in top condition throughout the length of your project.
These are the ways we keep job sites safe with every crane we rent.
Image credit: Summer Paradive / Shutterstock
