What is Crane Operator
Crane Operator is a precision placement piece of equipment. It can lift large loads and place them in precise locations if it has room for its parts and rigging. It can not pull, push or drag a load to its location. Side load on a boom is strictly forbidden for structural reasons on the Crane Operator. In some situations a crane can travel with a load if it is within its load limits, but past that, the crane has a specific job on a site, and is limited.
Advantages of Crane operator
- They can lift and move very heavy loads that would be impossible for human workers to move manually.
- They are able to reach high heights, making them useful for construction and maintenance work.
- They can move loads over long distances, making them useful for transportation and logistics.
Disadvantages of Crane operator
- They can be expensive to purchase, operate and maintain.
- They require skilled operators and maintenance personnel.
- They can be dangerous if not operated or maintained properly.
- They can be a source of noise and air pollution.
- They can be a hazard to people and property if they fail or collapse.
- They can be restricted by weather conditions such as high winds.
- They can block traffic and cause delays.
- They need a lot of space to operate.
Different Types of Crane Operator
Static Crane
Static cranes, as their name suggests, doesn’t show much movement. They are classified by the fact that they don’t move during their period of use from one place to another.
Tower Crane
Tower cranes are mostly used cranes in the world. It is the form of a balance crane that is fixed to the ground and also attached to the sides of structures. When it comes to the construction of tall buildings, they are by far, the most used type of crane.
Hammerhead Crane
The Hammerhead crane or the “Giant cantilever” crane is a fixed jib crane that provides a so-called “racking” motion. The design of this type of crane started in Germany. Hammerhead Crane was used in battleships, for installing large pieces like armor plates and gun barrels.
Level Luffing Crane
Level Luffing Crane has a special feature, which is the crane hook is designed to stay at a constant level. So, up and down movement of the crane will only move the jib arm towards or away from the base of the crane.
Telescopic Crane
Telescopic Cranes are another form of cranes that are employed to transport heavy goods, consisting of a large boom. The boom has got tubes fitted inside with each other which increases the height with the help of tubes through a hydraulic mechanism.
Mobile Crane
A mobile crane is a very simple cable-controlled machine with a telescopic boom attached to its platform. It comes in different shapes and sizes and can be classified into different types. There are more than a dozen types of these cranes.
Rough Terrain Crane
The rough terrain crane is the subclass of the hydraulic crane group. It is a self-propelled crane mounted on four rubber tires. They are specifically designed to operate on off-road and rough surfaces. They are usually used for building bridges, operation in power and chemical plants and in large-scale projects.
Truck-Mounted Crane
A crane mounted on a Truck provides the mobility for these types of crane. It is basically a self-propelled loading and unloading machine which consists of rotating cantilever boom. It uses the same engine for the undercarriage and the crane.
Crawler Crane
A Crawler Crane is a type of mobile crane that moves on tracks which are called crawlers. So, from here the name “Crawler” comes from. They are available with either a telescopic or lattice boom. It can move around the site without a set-up.
Aerial Crane/Flying Crane
An Aerial crane or flying crane is a helicopter that is used to lift heavy loads. They are also called “Sky Cranes”. The most common use of the aerial crane is in the logging industry to lift large trees out of remote areas where the land is unsuitable for the use of ordinary cranes.
Railroad Crane
Railroad Cranes move on railway tracks. They are mainly used for construction and repair of railway tracks and their maintenance. They have three primary purposes:
- Freight handling
- Permanent way maintenance
- Accident recovery work
Floating Crane
Floating Cranes are ships equipped with a crane that is specialized in lifting heavy loads. They are typically used for offshore construction. They are used in bridge building and port construction, but they can also be used for lifting awkward and unconventional loads from on and off the ship.
Safety Precautions of Tower Crane Operator
Attention should be paid to the following safety issues when operating Crane Operator:
(1) Concentration, mutual cooperation, and specially assigned person command. Lifting operations should have professional command. Power supply and hydraulic systems, etc. should be operated by specially assigned person.
(2) Workers at high place shall strictly comply with the high place safe operating procedure.
(3) Inspect the steel wire ropes, retaining rings, connecting bolts, pins, etc., and replace the damaged or fatigue cracked parts in time. Regularly check the lubricating condition of ring gear, rotation parts, wire rope, etc.
(4) Making sure that the cable insulation is good, the position switch action is sensitive and reliable.
(5) When several Crane Operator are working on the same site, the height difference between the adjacent Crane Operator should not be less than the height of the instructions required.
(6) Check the positioning pin, adjust the guide wheel clearance. Do not rotate the tower head during mast section raising procedure. Mast section raising operation at night is prohibited.
(7) After the mast section raising, check whether the power is cut off. Left and right joystick shall be returned to the middle position. Anchorage frame guide wheel and tower body shall be disengagement. Bolts on each section shall be tightened firmly.
(8) There should be good grounding facilities for the Crane Operator. Only related workers is permitted to stay at the installation area. When wind force level above 3, tower crane operation is not allowed.
(9) Anchorage device should be checked regularly to prevent slipping & loosing to cause accident.
(10) Cabin shall be equipped with firefighting provision.
