NEW YORK, July 15, 2009 - Considering the value of cranes and the high proportional value they make up of many equipment schedules, a panel
consisting of Howard (JR) Bristow, President, Bristow Truck & Equipment Specialists; Jay Shiffler, Vice President of Business Development, WHECO
Corp.; and Ralf Vieten, Vice President of Operations, WHECO Corp. gave the more than 190 attendees of the 79th IMUA Annual Meeting a "birds-eye"
view of lessons from losses from underwriting cranes.
The panel based their discussions on several recent crane losses highlighting what went wrong; why it went wrong;-, what were the costs involved;
and ways in which the loss might have been prevented. The group also discussed the current status of OSHA’s C-DAC efforts on crane operator
certification i.e. who certifies the operators, and how good is that certification.
Beginning the discussion and acting as moderator, Jay Shiffler pointed out that the recent tragic crane accidents in Washington, New York and Miami
have brought greater attention to the crane industry. He noted the major causes of crane accidents are generally avoidable. He said, "Most losses
stem from assembly or disassembly; boom buckling or collapse; mechanical failure; crane upset; rigging failure; overloading; or over the road accidents
- all with some element of human error attached."
Looking specifically at the five separate case studies - a petrochemical facility accident; a wind farm accident; utility construction rigging
failure; highway construction tandem lift; improper set-up; and over-the-road - JR Bristow noted the number one leading causes of accidents, such
as these, are "...gravity and stupidity." "People become complacent, especially after doing this for so many years, and do not run their calculations.
More accidents occur at the end of the day or at the end of the week. No one ever calls you first thing on a Monday morning about an accident," he said.
Bristow noted that as technology has become more sophisticated, so has the cost of repair. For instance, a $4.5 million piece of equipment that was
extensively damaged at a wind farm Kansas when the operator was walking the crane between wind towers on an unimproved road. The crane was walking
on a slight downhill grade when it became unstable and tipped over. "The recovery cost was $87,640, the repair cost was $1,493,037, and the freight
cost was $135,848. The time to repair was 150 days. This was a costly operator mistake."
Citing another example of a crane accident on a highway overpass project where the two cranes, one slightly larger than the other, were making a
tandem lift when the larger crane "overpowered" the smaller one causing the smaller crane to tip over and drop the load, Mr. Vieten pointed out that
with tandem lifts, precise timing and coordination are required. "Lift planning is essential. And, while a written lift plan is not required, it is
preferred."
The panel concluded with an in-depth discussion on new regulations including OSHA’s push to finalize C-DAC, a safety standard for cranes and derricks
in construction that would replace the existing 1926.550. The new regulation would include:
He concluded with a review of operator training vs. certification vs. licensing. He notes that while there are several companies who offer operator
training, only two offer operator certification that are ANSI accredited. They are NCCCO and NCCER. He cautioned, "Be aware, licensing is different
from certification. Licensing is the most restrictive of the various forms of granting or gaining credential. Certification, on the other hand, is
usually a voluntary process instituted by a non-governmental agency in which individuals are recognized for their knowledge and skill."
He notes that currently there are 16 states and six cities that have licensing requirements.
IMUA is the national association for the commercial inland marine insurance industry. IMUA serves as an industry voice of its member companies
representing approximately 90 percent of all commercial inland marine insurers in the U.S. The Association provides its members with comprehensive
educational programs including research papers and bulletins, industry analysis and live/web seminars. IMUA was founded in 1930.
Mr. Shiffler then noted that the revised ASME/ANSI B30.5 standard is just that "a standard, not a regulation." It does however, define the
responsibilities of the crane owner, user, site supervisor, lift director and operator.