Luffing Tower Crane Analysis - Term Paper Example

Luffing Tower Crane Analysis Insert Your Name Insert Your Name Insert Tutors Name 12 February 2009 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………3 2.0 Legislations and Regulations Requirements…………………………………..3 3.0 Safe System of Works…………………………………………………………4 3.1 Equipments: Luffing Tower Crane………………….…………………4 3.2 Risk Assessment and Determination….……………………………….5 3.3 Employees Consideration……………………………………………...5 4.0 Luffing Tower Crane Hazards……………….………………………………..6 4.1 Luffing Tower Crane Accessories………….………………………….7 4.2 Stability of the Base……………………………………………………7 4.3 Hazards Associated With Luffing Tower Crane……………….………7 5.0 Mitigation of Hazards Associated with Luffing Tower Crane…….………….8 5.1 Luffing Tower Accessories…………………………………….………8 5.2 Stability of the Luffing Tower Crane………………………….……….8 5.3 Operation of Luffing Tower Crane Mitigation………………..………..9 6.0 Conclusion……………………………………………………………..………9 7.0 Bibliography…………………………………………………………..………11 1.0 Introduction Many factors plays an important role in ensuring that construction is successfully completed especially at the time that buildings are build at a faster rate. One of the areas that construction is commenced is University of Central Lancashire in which a four-storey car park is to be constructed. Thus, the aim of this report is to analyze risks, measures, statutory and other issues that play an important role in ensuring that luffing tower crane can successfully accomplishing duties of lifting loads. 2.0 Legislations and Regulations Requirements Lifting machines and construction works exposes workers and other personnel into various risk and statutory measures are in place to guide and derive measures to reduce the exposure. The statutory requirements and directives that plays crucial role are the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), Lifting Regulations 1997 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations 1998 (PUWER). PUWER replaced Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (Health and Executive 1998). These statutory directives control the way that lifting cranes in which the luffing tower crane is part in reducing or averting risks associated with it. Moreover, some statutory laws that include The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and Safe Use of Work Equipment, Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 protect labourers and workers who utilize this crane. These collection of laws and directives ensure that the luffing tower crane is suitable for use in the given construction plan, frequently inspected by a qualified person and maintained according to the requirements of the given machine (Health & Safety Executive 1999). 3.0 Safe System of Works Utilization of the luffing tower crane at the time of construction requires meeting the requirements of health and safety standards. In fact the ALARP and SFAIRP acronyms frequently used by the House and Safety Executive and UK safety management should play an important role in determining the vulnerability of the given tower crane. Thus, to ensure that the luffing tower crane and employees are safe, certain precautions should be placed into consideration. 3.1 Equipments: Luffing Tower Crane The luffing tower crane plays an important role in the construction of the car park since it is a four-storey building. However, for it to fulfil its requirements and it does not expose dangers to the workers, the crane should provide evidence that it is not a risk to the community. This aspect can be achieved through the way that the crane is frequently analyzed and updated. This is through determining whether the machine is suitable for the required job and is it capable of achieving its requirement. This can be achieved through documentation of accomplishments and any problem associated with the crane. The statutory laws especially LOLER and Lifts Regulations 1997 require that the crane should be frequently inspected. The inspection should be carried out by a person who is competent and unbiased at a given time interval. When there is a defect detected, it should be repaired by a qualified person at the earliest time possible. However, to avoid and to increase the lifetime of the crane, frequent and elaborate maintenance of the crane should be in place. Thus, ensuring that the luffing tower crane is suitable or applicable, frequently inspected and maintained will decrease or eliminate any risks attributed to health and safety. 3.2 Risk Assessment and Determination There is a saying that accidents are inevitable. However, the accidents occurrence may be reduced or eliminated, if the right strategies and approaches are in place. To reduce the vulnerability or accident exposure, advance risk assessment should be commenced to determine likely risky areas. According to the health and safety measures that are in the UK, risks should be reduced to a level that is reasonable practicable. This can be achieved through the understanding of the given risk exposure. Thus, a comprehensive risk assessment should be carried to determine the areas that may pose risk to the employees and equipments used. Nevertheless, when areas and points that are risky are traced appropriate measures should be taken to inhibit the extent of risk. This will clearly inform the employees’ measures to employ to tackle any risk, if it may occur or generally provide guidelines in reducing risks. 3.3 Employees Consideration Employees plays crucial role in ensuring that the car park is completed within its requirements. Thus, their health and safety concerns should be paramount. The machines and equipments that are used should be suitable for the given operations as depicted by PUWER and The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Thus, it can be achieved through inspection and maintenance of the luffing tower crane according to the instructions provided in the LOLER. Capability and protective measures should be in place to ensure that risks are greatly reduced through provision of the right gear. The luffing tower crane exposes employees various risks that can be reduced by providing proper clothing, e.g. boots, helmets and gloves. These facilities will ensure that all the people within the construction site are safe. The construction site should be fully understood by the employees. This is to enable the employees to understand where to go if there is a problem or if they require assistances. Hence, the employees should be inducted, especially new employees, in understanding the requirements of the given area. This means that the induction will ensure that the employees have knowledge on procedures, roles and arrangements of safety measures if any emergency may occur. Moreover, the employees according to the legislatives directives should be of good health and have the required qualifications to fulfil a given duty. The employees who utilize the luffing tower crane should understand that many avenues are there that risks may occur. Thus, they should be competent on the utilization of the luffing tower crane and be able to know appropriate measures to be taken when an accident occurs (Great Britain 2008). 4.0 Luffing Tower Crane Hazards Any equipment and tool that is utilized poses dangers to the people who utilize it. The luffing tower crane ensures that the materials that are required in higher places are delivered. The hazards may come from erecting, utilization and dismantling of the crane. Some common hazards that are exposed by the luffing tower crane are accessories, its operation and base stability (Reese & Eidson 2006). 4.1 Luffing Tower Crane Accessories Many accessories are utilized in the luffing tower crane to achieve its requirements. Pulleys and ropes are some of the common accessories that plays paramount role in ensuring that the crane is able to achieve its requirements. The pulleys ensure that the rope moves will the rope adjust and allows for the movement of the crane and load respectively. The rope is one of the avenues of hazards that can befall utilization of the luffing tower crane. Moreover, the height and load capacity of the crane should be put into consideration, a major hazardous point. Additionally, flying multiplier block and the luffing host rope are major agents of luffing tower low points. 4.2 Stability of the Base The base of the tower plays an important role in ensuring that the luffing tower crane achieves its goals. The designing and construction of the base of the luffing tower crane should factor ground type, tower height, capacity of the crane, length of the boom, terrain type to name some (Health & Safety Executive 2001). Moreover, wind should be countered through designing and constructing a strong base to ensure that the luffing tower is stable and fulfil its requirement of lifting loads. Some common risks that are posed by poor designing, constructing and locating the luffing tower includes disintegration of the rower, structural failure, falling objects, crane collapse and collision or contact with other structures and plants. 4.3 Hazards Associated With Luffing Tower Crane This is another point that forms the core hazardous point of the luffing tower crane. The loads may drop and injure other people within vicinity. Moreover, the workers themselves may injure themselves while operating the equipment. Poorly trained personnel and incompetent persons extrapolate risks associated with utilization of the crane tower. A phenomenon that should be put into consideration and the required measures should be in place. 5.0 Mitigation of Hazards Associated with Luffing Tower Crane Right precautions should be in place to ensure that hazards are decreased or eliminated. This includes provision of proper control and management of an incident if it occurs. This will greatly improve the way the employees utilizes the equipments and any accomplishments derived from it. 5.1 Luffing Tower Accessories The ropes and pulleys that are used in the luffing tower crane should be able to sustain the weight that is supposed to carry. The accessories play an important role and should be maintained according to the laid down plans. A competent person should inspect the accessories and repairs be carried out in those parts that are defective. This will decrease the chances that the luffing crane will fail during its operation. Maintenance should include preventing rusting e.g. through oiling, greasing to reduce friction and ensuring that the accessories operates according to its requirements e.g. loads that should be carried by a given set of accessories. This also means that minor accessories such as bolts should be tightened to decrease the chances of luffing tower disintegration. 5.2 Stability of the Luffing Tower Crane The stability of the luffing tower crane is a paramount safety issue. If stability is not maintained it may lead to crane collapse or either mechanical or structural failure. Thus, the luffing tower crane should be designed in such a way that it is stable, minimal or no risk of overturning, moving or falling (Thorpe 2005). This should be factored during erection, dismantling and at the time of operations. Stability dependent on the foundations, wind conditions and footings of the given crane, and amount of load to be lifted. To ensure that the luffing tower crane prevents any complication associated with stability it should ensure that load charts are utilized, provision of right counterweights and ensuring that external factors such as wind are factored during the construction. 5.3 Operation of Luffing Tower Crane Mitigation At the time of operation of the given luffing tower crane, usually there are many people within the site, equipments and sometimes structures. A factor that contributes a lot to failure of the luffing tower is overloading. This can be solved through the utilization of load charts and right counterweights that usually accompany the luffing tower crane. Moreover, the operators should have proper protective clothing and should be competent in the utilization of the given crane. Additionally, there should be enough operational distance, hence preventing collision or crush with surrounding features. Risk assessment also plays a paramount role in ensuring that the luffing tower crane operates well. 6.0 Conclusion Construction of the four-storey car park of University of Central Lancashire requires utilization of various equipments including luffing tower crane. Various statutory laws govern the way that the machine is utilized including LOLER, MHSWR and PUWER. An understanding of the conditions of work and provision of relevant resources ensures that safety system of work is in place. Clothing and site analysis plays a crucial role in ensuring that the employees have the right measures top work on and escape if emergency occurs. Many areas and points are foundation of tragedies that may occur. Instability of the tower, operation capability and accessories that are used with the machine are the pitfalls. However, proper consideration and derivation of measures to counter these hazardous points ensures that completion of the given building is achieved with minimal complications associated with health and safety. 7.0 Bibliography Construction Confederation, House Builders and Safety Manual, Construction Industry Publishers. Great Britain, 2008, The Role of the Health and Safety Commission, London: Stationery Office Publishers. Health and Executive, 1998, Simple Guide to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg291.pdf [Accessed 11 February 2009] Health & Safety Executive, 1999, Simple Guide to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg290.pdf Health & Safety Executive, 2001, Health and Safety in Construction, London: HSE Books. Johnstone, R., 2003, Occupational Health and Safety, Courts and Crime, London: Federation Press Publishers. Reese, C. & Eidson, J., 2006, Handbook of OSHA Construction Safety and Health, 2nd Ed. London: CRC Press. Reese, C., Material Handling Systems: Designing for Safety and Health, New York: Taylor & Francis Publishers. Thorpe, B., 2005, Health and Safety in Construction Design, London: Gower Publishers. Read More