Mobile cranes are used by many industrial manufacturers to transport heavy materials and finished products around their facilities. Here are two precautions which should be taken before operating this type of equipment.

Inspect the equipment before using it 

Failing to perform a pre-inspection could endanger the life of both the operator and the lives of other employees at the industrial facility. It could also result in the destruction of the materials or products that the mobile crane is carrying; this, in turn, could have a negative impact on the manufacturer's profit margins.

For example, if a mobile crane's wire rope (a part of the hoist, which is used to carry loads) frays or corrodes and the operator of that piece of equipment has not inspected, identified and addressed this defect prior to operating the crane, there could be serious consequences.

In this situation, the damaged wire rope could snap whilst it is carrying a heavy load. The load could then fall to the ground; the impact of this type of fall would almost certainly break any fragile goods that were being carried. Additionally, if any staff members happen to be working nearby at the time of this incident, they could be struck by the falling materials and be seriously injured.

Don't overload the hoist

Many of the accidents involving this type of equipment are caused by the operator attaching excessively heavy loads to their mobile crane's hoist.

This error is usually made in the hopes of speeding up the process of transporting large quantities of materials from one end of the industrial facility to the other; the operators who take this approach believe that by carrying larger loads, they won't have to make as many trips in the mobile crane.

However, this mistake could spell disaster for both the operator and for the manufacturer who employees them, as overloading a mobile crane's hoist is almost certainly likely to result in an accident.

Too much weight on the hoist at the front can lead to the rear section of a mobile crane lifting off the ground. If this happens whilst it is being driven down a slope, the equipment could topple forwards. If this should happen, the operator and anyone in close proximity to the mobile crane could be severely injured, and of course, the contents of the load would probably be destroyed.

As such, it is essential for employees of industrial facilities who use this equipment to adhere to the maximum load guidelines.

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