Just ran into the 'crane dance' stat that shocked me

I was reading through some OSHA reports last night and found out that something like 60% of mobile crane accidents happen during setup, not the actual lift. That blew my mind because I always thought the heavy lift was the risky part. Turns out outriggers not being set right or ground giving way is the real killer. The report said a lot of those accidents could be avoided with a simple load test before the job starts. Has anyone else looked into this stat or seen it play out on a site?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_nguyen78d ago

Man I've been that guy who forgot to check the ground. Last year we set up on what looked like solid dirt but it was basically a thin crust over mud. Outrigger sank like 6 inches before I caught it. Nothing tipped over but my supervisor gave me that look that says "you're an idiot and we both know it." The load test thing makes total sense now. Always skip it when you're in a hurry and that's exactly when stuff goes wrong.

rileyl988d agoProlific Poster

Sinking 6 inches is wild, that could've been way worse. I always test the ground with a quick stomp before setting up now, saved me a few times. Load test isn't just a formality, it's the difference between a close call and a taco'd outrigger.