Occupational Health and Safety in Lifting and Forwarding Vehicles
For centuries, people have used lifting and transporting devices of various shapes and sizes to move and place loads, which they cannot carry with their own forces, using only their hands. With the acceleration of industrialization, lifting and lowering works have started to be done more and more and more capacity needs have started to emerge. Thanks to this type of vehicles developed today, the transportation of loads is no longer a problem.
In this way, while productivity increase is provided for the enterprises, labor and time losses in the enterprise are prevented. Employees started to do more with less effort. However, on the other hand, when such vehicles are being used, occupational accidents have started to increase because the loads are transported at high altitudes and risks that may cause loss of life and property have emerged. In case of such accidents, the damages are higher than the accident damages that may occur during the transportation of the load on the ground.
Accidents in lifting and conveying works cause damage to the load being carried, the lifting and conveying machine itself and the working environment of the enterprise, stopping the works in the enterprise, loss of time, labor and cost, loss of reputation in the market, and even death or injury of the employees.
To put it simply, lifting and conveying means are the machines used to lift loads from where they are and to lower and stack them at the desired point. Some of these vehicles are also used to transport the load over short distances. Due to the heavy loads, there is always danger when lifting and conveying machines are in operation. Therefore, it should not be used without providing basic health and safety conditions. In general, the causes of accidents encountered during the use of such machines are:
- There may be a mistake in making these tools
- Installation errors may have occurred during the installation of these vehicles in operation
- Maintenance and inspection of these vehicles may not have been performed as often as desired.
- Operators using these tools may be unqualified, uninformed or careless
In a study conducted by the European Organization for Occupational Health and Safety, the major occupational accidents caused by such machines were identified as follows:
- Lifting machines coming into contact with power lines (45 was the percentage of accidents)
- Standing under the machine while operating
- Tilting of the machine during operation
- Load drop from the machine due to incorrect loading
- Maintenance and inspection of the machines is not done regularly
- Crashing of the boom due to improper loading
- Improper handling can cause counterweight damage to machine operation
- Improper installation of the support legs of the machine
- Faulty connection elements of the machine
Mobile Crane What, Mobile Crane What are the Inspection Principles?
Hoisting and conveying devices are not manufactured in a highly functional manner today and are used for different purposes in many industries in the industry. The main uses are construction, mining, port works, road construction and factories. Cranes, forklifts and elevators are the main lifting and conveying devices that are widely used and increasingly important.
Cranes are machines used for lifting, loading, unloading, usually turning, sometimes moving. Cranes whose capacities vary according to different types and characteristics are suitable for carrying all kinds of loads thanks to their horizontal or vertical movement capability. There are different types of cranes depending on their mobility, lifting ability or control systems.
Mobile cranes are a model of mobile cranes. There are types with and without cabin. The electronic or mechanical control systems of the mobile crane are located in the cabin in the cabin models and the outside of the cabin in the models without cabin and the crane is controlled from this control panel. Some of the mobile cranes operate on electricity and some on fuel. According to its capacity, it is among the high tonnage work machines. These cranes can be used outdoors as well as indoors.
The main advantages of mobile cranes are: they can be transported anywhere, are easy to access, especially ease of use and practical for short distances. In contrast, mobile cranes have some disadvantages. For example, it is not suitable for very heavy loads. It is suitable for carrying loads only in the short distance, not practical in the long distance. Loads are vulnerable to transport hazards. Particularly in sloping areas, the crane has a high risk of tipping over.
However, as in all lifting and transporting vehicles, mobile cranes are among the risky vehicles in terms of the safety of employees and property safety of the enterprise due to lack of necessary precautions or regular maintenance. First of all, mobile cranes must be used by trained, experienced and qualified operators.
According to the Regulation on Health and Safety in the Use of Work Equipment, which was put into force by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in 2013, mobile cranes were accepted as dangerous vehicles in terms of employees' health and property safety of enterprises. In the annex of the Regulation on Maintenance, Repair and Periodic Inspections (Annex 3), mobile cranes are listed in the group of lifting and conveying equipment and unless otherwise specified in the relevant regulations, mobile inspections and inspections at least once a year are required.
In the annex of this regulation, the standards to be taken into consideration in the inspection operations of mobile cranes are listed. Some of these standards are:
- TS 10116 Lifting and conveying machines - Cranes - Inspection and test methods
- TS EN 13157 Cranes - Safety - Manually operated lifting gear
- TS ISO 12480-1 Cranes - Safe use - Section 1: General
- TS ISO 4309 Cranes - Wire ropes - Application rules for inspection and decommissioning
- TS EN 12385-3 Steel wire ropes - Safety - Part 3: Instructions for use and maintenance
