Defect Found at the Pre-Start Inspection
At the pre-start inspection on a cold morning, you find a slow hydraulic leak at a boom cylinder seal, a frayed section on the hoist rope about 1.5 m from the dead end, and a cracked weld on a step bracket. The leak leaves a small drip every few minutes. The rope fray shows several broken outer wires over about 40 mm. The crane is booked for a 6 t lift at 14 m radius in two hours, and the only other crane on site is a 25 t unit that cannot reach the radius. The supervisor says the leak is minor and the rope has 'plenty of life left'.
1. Assess each defect and state whether the crane can be operated.
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The crane should not be operated until the defects are assessed by a competent person. The hydraulic leak at a boom cylinder seal is a pressure-system defect: a slow drip can become a sudden failure, and leaked fluid creates a slip and fire hazard. It must be repaired before work.
The frayed hoist rope with several broken outer wires over 40 mm is likely to exceed the discard criteria for the rope's construction and diameter; the rope must be assessed against the manufacturer's and the relevant standard's discard rules, and if in doubt it is replaced. The cracked weld on the step bracket is a structural defect and must be repaired, though it may not affect lifting capacity.
The supervisor's opinion does not override the inspection criteria. The crane is tagged out and the defects reported in writing.
2. What is the correct process for reporting and returning the crane to service?
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I would record each defect in the crane's logbook and pre-start checklist, tag the crane out of service with a clear defect tag, and notify the supervisor and the person with management or control of the site in writing. The crane stays out of service until repaired.
Repairs must be carried out by a competent person, with parts to the manufacturer's specification. After repair, the crane is inspected and function-tested, and where the repair affects a safety-critical component the relevant inspection or certification is obtained. The logbook records the repair and the return-to-service decision.
Only then is the tag removed and the crane released. If the repair cannot be completed before the lift, the lift is rescheduled or replanned with other equipment.
3. The supervisor wants the 6 t lift done with the defective crane because the 25 t crane cannot reach. How do you respond, and what alternatives exist?
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I would refuse to operate the crane and explain that the defects are safety-critical: a rope failure or hydraulic failure under a 6 t load at 14 m radius could drop the load or cause loss of control, injuring people below.
Alternatives: reschedule the lift until the crane is repaired; bring in a larger crane that can reach the radius; relocate the load or the crane to reduce the radius so the 25 t unit can handle it; or break the lift into smaller loads. The production deadline does not justify operating a defective crane, and the decision to stop is documented.
If the supervisor insists, I would escalate to the site's health and safety representative or the person with management or control, and record the refusal and the reasons.