Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control
A repeatable process
Hazard identification on a crane site is continuous, not a form filled in at the gate. The standard sequence is: identify hazards, assess the risk (likelihood and consequence), apply controls in the hierarchy of control, then monitor and review. The hierarchy runs from eliminating the hazard, through substitution and engineering controls, down to administrative controls and finally personal protective equipment. PPE is the last line, never the primary control. Questions love to offer "wear gloves and proceed" as an answer where an engineering control such as a barricade or a lift plan change is available.
Hazards specific to slewing cranes
Typical hazards include: the load itself (mass, shape, centre of gravity, rigging points); crane stability (ground bearing, outrigger spread, wind); the slew path and tail swing; persons in the exclusion zone; powerlines; overhead structures; and environmental factors such as wind, heat and visibility. Dynamic effects matter: shock loading, swinging loads and side loading can exceed the static rating. A load chart assumes a freely suspended load under controlled conditions; any side pull or snatch invalidates it.
Risk assessment in practice
A job safety analysis or lift study should record the hazard, the control, who is responsible and when it is verified. The trap is a generic risk assessment copied from another site. Question writers test whether you notice the assessment does not match the actual crane configuration, ground conditions or load.
Worked example
A 12-tonne load on a 4-leg chain sling at 60 degrees to horizontal: each leg shares load unevenly, but for planning assume two legs carry it. Leg tension = (12/2)/sin60 ≈ 6.93 tonnes per leg. Check the sling's WLL at that angle, not its vertical rating.