Pre-start inspection findings
During a pre-start walkaround on a portal boom crane, you find: a slow hydraulic weep at a boom-luff cylinder gland (about one drop per minute when the boom is held up); a wire rope with three broken outer wires in one lay over a 6-diameter length, plus general surface rust but no pitting; a load moment limiter that powers up and displays a reading but whose test button produces no audible alarm; and a slight oil film on one outrigger beam. The crane was used on the previous shift and the logbook shows no defects recorded. The next job is a 4-hour shift lifting 3 t bundles.
1. Classify each finding by severity and state what you would do before the crane is used.
Read the worked answer
Treat each finding separately and do not let a working engine or a displayed readout override a failed safety device.
Load moment limiter with no audible alarm: this is a safety-critical defect. The device may still cut out, but without the alarm the operator loses the warning layer. The crane should be out of service until the alarm is repaired and function-tested. A display reading is not proof the limiter works.
Wire rope with three broken wires in one lay: broken wires concentrate stress and indicate fatigue or damage. The acceptance criteria depend on the manufacturer's and the applicable standard's discard rules, but multiple breaks in one lay plus surface rust warrant rope replacement or at minimum a documented engineering assessment. Do not return it to service on your own judgement; tag it and report it.
Hydraulic weep at the luff cylinder gland: a slow leak can become a sudden loss of holding pressure, and luff cylinders hold the boom up. Any leak on a load-holding cylinder is a defect to report and have assessed before lifting. Clean it, observe the rate under load, and treat a worsening rate as a stop.
Oil film on the outrigger beam: could be a seal weep or spill from elsewhere. Clean and recheck; if it reappears under load, report it.
Action: record all findings in the logbook, tag the crane out of service for the limiter and rope, notify the supervisor, and do not start the 3 t bundle shift.
2. The logbook shows no defects from the previous shift. What does that tell you, and how should the reporting process be handled?
Read the worked answer
It tells you the previous operator either did not inspect, did not recognise the defects, or did not record them. A clean logbook after a shift is not evidence the crane was sound; it is evidence about the inspection process.
Report the findings as new defects without accusing anyone. Describe what you found, where, and when, with photos if permitted. Note that the limiter alarm and rope damage may pre-date your shift, because that affects the maintenance history and any back-check of previous lifts.
Raise the process gap with the supervisor: pre-start checks should be signed, defects should be recorded even when minor, and there should be a clear tag-out and return-to-service step. If the same crane repeatedly shows unreported defects, that is a system issue worth escalating, because the next operator may not catch them.