Maintenance, Inspection Records and Defect Reporting
Planned versus corrective maintenance
Maintenance keeps the crane within its design assumptions. Planned maintenance follows the manufacturer's schedule (rope inspection intervals, brake adjustment, lubrication, structural checks). Corrective maintenance fixes defects found by inspection or reported by operators. Operators are not usually maintainers, but they are the primary source of defect information. Traps include operating with a known defect because "maintenance is booked", and signing off an inspection you did not actually perform.
Records and traceability
Records prove the crane was inspected and maintained. Keep pre-start checklists, periodic inspection reports, maintenance logs, rope and brake records, and defect reports. Records must be legible, dated, signed and linked to the specific crane. Questions often test what must be recorded after a defect is found: the defect, the action taken, who was notified and when.
Defect reporting
Report defects immediately, tag out unsafe equipment, and do not return a crane to service until the defect is rectified and verified. Distinguish minor defects (log and monitor) from defects affecting safe operation (stop use).
Worked rule of thumb
Apply "find it, record it, tag it, verify it": every defect is recorded, safety-critical defects are tagged, and the crane is only returned to service after verification.