Crane Inspection, Maintenance, and Pre-Operational Checks
What this domain tests
This domain tests whether you can perform and document daily pre-operational checks, recognize defects, and understand periodic and annual inspection requirements. The exam emphasizes wire rope, hooks, safety devices, brakes, hydraulics, outriggers, and the difference between a walk-around check and a formal inspection.
Core rules and concepts
- Complete a pre-operational walk-around before each shift: tires, outriggers, boom, wire rope, sheaves, hooks, latches, hydraulic leaks, fluid levels, lights, horn, alarms, and load-moment indicator.
- Test safety devices: anti-two-block, boom angle indicator, level indicator, load moment limiter, and travel alarms. Never disable or bypass them.
- Know common wire rope removal criteria: broken wires, kinks, bird-caging, corrosion, crushed strands, heat damage, and end-fitting defects. For a typical 6×19 running rope, six broken wires in one lay or three in one strand in one lay is a common removal trigger; confirm the applicable standard and manufacturer's criteria.
- Hooks with cracks, excessive throat opening, wear beyond limits, or a missing latch must be removed from service.
- Report defects and tag out equipment until repaired. Record the defect and the corrective action.
- Annual inspections are more comprehensive than daily checks and must be done by a competent person; keep the records.
Worked example
During a pre-operational check, you find four broken wires in one strand within one lay of a 6×19 running rope. The common criterion allows no more than three broken wires in one strand in one lay. The rope is removed from service and the crane is tagged out until replacement. Reason: the defect is a strength loss and a rejection criterion, not a cosmetic issue.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the daily walk-around as a full annual inspection.
- Ignoring a missing hook latch or a distorted hook.
- Resetting or bypassing a load-moment indicator without correcting the cause.
- Recording only the defect and not the repair or return-to-service decision.
- Continuing to operate with a known wire rope defect because the lift is short.