Maintenance, Recordkeeping, and Accident Prevention
What the exam tests
This domain tests maintenance schedules, inspection records, operator certification records, and the systems that prevent repeat accidents. Expect questions on who may repair a crane, what must be documented, and how near-miss reporting fits into prevention.
Core rules
- Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Repairs to structural members, load-bearing components, and safety devices must be made by a qualified person using approved methods. Do not weld, drill, or modify a crane without manufacturer approval.
- Keep records of monthly and annual inspections, maintenance, repairs, load tests, operator certifications, training, and signalperson/rigger qualifications. Record the date, inspector, deficiencies found, and corrective action.
- Wire rope, hooks, slings, and safety devices must be inspected and removed from service when they exceed rejection criteria. A deficient crane must be tagged out and not returned to service until repaired and re-inspected.
- Accident prevention uses pre-lift planning, job hazard analysis, lift director assignment, stop-work authority, fall-zone control, and near-miss reporting. A near miss is a free lesson; unreported near misses predict the next accident.
- Corrective actions must be tracked to closure. Replacing a damaged part without finding the cause is not prevention.
Worked example
A monthly inspection was due on the 10th but is performed on the 25th. The inspector finds a hook with a bent safety latch and a wire rope with broken wires beyond the rejection criteria. The crane must be removed from service immediately. The record must show the date, the deficiencies, the tag-out, the repair by a qualified person, and the re-inspection before return to service. Completing the inspection late does not cure the defective components, and the operator cannot 'watch' a damaged wire rope during the shift.
Traps
- Treating the annual inspection as a replacement for monthly inspections.
- Allowing an operator to weld or straighten a structural member.
- Leaving a deficiency record open with no corrective action.
- Returning a tagged crane to service without re-inspection.
- Ignoring near misses because no one was injured.