Safe Operating Procedures, Crane Movement, and Power-Line Hazards
Operating rules that appear on every exam
Know the weight before the lift; never exceed the chart; no side loading, dragging, or pulling with the boom; no personnel under a suspended load; barricade the swing radius and the fall zone; use tag lines; obey the anti-two-block device and the LMI; no riders; travel with a load only as the manufacturer permits and with the boom in the approved position; stop for wind above the manufacturer's limit or when the load's sail area makes it uncontrollable.
Power lines
Treat every line as energized. OSHA Table T (1926.1416) minimum clearances for equipment in operation: 10 ft up to 50 kV; 15 ft for 50–200 kV; 20 ft for 200–350 kV; 25 ft for 350–500 kV; 35 ft for 500–750 kV; 45 ft for 750–1,000 kV. Equipment in transit with the boom lowered uses smaller distances (4, 6, 10, and 16 ft by voltage band) - transit distances do not apply to a working crane. If the clearance cannot be maintained, the options are to de-energize and ground the line, or to use an approved encroachment-prevention method with a dedicated spotter, insulating link, or line covers.
Traps
- Quoting "20 feet" as a universal rule; it applies only to the 200–350 kV band.
- Assuming rubber tires or a non-conductive boom section insulates the machine.
- Assigning the spotter other duties during the lift.
- Ignoring swing radius: the counterweight can strike a person or object behind the operator.
Rule of thumb
If any part of the crane, load, or rigging could reach the prohibited zone at maximum boom extension or swing, set up somewhere else.