Tower Crane Site and Equipment Safety
Site and Equipment Safety
This domain tests whether you can plan and maintain a tower crane site that protects people, property, and the crane itself. Expect questions on foundations, access control, power-line clearances, environmental limits, inspections, and emergency response.
Core rules
- The crane foundation must be engineered for the actual soil, not a standard pad. Verify bearing capacity, drainage, and that no excavation, trench, or underground utility can undermine the base.
- Control access: barricade the slew area, keep the cab and ladder secured, and allow only trained and authorized people on the mast or platform.
- Treat overhead power lines as energized. Establish the required minimum approach distance and use a spotter; never rely on the crane as insulation.
- Respect manufacturer wind limits. Know the anemometer reading, the permitted out-of-service position, and the point at which work stops.
- Complete pre-shift inspections of structure, wire rope, hooks, limit switches, and safety devices. Record defects and lock out until corrected.
- Maintain an emergency plan for fire, power loss, collision, rescue from the cab, and severe weather.
Worked example
A crane base is planned 12 m from a 6 m deep trench in compacted fill. The chart capacity is fine, but the foundation drawing assumes native soil. Reasoning: the trench reduces lateral support and can migrate; the base needs a geotechnical review, a designed foundation, and a barricade outside the influence zone. Do not accept the driver's "it looks solid." Recheck after rain.
Traps
- Approving a base because the concrete pad looks level.
- Measuring power-line distance only at the mast, not the jib or suspended load.
- Ignoring wind acceleration between buildings.
- Leaving inspection defects as "monitor" instead of correcting them.