EducationSafety

Six Best Practices For Safely Parking A Load

Before parking a load currently suspended overhead, the Hoist Manufacturers Institute (HMI) recommends several safety best practices. These guidelines for safely lowering a load apply whether the hoist in use is manual or powered equipment. Following them will significantly reduce the risk of an accident that could harm personnel, other equipment, or facility structures.

Six Safety Best Practices for Parking a Load

There are six best practices for parking a load, explained Troy Thomas, Manager of Project Development Engineering at HMI member Harrington Hoists. He noted that four HMI publications describe these recommendations:

The best practices include:

1. Confirm operator and other personnel are clear of the load and its travel path.

“It is critical to ensure all people and objects are clear of the load path before moving the load,” he said. “To do this, train operators to make sure there is a clear and unobstructed view of where they need to park the load. They should verify this prior to making the first move. Then, before moving that load, they should also make sure the parking destination is clear of obstructions.”

2. Verify the load will clear all obstacles before moving it.

Similarly, an operator should look at the path to confirm that the load will not come into contact with anything as it travels from point A to point B. Failure to clear an obstacle can result in damage to equipment or to the facility. It can also cause injury to personnel working in or close to the travel path.

3. Never leave a suspended or tensioned load.

Operators should always lower a suspended or tensioned load to the floor before walking away from it. In certain cases, said Thomas, there may be specific, prescribed measures applied to prevent the load from inadvertently releasing. Only after instituting these precautions can an operator leave the load in a suspended or tensioned state.

4. Always place blocks under a load before landing for safe sling removal.

Thomas advised against attempting to adjust or move rigging on a suspended load.

“If the rigging does not look safe, always bring that load carefully and safely back to rest at ground level. Then make the adjustment to the rigging,” he explained. “Any attempt to adjust or remove rigging while that load is in the air could result in catastrophic failure or a load drop. That could cause serious injury or even death. Never take the chance.”

Instead, the safest best practice is to set the load down on blocks. Operators should take care to prevent the sling from resting between the load and the blocks. This ensures they can easily adjust the sling after releasing the tension on the load.

“Also, never go underneath the load to try to make any adjustments to the rigging or sling, ever,” Thomas continued. “That is extremely risky and dangerous.

5. Exercise caution when removing a sling from a landed, blocked load.

Prior to attempting to remove a sling or other rigging, it is important to confirm that no tension remains. Unless the rigging is completely slack, the force of the release could cause it to strike an operator or other personnel. Operators should stand to the side of the sling prior to removing it to ensure they are not struck as it falls.

Parking a Load

6. Position hoist and load hook at least seven feet above floor level when not in use.

If the hoist and load hook are typically left in an elevated position for storage, make sure there is no less than seven feet of clearance from the floor.

“Always have the hook above the height of where it could make contact with a person or any type of machinery,” explained Thomas. “It’s important to be aware of the surroundings and keep in mind people are different heights.”

Likewise, if forklift traffic routinely passes under the hook, there is a risk that the vehicle could snag it. “That will not only cause severe damage to the crane system and the hoist but also could result in a catastrophic failure of the hoist and its structure,” he added. “A good practice to prevent this is to always make sure an operator brings that hook up after making the pick.”

Thomas shared that a common occurrence involves factories loading flatbed trailers from overhead. After loading is complete, if the operator has not raised the hook to a safe position below the hoist, it may snag the payload on the truck. “That snag can pull that crane with it leading to catastrophic failure, serious injury, or even death,” he said. “So after that load is parked, always move that hook back into the highest position possible.”

Learn More About Safe Overhead Lifting

Watch the Hoist Manufacturers Institute’s (HMI) webinar about the proper operation of hoists, “Dos and Don’ts of Safe Hoist Operation.” The recording details potential hoisting hazards and corresponding approaches to improve safety. Panelists discuss multiple powered and manual hoist safety best practices. HMI also offers other technical and educational resources to enhance operational safety. These include product guides, videos, multiple technical papers, and more. All are available via its website at www.MHI.org/hmi.