Generally speaking, cranes are used for lifting heavy loads that can't be handled using standard forklift machines. The use of cranes is widespread in places with heavy material handling requirements, such as warehouses and construction sites. Purchasing crane equipment for your specific heavy lifting industrial applications is a major investment. Therefore, you must make sure you select the right crane type. Otherwise, you will be simply flushing lots of hard-earned money down the drain. 

If you want to acquire crane equipment for performing construction jobs, an electric self-erecting tower crane would be a perfect choice. As the name implies, this type of crane equipment can assemble itself, thus saving on setup time and labour costs, but it has some inherent safety risks that must be effectively addressed if you are to ensure safe and efficient operation of the equipment. 

Continue reading on to familiarise yourself with some typical safety risks associated with electric self-erecting tower crane operations, and what can be done to mitigate them.

Electrical accidents

Any heavy construction machinery that runs on electric power has the potential to cause electrical accidents, and self-erecting tower cranes are no exception. For example, if electrically-conductive parts, e.g. metallic components, come into contact with a "live" wire, they can cause electrocution of machine operators and any other personnel, such as riggers and spotters, in the surrounding area. 

To prevent electrical accidents, you should make sure that your crane equipment is regularly inspected and serviced. Any faulty electric wiring and/or other bad electric components should be repaired immediately. This will not only reduce safety risks but also extend the life of the machine. 

In addition, warehouse staff should be constantly reminded of the electrical hazards associated with the use of electric cranes, so that they can always follow available safety guidelines. 

Falling loads

Falling materials is one of the major causes of injuries and fatalities in construction sites that operate self-erecting tower cranes. Most of the time, this happens when the hoisting equipment is faulty, the load being hoisted exceeds the maximum lifting capacity of the machine, or when the load being lifted haven't been properly secured. Those operating crane equipment must stick to the weight limit range of their equipment so as to avoid overloading. Regular inspection and servicing must be done to ensure any faults in the hoisting system are remedied. Crane operators should also take time to ensure that materials have been properly secured before being hoisted. These preventative measures will help minimise occurrences where construction workers get injured by falling materials.