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Crane Outrigger Safety

Cranes are large, mobile machines that can potentially cause serious injuries to construction workers. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that the most significant way to ensure crane outrigger safety is to perform regular safety inspections of the equipment.

  1. Features

    • OSHA advises safety inspectors to evaluate the beams and housings of the outrigger for distortions, defects or cracks. They must also evaluate floats and pads for damage. According to OSHA, when outrigger beams are fully extended, they must be marked to indicate that they were extended successfully.

    Identification

    • If safety inspectors find cracks or other defects on crane outriggers during inspection, the employer must replace or fix the equipment before anyone operates the crane. Using a defected or worn outrigger has the potential to cause injuries to the crane operator or workers around him.

    Visibility

    • OSHA states that outriggers must be visible to the operator during setting or extension. If they are not visible to the operator, then they must be visible to the signal person.

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