Whenever you’re preparing to use a crane for a construction project, it’s important for you to be as careful as you can be with it. Crane safety should be at the forefront of your mind whenever a crane is on your construction site. If you don’t take crane safety seriously enough, it could be catastrophic. There are dozens of people killed in crane-related accidents each and every year. Here are a few crane safety myths that sometimes lull people into a false sense of security when it comes to being safe around cranes.

“Overloading a crane is OK since most cranes have built-in safety factors”

Many cranes do have built-in safety factors that would make it possible for crane operators to overload a crane without facing any consequences. But not all cranes have these safety factors. That means that you could end up overloading a crane and paying the price for it. It’s always best to avoid overloading a crane at all costs regardless of safety factors.

“Hoists have a secondary brake that makes it safe to work underneath of loads”

All crane hoists need to have a primary brake as well as a secondary brake. This leads some people to believe that they can work underneath loads while they’re high up in the sky without worrying about both brakes failing. But secondary brakes don’t usually stop a load from falling if a primary brake fails. Instead, they lower it down to the ground in most cases. As a result, you shouldn’t ever stand under a hoist, no matter what. Doing so could put you directly in harm’s way if the brakes on the hoist ever give out.

“As long as a crane worked fine yesterday, it should be safe to use it today”

OSHA requires all crane operators to inspect their cranes every day for any signs of trouble. But unfortunately, there are many operators who don’t follow the rules and fail to inspect their cranes often enough. Just because a crane worked just fine yesterday doesn’t mean it’s going to work the same way today. It’s important for operators to stay on top of crane inspections to ensure they don’t ever use a crane that might pose a threat to those around it.

Astro Crane can help you make crane safety your No. 1 priority. We offer some of the best crane rentals in the business and can show you how to take safety more seriously when you’re using one. Call us at 978-429-8666 today to schedule a rental for your next construction project.