The National Safety Council released a new report, Understanding the Current State of Safety Hazards in the Crane Industry, highlighting lift-specific risks and best practices employers can adopt to keep workers safe.
For the report, NSC partnered with the NCCCO Foundation to survey nearly 2200 voluntary and anonymous responses from the NCCCO Foundation between July and August 2023. Notable findings include:
- Top hazardous situations: Working at height, vehicle-pedestrian interactions, and loading and unloading materials are the top hazardous situations on the job. Between 55 percent and 89 percent of participants said they were likely or very likely to be exposed to these circumstances. In 2020, NSC found these three hazardous situations resulted in 30 percent of non-roadway occupational fatalities.
- Most common risks: The two most common systemic risks contributing to workplace injuries in the crane industry are heat stress and fatigue. The report also found that survey participants reported heat and stress were some of the most likely exposures on the job.
- Most common causes of injuries: Situational risks remain prevalent in the crane industry, with falls from height and being struck by a falling object being the two most common causes of injuries.
- Safety training and compliance: Eight out of 10 survey respondents believe they have access to appropriate safety training before starting a task, but lack of proper training still accounted for 7 percent of personal injuries and 8 percent of on-site injuries.
- Technology implementation: The use of safety technology — including drones, proximity sensors, and vital sign wearables — is fairly low. Depending on the specific type, only 1 percent to 13 percent of participants reported using technology at jobsites. However, many of those surveyed indicated a willingness to try new safety technology solutions while the primary barrier to adoption was concern over data privacy.
The report also notes some recommended actions and potential technology solutions that employers can implement to help reduce the top safety risks in the crane industry, including:
- Heat stress: Working in high-heat environments can lead to both serious injuries and illnesses, including heat stroke, slips, trips, falls, and dropping objects. It’s important employers develop heat stress prevention programs that include safety training on how to recognize the signs and symptoms. Potential technology solutions that may help mitigate these risks include wearables that monitor people’s vital signs.
- Fatigue: Fatigue can cause workers to have trouble focusing and remembering, which can lead to distractions and less muscle coordination, ultimately resulting in more injuries. Like heat stress, safety training should focus on how to recognize the signs and symptoms, and wearable technology can play an important role in monitoring this issue.
- Struck by falling objects and falls from height: Working at height risks, like being struck by an object or falling, can be reduced with fall protection training and instruction on how to properly use personal fall arrest systems. Potential technology solutions include utilizing drones for inspection and visualization purposes, which eliminate the need for a worker to be off the ground.
Research from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries also shows more than half of workplace deaths that occur in the crane industry involve workers being struck by objects or equipment, and an additional 27 percent of fatalities occur as a result of falls and transportation incidents.
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