Putting a F
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By Lucy Perry
aren’t related to the job site. You’re still going to have all kinds of things on the job site that will affect or distract the operator. I am not sure that has changed all that much.” Are crane operators more distracted these days than ever before? Howard Kaplan, who owns Liberty Crane and Rigging Consultants in Phoenix, Ariz., answers the question with a question: How do you quantify distractions? Even more basic: What is the meaning of distraction? “Is it a cell phone, an LMI, alarms, an anti-two-block alarm, or the backup alarm?
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n Distractions
Is staying focused an issue for crane operators? It depends on so many factors, say crane operator trainers and certification sites. The job site, the employer, the task at hand, even the operator him- or herself, all play a role. OSHA says it falls on the employer to determine if an operator is qualified to recognize and avert risk. And any kind of distraction that results in the
operator losing focus is definitely a risk. But avoiding distractions is not a knowledge-based lesson that training participants and certification candidates are ever tested on. “I am not sure today’s job sites create more of a distraction for operators than they have in the past,” said Ron Overton, president of Overton Safety Training, Hillsboro, Ore. “I think the operator’s mindset is a little different now. With any or most job sites, traffic and distractions are going to occur. You’re going to have a job site, an operator, and external factors that
The things that can distract a crane operator on the construction site have not changed over the years. Today, though, operators have access to cell phones, and are exposed to myriad devices, such as LMIs, alarms, an antitwo-block alarm or the backup alarms. There’s a chance they can get complacent if they don’t stay focused.
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