CRANE CRITIQUE
Crane Load Testing: Is it Required This month’s topic: When is crane load testing mandatory or recommended?
A monthly crane and rigging informative column for all personnel directly or indirectly involved with crane safety. Each month we will attempt to explain a different technical issue pertaining to crane operations here on Guam, addressing the sometimes over-looked or misunderstood topics by management and operators alike. By Dave Barnhouse This debated subject continues as serious discussions and disagreement among crane users. Requirements for load testing have changed once again for both OSHA and EM385-1-1. For the purpose of this column we will discuss the testing requirements of mobile cranes only. As per OSHA, manufacturers of cranes shall meet the applicable requirements for design, construction, and testing as prescribed in ANSI B30.5 and PCSA Standard No. 2. As these tests are very involved, we can be reasonably assured that where stability governs lifting performance or structural competence governs lifting performance, following the manufacturer’s manual and load charts will provide safe lifts within the crane’s capacity. As most instructions and recommendations, when there is more than one standard, specification, or code that requires compliance with a specific issue, the most stringent applies. But, as crane users we are concerned with load testing on the job site during annual testing or after repairs. When is it necessary? Very rarely will the crane manufacturer mandate load testing other than testing specific components. Though the crane manufacturer must be conferred on any testing requirements, OSHA and EM385-1-1 are the standards we are usually concerned with compliance. Both of these standards require load testing under similar circumstances: (1) Before initial use of crane or hoisting equipment in which a load bearing or load control-ling part or component, brake, travel component, or clutch has been altered, replaced, or repaired, (2) Every time the crane or hoisting equipment is reconfigured or reassembled after disassembly (to include booms). and (3) When the manufacturer requires load testing. Under conditions (1) and (2) above, a selective load test (testing only those components that have or may have been affected by the alteration, replacement, or repaired) may be performed. The replacement of wire rope is specifically excluded from this requirement. How-ever, after a wire rope
24 | JULY2014
replacement a functional test of the crane or hoisting equipment under a normal operating load shall be made prior to putting the crane back in service. EM385-1-1, Section 16.F.03: Load testing shall be performed in accordance with ANSI/ASME and the manufacturer's recommendations by a qualified person. If the manufacturer has no procedures, a Registered Professional Engineer familiar with the type of equipment involved must approve procedures and frequency of testing using as a minimum, Appendix I for procedures and taking into account age of equipment, history of use, testing and inspection, anticipated future use, and other such factors. Test loads shall be made at 110% of the
CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN
anticipated load for the specified configuration, not to exceed 100% of the manufacturer's load rating at the configuration of the test. During annual inspection functional testing is required and partial capacity load testing is usually required to verify proper component functions such as winch and brake operations or load indicator accuracy. OSHA 1926.1412: Does not specifically address percentage of capacity load tests but mandates a qualified per-son to inspect and determine if the re-pair or adjustment meets manufacturer equipment criteria. This inspection requires functional testing but not necessarily load testing. An example of a repair requiring load testing would be a winch repair, outrigger jack
www.guamcontractors.org