Precast Concrete Industry – Application Series: 5 of 5 Overhead/Gantry Cranes
Precast Concrete Industry – Application Series: 5 of 5
Overhead/Gantry Cranes – Trapped Key Interlock Safety Solutions
A recent 10yr study (2011-2017) of overhead crane incidents revealed 54% of all reportables resulted in fatality
Overhead and gantry cranes are essential for the movement of heavy materials to be efficient, effective, and without harm to personnel. During cement production, heavy pieces of equipment as well as finished precast product requires transportation into holding areas and or trucks for distribution.
This study revealed the following breakdown of hazards: 37% Crushed by Load * 27% Load Drop * 12% Caused by Fall * 11% Crushed or Pinned * 6% Improper or Lack of LOTO * 7% Other
Risks such as caught-in/between, struck-by/against, and/or overloaded or falling materials from a crane can bring serious harm to personnel, product, and equipment. To ensure safety within the area, controlled access points interlocked with crane controls mitigate accidental entry while crane is in operation.
The average cost of a major injury due to an overhead crane incident is $200k / the average cost for a fatality is $4 million
Trapped key interlock safety solutions ensure a pre-determined sequence of operations each & every time. While LOTO provides a visual warning and identifies hazards, a TKI solution physically prevents a specific set of actions from being performed until previous action(s) have been fully completed!
Common trapped key interlock solution implementation for overhead cranes:
Step 1: Safe Access KIRK Type DM access interlock installed on any and all access points safeguarding overhead crane perimeter
Step 2: Multiple Entry Points KIRK Type T transfer interlock for sequence control of access keys only after all access points have been locked closed and ready to safely energize overhead/gantry crane
Step 3: Controlled Power KIRK Type PPS electromechanical interlock installed on control switch overhead/gantry crane