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Avoiding operator error
KEYSTONE, Colo.Cranes are the most critical, expensive and dangerous pieces of equipment used in construction, yet few operators are trained and certified to use them, according to a construction safety expert.
And a surprising number of crane operators can't even read the manufacturers' load charts that specify the maximum weight a crane can lift, said Dale Daul, risk control consultant in the construction division of St. Paul Insurance Co. in Minneapolis.
"From a loss control standpoint, the crane is the most dangerous piece of equipment" on a construction site, Mr. Daul told insurance underwriters attending the 71st annual meeting of the Inland Marine Underwriters Assn., held June 2-5 in Keystone, Colo.
"You're lucky if you don't kill somebody," he said, adding that crane accidents affect all lines of coverageproperty, general liability and workers compensation.
Crane accidents cause the most-severe construction losses, he said, pointing to the July 14, 1999, accident at Miller Stadium in Milwaukee, Wis., that killed three, caused more than $100 million in property damage and delayed the stadium opening for nearly a year.
Despite the danger, only a handful of states require crane operators to be trained and tested, Mr. Daul said. And the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's requirements for crane operators haven't been updated since 1968, before the introduction of computerized cabs that are even more difficult to operate.
"A lot...