Cold weather construction jobs come with their own set of challenges. Using cranes in cooler weather conditions will call for specific precautions largely because of the impact of very cold temperatures on the structural integrity and performance of steel.
When the weather is cold enough, steel can take on a dangerous brittleness. When this takes place, the capacity of steel crane and hoist equipment can be lowered. With this in mind, what can you do to ensure optimum efficiency, safety and dependability during a project?
The basic concept
In extreme conditions, a project needs to have equipment that’s up to the job and compliant with industry-wide overhead crane safety standards. You can’t always just wait for summer to carry out a construction project. With this in mind, if you work on a specific job during winter, you might have to deal with subpar weather. While certain types of cranes may be more susceptible to weather conditions than others, you’ll need to think about winter weather – whatever type of crane you use.
High Wind Speeds
Various cranes possess different limits on how much wind they can resist. An example being, a mobile crane may be rated for winds up to 31 miles per hour. While at the same time, a crane that’s secured may be safe in stronger winds, up to 64 miles per hour.
Keep a lookout for the weather forecast when scheduling work on your crane. This can help you avoid planning to use the crane on days that have high wind speeds. And try to remember, the forecast can differentiate from the actual weather; winds may turn out stronger than expected, and they may be stronger at crane height than at ground level.
Visibility
A crane might well be one of the biggest pieces of equipment on your construction site and maybe one of the most damaging if uncontrolled. Much like windy weather, poor visibility can also stop the operator from ensuring the crane doesn’t hit anything and cause danger.
Some other factors to think about when predicting visibility levels include fog, rain, snow, other precipitation (for example sleet), sun glare (reflected from ice or snow), as well as lighting. Like the wind, the visibility conditions may be predicted by looking at the forecast. But the main decision on when to stop work due to poor visibility will have to come down to the crane operator themselves.
Icy Conditions
Driving on icy roads can be highly dangerous, and the same goes for the crane operation in icy weather. Some of the issues with ice can have on crane operation include: The load could freeze to the ground and become more tricky to lift. The load may be more weighty than expected if ice forms on the load. The crane may carry extra weight (from ice forming on the crane) and have a lowered lifting ability.
Clear Snow & Ice
Falling is of course the most obvious danger of working at height, but ice and snow make it an even bigger possibility. Black ice, whether caused by fluctuating temperatures or frozen condensation is a common problem but is often hard to spot. Similarly, snow could melt and refreeze or compact over time, making it difficult to remove and easy to slip over on. Be sure to shovel and de-ice regularly to stop any potential falls or painful slips.