With more than 160 overhead cranes that can be boarded by maintenance staff, a local steel manufacturing plant took the initiative to upgrade their cranes with fall arrest systems to ensure the safety of their workers while working at heights.  The Crane Fall Arrest Program involved designing, fabricating and installing tie-off points, horizontal lifelines, coupling guards, swing gates, and guardrails.  JNE Consulting was engaged to design and implement these systems in the Southern Ontario facilities.

Tie-off points, or d-rings, were placed on the trolley so that workers could assess the gearboxes as well as change the hook rope.  With main platforms on either side of the trolley, horizontal lifelines were placed so that workers could walk on the end trucks to go from one platform to the other.  A third horizontal lifeline was installed along the bridge girder to allow workers access to the trolley should it stop midspan.  Wherever possible, guardrail and swing gates were installed to keep workers from falling off the crane onto the crane runway.

JNE personnel conducted site reviews and obtained the required measurements for design. A fall arrest design analysis was set in place to determine the maximum number of workers, the maximum weight of workers and the fall arrest configuration that would work best with the constraints.  JNE made recommendations for the selection of crane fall arrest system hardware, prepared construction drawings, reviewed shop drawings and provided additional construction support services.  In total, more than 160 systems were designed and successfully implemented.

Keep your workers safe — contact our experts about fall arrest andfall protection systems for your facility today.