02.01.2013
What do you think?
For the crane and rigging experts among you a photo sent in from a reader in the USA seeking an opinion.
Please register to see all images
A dumb idea or best practice?
The load suspended from a tower crane hook with web slings has an extra loop, apparently in order to protect against a hook failure. Why the hook is singled out rather that the pin that it pivots on, or the ring that connects the slings is a mystery.
Our correspondent says: “A death with wish the safety tied off below the line in case of a block failure or in compliance with best practices?”.
Opinions welcomed.
fruitloop
its health and safty going mad agane... it not be to long befor you have to have 2 cranes on a job incase the first one brakes...and i hope they have got a tag line on that tag line...lol
Ernie
To me it looks like an attempt to prevent spinning or twisting of the load.The extra ropes tied to the hook block could be attached to the load or held seperatly.
In any case the only place on a hook block there should be any attachements is the on the hook. If the hook is in doubt then it should be replaced. Although not necessarly a death wish it does interfere with the intended operation of the hook which is never a good thing.
It does look like some sort of man riding set up with the tag lines set up , but I,m wondering with the background being forestry whether the looped sling with shackle attached is there as a back-up because of some 'safety catch' issue when lowering the load between trees and getting caught up. It would of been handy to know what the load it was carrying.
If this were a man-riding basket being lifted, then the second sling around the hook top may be there for additional safety eg for harnessing purposes, in which case it looks a reasonable reason for it to be there, just incase of hook failure which is in itself unlikely. Would be interesting to know what the 2 x white ropes also attached to the hook are for, maybe if the load were a man basket they may be to reduce the chances of it spinning on the hook pivot. We need to know a bit more info than the photo shows, but I suspest its a man riding basket application and if so, I think this is not bad practice as such.