AIM
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is inviting members of the public to give feedback on the use of Data Loggers for Mobile Cranes.
BACKGROUND
2 Hundreds of lifting operations are carried out by Cranes in many workplaces daily. Failure to manage these operations well may lead to accidents that can potentially hurt many workers and damage public property. Crane Safety is, hence, an area of concern that MOM continues to focus on.
3 In 2009, MOM and WSH Council formed an industry-led National Crane Safety Taskforce with various stakeholder groups including the Government, Industry Stakeholders and Crane Manufacturers and Suppliers. It has, since, rolled out a three-pronged strategy to improve the standards of Crane Safety in Singapore:
i) Enhancing Competencies and Capabilities in Crane Safety
ii) Raising Awareness on Crane Safety
iii) Strengthening Standards and Practices in Crane Safety
4 Several initiatives had since been rolled out to improve Crane Safety at workplaces. This includes efforts to raise the competencies and capabilities of the lifting team, including the Crane Operators, as well as the review of legislation and standards involving operation of Cranes.
STUDY ON DATA LOGGERS
5 In addition to these efforts, MOM, in collaboration with the Taskforce, also explored leveraging on technology to better monitor safe operations of the Cranes on the ground. One particular area is the feasibility of installing Data Logger systems into Mobile Cranes used in Singapore .
6 Akin to the black box in an aircraft, the Data Logger is a recording device that monitors and records key operational parameters and critical events performed on the Cranes. It can record key Crane operational parameters such as weight of load and Crane’s operating configuration. It can also be configured to record critical events such as overloading and bypassing of safety devices. In particular, the team looked into the installation of Data Loggers in Mobile Cranes as such Cranes are highly mobile and contribute to more accidents.
Benefits of data logger for cranes
7 The study shows that Data Loggers can offer many benefits such as:
i) Shaping behavior of Crane Operators by creating deterrence against carrying out unsafe acts such as overloading of Cranes and bypassing of safety devices.
ii) Enabling Crane owners to track and monitor Crane usage for purpose of fleet management and maintenance.
iii) Providing critical operational data for purpose of optimising use of Crane and monitoring of performance of Crane Operators.
iv) Provide service life data to determine life span of crane.
v) Provide useful data for purposes of learning from accidents.
CONSULTATION WITH INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS
8 Consultation was done with the WSH Council’s National Crane Safety Taskforce and its Mobile Crane Interest Group comprising Crane manufacturers, suppliers and users. Preliminary feedback is that the industry has suggested that a possible first step will be to equip new Mobile Cranes first brought into use in Singapore with Data Loggers, while owners of existing Mobile Cranes can be strongly encouraged to install the Data Loggers as well. MOM hereby invites further feedback from industry and public to participate in this consultation from 24 Sept 2012 to 31 Oct 2012.
9 Please refer to Annex A for the proposed Technical and Administrative Specifications for Data Logger on Mobile Crane.
Proposed Technical Specifications of Data Logger for Mobile Cranes
The following is a summary of the proposed functional specifications that may be performed by the Data Loggers on Mobile Cranes.
S/N Specific Features of Data Loggers
1 Detection of events of overriding or bypassing of safety devices;
2 Logging features of critical crane operational data;
3 Data Security and Anti-Tampering;
4 Real Time Stamping; and
5 Data Downloading Feature
6 Report Generation Feature
7 Warning and Alert Feature
8 GPS capability
9 Self Test Facility
10 Remote Real Time Monitoring Feature
11 Wireless Downloading
12 Power Backup Feature
Proposed Recorded Parameters
The following is a summary of the minimum Crane operational parameters that may be recorded or logged by the Data Loggers.
S/N Recorded Parameters by the Data Loggers
1 Date and Time of occurrence
2 Events for e.g. device being override
3 Load Moment Indication
4 Weight of load lifted
5 Slewing angle
6 Boom angle
7 ID of recorder
8 Crane Operational Hours since Installation
9 Faults/Settings Display
10 ID of Operator
11 Wind Speed
12 Position of Jib or Boom
13 Hook and Crane Configuration Information
Proposed Administrative Specifications of Data Logger for Mobile Cranes
1) The Data Logger to be switched on at all times during the operational hours of the Mobile Crane.
2) No one should modify, alter, and dismantle any parts or content of the Data Logger fitted onto the Mobile Crane.
3) Data recorded from the Data Logger to be easily made available for inspection by the Ministry’s Inspectors.
4) The Data Logger fitted shall operate seamlessly with the existing Mobile Crane system as an integrated system without causing any malfunctions, safety implications, undue limitations, and or restrictions to the Crane operation.
5) The Data Logger unit shall be uniquely identifiable by a serial number and shall be provided to the Authorised Examiner during registration and subsequent statutory examination of the Mobile Crane.
6) Retro-fitment of Data Logger to existing Mobile Crane shall be done in consultation with the Manufacturer of the Mobile Cranes.
Internationally, the latest European Standard for Mobile Cranes (EN13000:2010) had mandated the requirement of new Mobile Cranes to be fitted with a Data Logger since May 2010 to record critical events automatically. This includes recording of events such as overloading and bypassing of safety devices.
Author; Unknown
Soruce:
https://www.wshc.sg/wps/themes/html/upload/announcement/file/Data%20Logger%20Consult(2).doc
