Working in construction sites has always been considered as hazardous. In the period between 1997 and 1999, there were 158 accidents which can be considered as crane-related. 73 percent of these crane related accidents involved mobile cranes. Of this number, 10 accidents were caused by electrical contact. This gives people the importance of electrical grounding of mobile cranes.
Because of the crane’s height, there is a possibility that it will come into contact with electrical wires. And since the crane is metal, electricity can travel through it and can possibly injure the operator. Immobile cranes may not be in danger, but mobile cranes are another matter entirely. Mobile cranes, when being transported, have a very high potential of coming into contact with an electrical wire. This is the reason why mobile crane operators are very careful in their driving.
The importance of the electrical grounding of mobile cranes is that this feature prevents accidents from happening. Electricity acts this way: when a crane comes into contact with an electrical line, electricity travels through the metal trying to find the quickest path to the ground. When an unfortunate person happens to be in contact with both the crane and the ground, the electricity will travel through that person. When the person is sitting in the cab, electricity will still travel through him or her.
Electrical grounding of mobile cranes prevents this from happening. The electrical grounding system provides the most direct route to the ground. In a sense, it provides a detour for the electricity. This means that the electricity won’t have to travel through a person.
This is just one type of mobile crane electrical grounding. There is another type of electrical grounding for mobile cranes which does not really concern electrical accidents.
Cranes are heavy. They are also used for lifting very heavy materials. This means that they depend on stability to be used effectively. However, we all know that finding a level piece of land in a construction site is next to impossible. Cranes need to be stabilized correctly before they can be used. This process is called grounding.
Some would do this manually, making use of estimates in order to judge whether or not a crane is stable enough to be operated. However, mobile crane electrical grounding systems are now available to make this somewhat complicated job simpler.
Mobile crane electrical grounding systems judge the level of stability that the ground beneath the crane offers. This system then adjusts the position of the crane in order to maximize the stability. Because of this, people are assured that the stability of the crane is at the maximum.
Another advantage to mobile crane electrical grounding systems is the fact that they are easy to operate. People just need to push a button in order to render the crane stable. This means that they get to save a lot of effort. We all know how much of life we have reduced to buttons. This system is just another example of how we are able to make jobs more convenient for us.
Mobile crane electrical grounding systems also save a lot of time. Because of mobile crane electrical grounding systems, people do not have to spend a lot of time making sure that the crane is not going to fall down on a task.
Source:
http://nycaccidentlawyerblog.com/2011/05/the-importance-of-electrical-grounding-of-mobile-cranes/
