Wind is reportedly the second most common cause for tower crane accidents worldwide.
Part 1 of a 2 part series on crane rigging and wind hazards in the construction industry and built environment
This article was first published by the KHL Group LLP and is republished here with permission of the authors. © 2019 KHL Group LLP.
Know the wind. It’s a simple but profound statement for crane operators. The fact is that wind is the second most common cause for crane accidents worldwide. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) reported that “…between 2000 and 2010, there were 1,125 tower crane accidents reported worldwide, resulting in more than 780 deaths. One of the main culprits behind these tragedies was exposure to wind, which caused 23 percent of all accidents.”1
Wind Forces
While being able to track wind speed is important, ANSI stresses, “…the primary concern related to the forces that wind exerts on a tower crane’s load is not the speed of the wind, but its pressure. Wind pressure varies as the square of the wind speed, so, as wind speed doubles, the wind pressure increases by a factor of four times. This means that a small increase in wind speed can severely threaten the safe performance of a tower crane.”1
So how can an operator effectively and accurately track the atmospheric changes impacting their work environment? One answer may be the TriSonica Mini, a three-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer that can fit in the palm of your hand.
The TriSonica Mini uses ultrasonic measurements to tell users exactly how fast the wind is moving — from the lightest breath to a stormy gale — and in what direction it moves: up, down, front, back or sideways. It also tells the temperature of the air, the compass heading relative to the device, the moisture borne in the wind, the density of the air and dew point, according to the manufacturer.
Even a small increase in wind speed can threaten the safe performance of a crane.
More in the next blog post about crane rigging and wind hazards in the construction industry and built environment…
1 Kelechava, Brad (2016, July 7). Wind Effect on Tower Cranes. Retrieved from https://blog.ansi.org/2016/07/wind-effect-on-tower-cranes/.
(Source: “Rigging for Wind.” Edited by KHL Group LLP, KHL, KHL Group LLP, 10 Jan. 2019, www.khl.com/american-cranes-and-transport/rigging-for-wind-/136475.article.)
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- Crane Rental Association of Canada (CRAC)
- European Association of Heavy Haulage Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA)
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