Backsavers: Using Workstation Cranes

by | Mar 14, 2016 | Cranes

Smaller businesses in smaller areas have unique needs requiring lifting solutions that can’t be managed with pallet jacks and forklifts. While most small businesses think of cranes and lifts as being available to big businesses, there are options for small and medium sized businesses that are open to anyone with imagination and the annual bill for their workers’ compensation insurance.

Health and Safety Statistics
Saving on time spent handling and moving stock can dovetail with saving wear and tear on your workers via repetitive motion injuries and lifting related strain injuries. There were over 162,000 back injuries and 331,180 strains, sprains, and teas reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that involved days off work. For 2014 OSHA reports that back injuries are the most common workplace injury, and recommends the use of engineering controls and mechanical aids like cranes in conjunction with appropriate protective equipment, ergonomic work practices, and administrative controls.

Do the Heavy Lifting: Efficiently
From receiving, to handling, stocking, and moving it all out again, there’s a lot that a pallet jack or a fork lift simply can’t do. Cranes are made to lift and move loads beyond the capacity of the human body to move safely in one trip, and so do with an economy of space when it comes to your square footage. This can be very important when it comes to a smaller business’ warehouse, shipping and receiving, or shop floor. Handling loads from 150 to as much as 4,000 pounds, you have a lot of choices as to what type of workstation crane to install.

• Bridge crane: These cranes are either freestanding or mounted to the building’s infrastructure to lift and move loads from side-to-side or backwards and forwards.
• Gantry crane: A freestanding crane that moves on wheels or tracks in the floor, available in different configurations such as single or double leg and cantilevered.
• Jib crane: These wall, column, or floor-mounded cranes lift and move loads in a circular motion, and are available in different builds depending on their use.

When you add in the many available “below hook” attachments for every type of materials handling, there’s very little that a crane can’t lift and move safely and efficiently. By implementing engineering controls, a business owner can dramatically reduce the risks associated with materials handling, protect workers from injuries, free up some floor space, and increase efficiency and productivity.

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