CRC/ICHC Joint and Breakout Sessions Offer Something for Everyone

Four joint sessions and multiple breakout sessions during the two-day Crane & Rigging and Industrial Crane & Hoist Conferences (CRC/ICHC) will offer management-level topics of interest to crane and rigging supervisors, facilities managers, and safety personnel.

The safety management conference will be hosted by Maximum Capacity Media, May 23-24, 2012, in New Orleans, La. Event partners include Columbus-McKinnon and Crane Institute Certification.

Opening the meeting during CRC/ICHC’s first joint session is Jim Weithorn, principal engineer and chairman of Haag Engineering Co., Houston, Texas. In his session titled “How Studies of Crane Accidents and Trends Lead to a Safer Work Environment,” he will share results from an unprecedented study of more than 400 crane accidents, which is scheduled to be published in June 2012. As part of a graduate research program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) joined the study in 2011. New software will allow Haag to update annual findings in order to identify, in part, the effectiveness of training and certification, and identify potentially dangerous trends.

Other joint sessions will discuss how fatigue impacts crane operation, workforce development issues, and how safety managers can use emotional intelligence to impart safety information for the highest impact.

Attendees can choose from two educational tracts. ICHC sessions will discuss OSHA 1910.179, preparing for OSHA inspections, how to develop lift plans that remove risk, sway control technology for overhead traveling cranes, and review rigging accident case studies. Highlights of CRC breakout sessions include the following.

Understanding Documentation Requirements for Crane Inspections: Regulatory changes to the documentation requirements for crane inspections have left many crane owners, users, and even third-party inspectors, out of compliance. Gary Campbell of PIC Crane Safety Services will discuss who is responsible for doing inspections, when to do them, what the inspection should include, and how long documentation must be retained.

High Wind/Hurricane Preparedness for Tower Cranes: Tower cranes are both versatile and vital pieces of equipment that require special considerations when used in high wind regions. A tower crane emergency weather and disaster plan for any project must involve pre-installation planning, design, construction, and post-emergency procedures. This session, presented by Morrow Equipment Co.’s Michael Quinn, engineering manager, and Brian Silbernagel, corporate safety director, will give project safety, plant, and equipment managers tools for developing effective procedures for the selection and application of tower cranes erected in high wind regions.

Case Studies of Super Critical Lifts: Super critical lifts—which have become more commonplace as components have grown larger and cranes built bigger—can be done safely. In this session Harry Costner, project development manager for Mammoet USA, will present several case studies of past projects. In addition, several extra steps to take in order to ensure a successful outcome, such as Critical Tension Load Path Analysis, will be discussed. Costner comes to Mammoet from Becht Engineering, where he was division manager and manager of heavy-lift operations. Prior to that he worked at a number of ExxonMobil sites around the world developing heavy-lift plans.

Commonly Overlooked Sling Inspection Items: Certain types of sling damage are overlooked by users as not being significant, when in fact, the damage could be critical. Mike Riggs, president of Rigging Institute, Knoxville, Tenn., will discuss at least one type of potentially dangerous defect in wire rope, alloy chain, synthetic round, and synthetic web slings.

Table Topics: New this year, attendees can visit with an industry expert in a small group setting regarding crane and rigging management issues they face daily in their jobs. Attendees can sign up on site to visit with an industry expert during lunch on May 23. Limited seating is available. This setting is perfect for asking experts questions about the issues you are dealing with and to hear from your colleagues about how they solve similar problems.

Table Topics discussion points include equipment upgrades and automation; inspections, rigging, standards and regulations; and training, and qualification/certification of personnel.

Watch the website for additional session topics, speaker announcements, and Table Topics experts at www.craneandriggingconference.com.

“I’d like to thank new and returning sponsors for their support of this annual event, without whom the conference would not be possible,” said Mark Bridger, publisher of Maximum Capacity Media’s Crane & Rigging Hot Line and Industrial Lift & Hoist magazines. For information on additional sponsorship opportunities, contact Mark Bridger at mbridger@maxcapmedia.com.

Event Partners             Columbus McKinnon and CIC

Associate Sponsor     Liebherr

Breakfast                      NCCER and NACB

Lunch                             LSI and Bishop Lifting Products

Coffee Break                Morrow Equipment Co.

Lanyards                       Delta Rigging & Tools

Conference Bags        Lifting Gear Hire

Notepads & Pens       Bigfoot Outrigger Pads

Previously posted news about CRC/ICHC in New Orleans, La.:

http://www.industrialliftandhoist.com/index.php?id=6083

http://www.industrialliftandhoist.com/index.php?id=6070

http://www.industrialliftandhoist.com/index.php?id=6032

http://www.industrialliftandhoist.com/index.php?id=5946