Edited by Rowena Davis

Part 3:

Discussion

An admonition by Admiral Rickover, developer of atomic power for submarines and aircraft carriers, reminded us to “First identify all the ways that the atomic submarines can fail and then design them so they cannot fail.” Such attention to detail is the technical necessity that made nuclear power possible. Applied to the design of cranes and aerial lifts, such detailed hazard anticipation can prevent many hazards from becoming reality. Careful planning of equipment and project features is the key to maintaining a zero-failure performance and a profitable construction operation.

Yet design errors remain pervasive throughout the construction industry. The July 3, 2006 issue of Engineering News Record editorial entitled “Today’s Equipment has too many Shades of Gray” calls attention to the epidemic of unsafe features on construction equipment manufactured and sold worldwide. To move forward on safer cranes and aerial lifts (as well as other construction equipment), we must look beyond safe work practices and forge upstream to rethink construction processes at the time of design. Involvement of engineers as the primary authority for safe design can eliminate many hazards by design or planning and aid in the selection of safer equipment to be used on the project. The previously referenced study^? presents a methodology on how to cultivate and develop successful engineer involvement in inherently safer design and construction safety planning.

Engineer involvement has been long overlooked in terms of equipment and design safety. Unfortunately, engineers usually find themselves “outside the loop” when it comes to being the principal authority to ensure for hazard control by design. Modern civilization has immeasurably benefited from an engineer’s talent and expertise to apply scientific technology in the design of magnificent structures and marvelous machines. This talent should be tapped as a source of failure-free design expertise and zero-defect construction planning. The first step to improving the design of construction plans and equipment is to yoke the safe design ideas from engineers.

As cranes and aerial lifts become more sophisticated to meet specific needs of development, safety standards can lag until a high number of injuries demands a need for action. Rather than follow a methodology which relies upon injury and death to develop a design for safety, safety needs to be considered a design priority at the onset of every project and be considered in each new piece of construction equipment made. Currently, there are some dramatic new construction concepts being adopted to overcome the typical disconnects in the design-bid-build method. The process, becoming known as “Progressive Project Delivery” (PPD), creates opportunity for both the suppliers and manufacturers of equipment (such as cranes and aerial lifts) to discuss the project as peer reviewers in all stages of design and construction. Providing communication channels that focus on choosing the right equipment, available equipment safety features, and the most cost-effective methods of equipment use achieves an unprecedented level of project collaboration and eases construction projects from one phase to the next. Delaying hazard identification in equipment until it arrives on the work site delays the construction process itself, as it can create the necessity for worker special training or installation of safeguards. Establishing peer reviews to specify potential pitfalls during the design stage of project planning can eliminate many hazards during construction. A great example of hazard elimination would be to bury the powerline on a construction site as a routine part of initial site preparation, rather than to wait until the final landscaping contract for the finished structure.

Illustration 27, the flow chart for a design-bid-build project, shows little opportunity to incorporate the expertise of the suppliers of cranes and aerial lifts or other experts with beneficial site input.

Illustration 27

Sequential Project Delivery

Illustration 28 shows an opportunity to incorporate peer advice from crane and aerial lift suppliers and other parties involved in construction.

Illustration 28

Progressive Project Delivery

With overview by equipment suppliers and collaboration of many parties during the planning process of a project, the use of cranes or aerial lifts adjacent to powerlines can be deemed an unacceptable construction method and easily avoided.