Are Lift Assists Cranes?
We recently had multiple (10+) ergonomic lift assists installed in our factory for a new assembly line that was brought in. After installation I began to question if these would fall under the crane standard. Some were installed stand alone, and others on an entire fixed structure. These are used to pick up large bulky items.
So the question is, what technically constitutes a crane, and when do I cross the line? If these are cranes, then what is the difference between say a tool balancer and a crane?
Comments (6)
It depends on the type of lift assist device that you're using, but, yes, it could potentially fall under 1910.179 (Overhead and Gantry Cranes). I'd need to see a picture(s) to be able to verify for certain, so if you could attach a picture to this post, that would help tremendously. It sounds like it could potentially fall under the definition of a wall crane (jib crane) or a power-operated crane. All of these definitions can be found in 1910.179(a).
A tool balancer is simply used to hold a tool in a certain position to reduce the ergonomic strain from holding the tool in your hand for an extended period of time. By definition, a "crane" is a machine for lifting and lowering a load and moving it horizontally, with the hoisting mechanism an integral part of the machine, and are driven manually or by power. The key difference here is that a tool balancer is used to handle a tool, rather than the product you're handling or working on (the load). Although they may perform similar functions, tool balancers wouldn't meet the OSHA definition of a crane. Tool balancers are also used to handle much lighter/smaller items (typically 100-150 lbs. or less), whereas cranes are designed to handle loads much heavier or that are just awkward to handle due to the size/configuratiion of the load.
I'm just happy to see that your organization invested in the ergo assists
I believe of it is a crane you only need a crain operator certificate if lifting more then 3500 pounds.