Data logging on cranes started with offshore cranes in the 1980s, following a serious accident in the North Sea involving the failure of a crane slew ring well within its predicted life. This incident focused attention on the potential for serious overloading with offshore cranes.
This Draft for Development specifies general requirements for data logging devices which, when fitted to cranes, monitor specified parameters to provide information on crane use.
Current practice has shown that there are three main benefits to be obtained from the accurate logging of crane performance data.
a) Event recording
Event recorders record the events before, during and after a lift. This data can be used for accident analysis and to monitor operator performance (for example, persistent over-lifting).
This allows a crane owner to look at the events leading up to an incident.
b) Condition monitoring
This allows an assessment of component and structural life to be made and provides an accurate indication of the need for thorough examinations, based on the lifting cycle history rather than the traditional time period basis. This process ensures that components are examined and replaced at a suitable time that is cost effective and safe.
c) Crane usage analysis
This obtains all the operational data on a crane, such as how long it has worked in a day, what duty it was rigged on, what percentage of rated capacity was used and whether a large capacity hook block or fly jib was used. It can help to establish what customers are using a crane for, and whether it is worth carrying a fly jib with every crane.
DD 8483 is beneficial to crane owners, operators and incident investigators, leading to the safer and more economically efficient use of cranes.