Occupational Safety and Health of the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Center for Construction Research and Training reports that side
pulling is one of the 13 most common ways people are killed or injured while
using cranes. But what is side pulling and why is it so dangerous?
OSHA defines side pull as “the hoist pull acting
horizontally when the hoist lines are not operated vertically” in their report
on overhead and gantry cranes, In other words,
the crane is used to “tow” a load that is not lined up properly to get it into
position. Side pulling purposely is extremely dangerous unless the crane is
stable and the load is small. In the vast majority of cases, side pulls should
not be used, even if the process could save some time. Using a crane to move
even a small load horizontally can be fatal. If you are going to operate a
crane while on the job, it is important to understand how to use one properly,
and if you are an employer who owns cranes, it is crucial that you provide on
the job training for your employees, not just to teach about side pull, but
also to help them understand all aspects of crane safety.
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