Health and Safety Executive - Safety Notice: Offshore crane boom hoist rope failures

Target audience: All personnel involved in the operation, maintenance, and inspection of offshore cranes.

Two incidents have occurred offshore, involving the failure of crane boom hoist ropes, resulting in the crane booms falling on the deck below.

Duty holders are advised to ensure that:

• when high winds are forecast, the positioning, and if necessary, the securing of crane booms, is in accordance with the relevant crane manufacturer's guidance
• if manufacture's guidance outlines that the boom should be stowed in the boom rest, slack rope should not be allowed to form between the sheaves in the 'A' frame and those at the boom tip or bridle assemblies
• cranes are operated in a controlled and smooth manner to reduce, so far as is possible, any bouncing of the crane boom
• when a crane is designed to have sheave rope retention bars fitted, these are in a good condition
• crane pre-use checks include the requirement to verify that all the ropes are correctly seated and running in the rope sheaves
• when new boom hoist ropes are fitted that the method of installation reduces the possibility of a twist being introduced

View the Health and Safety Executive Safety Notice for full details.