Auto

Mighty Majestic Tower Cranes

Have you ever stared up in awe at a tall building and wondered how on earth someone managed to build something so high? Take the Q1 building on the Gold Coast, for example. As the tallest building in Australia, it has a height of 322m from ground to top. It is truly amazing how human beings can design and build such titanic structures. Without the use of cranes, there would be no way to reach such heights. Cranes allow the lifting and moving of heavy loads that would otherwise not be possible.

How Does a Crane Work?

It’s easy to stare at these buildings and wonder just how people managed to lift and position the massive steel beams and large glass window panes into place. The answer is with the intelligent employment of a range of scientific principles and a lot of grunt and power.

Cranes use simple machines such as the pulley and the level, but massive engines and impressive hydraulics power them these days. Through simple physics (and a large concrete anchoring pad), cranes can multiply relatively small forces to enable their operators to lift loads of up to and above 20,000t with the push of a lever.

Hiring Cranes in Western Australia

Many different types of cranes are available for commercial or private hire in Western Australia. For example, tower cranes can often be seen in and around large cities and on construction sites. In Perth, cranes can be ordered easily online and delivered to your construction site, home or place of work. Crane operators are usually provided by the crane hire company.

Health and Safety Around Cranes

Cranes are heavy, technical, and very dangerous pieces of equipment that require skill, training and practice to operate. If you are looking to hire a crane, you should make sure you understand the code of practice required by your country, state or territory.

It is important to consider the type of safety equipment workers should use when operating or working around cranes.

The following are essential to ensure a safe and productive worksite:

  • High visibility clothing – Maybe the best preventative safety item out there. Preventing accidents from occurring is always better than dealing with the aftermath.
  • Hard-hat helmet – An crucial piece of protective equipment that should also be easy to notice from above.
  • Communication – Being able to communicate in real-time with the crane operator is crucial to the job running smoothly.