Policy ID: #FE-24
Date Instituted: February 7, 2003
Last Revised: February 7, 2003

Policy Description

Purpose: This document establishes the standard operating guidelines for the safe use of cranes or hoists to lift material and equipment on campus.

Background: Extra care must always be exercised when using a crane, man lift, or bucket truck on campus because of the high number of pedestrians and vehicles in the working area.

Responsibilities: All picks and lifts will be in accordance with OSHA guidelines and regulations. The Chief Engineer, or the Assistant Chief Engineer, will notify Public Safety and Security and the Compliance Office as early as possible of the scheduled lift. As a minimum, three days advance notice will be provided.

The majority of lifts are performed by outside firms. The senior person from the Department of Facilities Engineering (DFE) involved with the lift will request that Public Safety and Security secure the lift site with construction tape and provide sufficient personnel to prevent any person or vehicle from interfering with the lift or walking, or driving, under the equipment.

If PS&S cannot support the task, then the senior person from DFE will ensure the area is secured and there are sufficient personnel from DFE on site to keep it a safe area.

If the DFE man-lift is used, the senior man will be responsible for ensuring the area underneath is blocked or he will assign a ground guide to prevent people from walking into the danger zone.

All operators of the DFE man-lift will wear the safety harness and secure it to the working platform. The harness is stored in the warehouse. The harness will be signed out and returned to the warehouse upon completion of the task. The operator will have either a radio or a cell phone so he can communicate with ground personnel or with the office of DFE.

If the material being lifted is more than 500 pounds, the building, or at least the effected areas of it, will be evacuated. The Chief Engineer, or the Assistant Chief Engineer, will notify the building manager (also at least three days in advance) that the lift will occur. The building manager will be responsible for notifying the occupants of the building. The DFE will make signs and post them at the entrance doors to the building alerting occupants of the lift.
All individuals working at the site will wear hard-toe boots and a hard hat.

The crane, man-lift, or hoist will be located by the firm and stabilized by the firm. The firm will also ensure there are no wires, cables, poles, or other obstructions in the line of work before starting the erecting of the equipment.