Soil Support

[S P E C I A L
SECTION: SAFETY

For Mobile Cranes

BY THEODORE CHRIsTENsEN AND DANIEL DEITZ

M
44

ore than 700 workers died from mobile crane-related occupational injuries between 1992 and 2002, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), with the three main causes of death resulting from crane tip-over, boom collapse and uncontrolled hoist loads. Crane tip-over can be prevented if contractors learn about the true pressure-bearing capability of the soil on which a crane operates. Various pressure investigation techniques can help a contractor determine how much the soil can handle. | Construction EXeCUTIVe March 2008

SOIL INVEsTIGATION AND ENGINEERING

Soil investigation techniques include borings, load testing and laboratory analysis. When relying on soil borings listed in the design documents, investigate the number and location of the borings to verify that they provide a complete picture of

CONSTRUcTION PHOTOGRApHY/PUNcHSTOcK

Mobile crane pressure on soil varies with the type and size of a crane and the load being hoisted. Because any single outrigger may be required to handle more than half the combined weight of a crane and load during operations, determining soil-bearing capacity is critical for keeping the crane level. And, keeping a crane level is critical for safe operations.

the jobsite locations where the crane may be sited. If there are questions about the homogenous nature of the geology (i.e., the soil composition), a site-specic analysis should be commissioned. Other sources of soil data include the local building code or a citys records, which are compiled regularly by the building department. The building department also has a wealth of knowledge on the competency of the soil throughout its jurisdiction. If a company does not employ a staff engineer or qualied person with the expertise to calculate the soil bearing pressure using these sources, it should obtain the services of a soil engineering rm. Figure 1 While a soil investigation is the best way to determine bearing pressure, many lifts using small or medium-sized cranes on competent ground do not require engineering analysis. However, it is important for an operator to exercise the crane, without a load, through its full range of motions while paying close attention to any out-of-level movement. If additional expertise is needed in this scenario, consulting engineers and crane rental providers can calculate the weight on each outrigger or crawler track. Software applications also are available to assist in making these calculations, but should only be used by a qualied person. These sources can determine if cribbing or matting are needed to reduce the unit weight and provide reliable support for the crane. If time or budget prohibits engineering studies for jobs with larger cranes on unknown soil, keep in mind that placing the outrigger directly on earth (Figure 1) can overload the soils bearing capacity and cause loss of support due to compaction. It is recommended to place outrigger oats on suitable blocking/cribbing composed of timber, steel or other dense material to reduce the chance of soil settlement when handling moderate loads known to be well within the cranes capacity and on average soil.
THE WORsT-CAsE SCENARIO

52,000 pounds. Assuming a oat area of nine square feet, the bearing pressure will be 5,778 pounds per square foot (psf ). The bearing area can be tripled by adding 3-foot by 9-foot, 4-foot by 7-foot or

5-foot by 6-foot of dunnage. By tripling the bearing area on the soil to 27 square feet, the load of the crane is distributed over a wider area, reducing the bearing pressure to 1,926 psf. The key is for the operator to ensure the bearing pressure

imposed by the crane is less than the bearing capacity of the supporting soil. When dunnage/blocking is composed of multiple pieces, such as wood timber, the collective assembly must be tightly packed, with no space between adjacent members. And, the oat should bear on all timbers or on a steel or composite plate that can distribute the weight evenly over the entire assembly. Materials used for cribbing must be dense enoughoak or equivalentto resist crushing from the force applied, and arranged or assembled to prevent individual movement during operations. Blocking should be employed only under the outrigger floats, and never under the outrigger beam. Apply blocking under all oats so the crane maintains equal support in all quadrants of operation.
AVOIDING ACCIDENTs

According to NIOSH, serious accidents can occur when outriggers are not properly

The worst-case scenario weight on a single outrigger occurs when the crane slews between the rear and side quadrants are
March 2008 Construction EXeCUTIVe

| 45

[S P E C I A L

SECTION: SAFETY

]
half times the depth. This recommendation assumes undisturbed soil under the crane. Disturbed and recently backlled soil require an engineer to determine the bearing capacity. Even compacted backll is suspect, as compaction rarely yields the same bearing capacity as the surrounding, undisturbed soil. During construction of a three-story underground parking garageonce the H pile and soldier beam-sheeting and shoring system were completea general contractor directed the placement of two mobile cranes on an asphalt alley road directly adjacent to the top of the 50-foot deep shored excavation site. The weight of the cranes and their respective loads overburdened the asphalts supporting soil, causing a cast iron water main to rupture. The weight of the cranes, their loads and the escaping water exceeded the design capacity of the sheeting and shoring system, causing a 50-foot by 50-foot section to collapse into the excavation. A 50-foot by 15-foot section of the roadway and cranes also fell into theexcavation. All of these principles also apply to crawler cranes. Although they have more support due to the use of crawler tracks instead of wheels and outriggers, they remain susceptible to the same laws of soil bearing pressure as other cranes and need matting to spread their weight when the weight of the crane and load approach the soils capacity. With the constant pressure to get a job done by deadline, taking the time and employing the right people to conduct accurate soil pressure bearing investigations are sometimes difcult to do. But it takes much less time to do the job right in the beginning than it does to have an unexpected delay in operations due to an accident or, even worse, a fatality.
Theodore Christensen is director of contracting services at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Daniel Deitz is senior technical claims specialist for Liberty Mutual Group. For more information, visit www.libertymutual.com.

supported. For example, a water tank company worker was killed when a portable tower crane overturned and struck the partially assembled water tower on which he was working. A crane company was hired to help the water tank crew erect the water tower supports and lift the tank to its nal position on the tower. Two months before the incident, the ground in the construction area had been graded, compacted and certied for a load of 2,000 psf. When the crane was set up, the front and rear outriggers were set on timbers resting directly on the ground. No plywood or steel plates were used under the timbers to distribute the load, nor were bolts or other rigging used to secure the timbers together. The victim was sitting on a horizontal strut of the water tower base, approximately 80 feet in the air, preparing to adjust and tighten rod braces once the tank was set in position. After the operator had hoisted the empty 28,000-pound tank to about 130 feet and was swinging it into position over the tower, the cranes Figure 2 rear outrigger facing the water tower slipped between the cribbing timbers and sank into the ground. The tower crane and its load fell, striking the tower. Two other people were injureda member of the tank crew positioned inside the water tower ladder cage and the crane operator. While asphalt or concrete surfaces may seem more secure than soil, they can hide subsurface defects created by leaking or poorly compacted utilities or services that do not show up until the crane is lifting a load. Examine surfaces for cracks, depressions and humps, which indicate subsurface movement, and identify the existence and location of underground services, such as tanks, vaults and culverts. Avoid working on unreinforced concrete and asphalt surfaces without investigating their construction. Use an engineer to calculate the bearing area of the dunnage or mats necessary to distribute the weight of the crane. In addition, call 811 to request a utility mark-out before setting the crane up on any public street. 46

Consider a 700-foot crane parked in a Chicago alley that slammed into the rear of a six-story building when the cranes jacks pushed through the alley pavement, lifting its front wheels 15 feet off the ground. The crane caused structural damage to the upper oors of the building. No one was injured in the incident, but three surrounding buildings were evacuated and the local subway routes, which run under the buildings, were taken out of service.
EXCAVATION PERILs

Working near excavations introduces additional soil bearing concerns. When a crane is placed at the top of an unsupported embankment with no shoring (Figure 2),

it should be positioned so it bears on soil that is outside the probable failure zone. The standard operating procedure is to set the crane back at least one-and-a-half times the depth of the excavation to keep it out of the soils shear plane. The setback is the horizontal distance measured from the toe of the excavation to the closest part of the cranes bearing systemoat, crawler or matting. If the crane is within one-and-a-half times the depth of a shored excavation or foundation wall, the additional surcharge from the crane could result in damage or failure of the supporting system. Even a small amount of compaction/movement will produce an out-of-level condition and may result in tipping the crane. An engineer or qualified employee must determine the capacity of the shoring system or wall to handle the weight of the crane and its suspended load. If this is not feasible, both cases should be treated as an unsupported embankment and the crane moved back to at least one-and-a-

| Construction EXeCUTIVe March 2008