Selected Topic 01 : Single Line Components in Crane Systems

NOPSA periodically reviews safety alerts from other jurisdictions and, where appropriate, highlights timely lessons with supporting commentary on selected topics drawn from these identified sources.

Safety alerts issued by NOPSA are listed separately.

Single Line Components in Crane Systems

The UK HSE issued a Safety Notice titled "Single line components in the hoisting and braking systems of offshore cranes", which complements the NOPSA's the National Lifting Program. The issues raised in the notice are particularly relevant to older cranes, the population of which has increased over the last few years in the Australian offshore petroleum industry.

Single line components are those components of a crane system whose failure would invariably result in the uncontrolled lowering of the load.

What Happened ?
A serious incident on an offshore platform located in the UK North Sea sector has demonstrated the need to establish and implement an appropriate inspection and maintenance regime for single line components in the hoisting and braking systems on offshore cranes.

Key Lessons
To ensure ongoing safe operation of their cranes it is important that the operators, assisted by the crane manufacturers where possible:

• Review the design of their cranes, in particular older cranes, to identify all single line components in hoisting and braking systems.
• Ensure that appropriate inspection and maintenance routines are established for such components to make sure that any defects and deterioration are identified and corrected.
• Consider, in the long term, the practicability of eliminating single line components in the hoisting and braking systems through modifications.

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