Preventing Human Error in Crane Operations: A Case Study of Organizational and Design Elements

Abstract

Between 2009 and 2016, 57 offshore crane-related incidents in the process industry resulted in numerous injuries and fatalities in the Gulf of Mexico region (Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, 2017) with estimated cost over 3.5 million US dollars. For this reason, crane incidents continue to be a major focus and of oil and gas industry concern. Despite the large progress made with crane technology and regulation (American Petroleum Institute, 2013, 2014), operators and workers remain exposed to risks due to inadequate consideration of human factors in design. This desk-based evaluation was conducted to address the human factors related to crane operations with a detailed focus on cabin display and control arrangements, identification of blind spots, safe lifting practices, and compliance with regulatory requirements. It was found that the one configuration of the two-lever controls recommended by API 2C was conducive to causing human error, and that a rearrangement of the labeling and color-coding could increase readability and legibility to the operator. A modification to this arrangement is recommended in order to further prevent exposures to crane hazards stemming from human error. In addition, the operator’s field of view (FOV) or line of sight (LOS) was simulated using schematics, 3D models, and anthropometric data in order to identify blind spots during lifting and lowering activities. This strategy can be implemented in the preparation of lift plans which will subsequently facilitate adequate communication between the operator and flagman during blind lifts.