Tower Crane Hazard Alert from MLITSD

In the past four months, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development (MLITSD) has investigated two near-miss incidents involving the hoist reduction gear assemblies on tower cranes.

Each event occurred when the gear assembly’s main shaft bearing failed, causing the shaft to become misaligned. This in turn caused the gears controlling the hoist to disengage, allowing the hoisting drum to unspool freely and drop the crane’s load.

These incidents put workers who work near cranes at serious risk of traumatic injury or death. It is therefore important that tower crane owners and operators ensure that thorough inspection—and maintenance, if necessary—is carried out on the hoist reduction gear assemblies and the lubrication system for gear bearings of their cranes.

Download this MLITSD alert to learn more about conducting an inspection of a tower crane’s hoist reduction gear assembly.