📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — The Crane Safety In Industrial And Construction Environments is an online workplace safety course delivered by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety, Calgary’s Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider. Self-paced, mobile-friendly, same-day certificate upon exam completion. Available across Canada.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: Fall Protection Calgary · H2S Alive Calgary · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
COURSE OVERVIEW
This online Crane Safety in Industrial and Construction Environments course reviews the hazards that are associated with working with cranes, discuss the federal regulations that address these hazards and discuss the policies and procedures that employees should follow to work safely with these machines.
Cranes provide lifting power that can be indispensable for industrial and construction operations. But they can also create serious hazards for the people who work with and around them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, crane accidents lead to thousands of accidents, injuries and more than 70 fatalities each year… but they don’t have to happen.
COURSE TOPICS
This online Crane Safety in Industrial and Construction Environments course covers the following topics:
- Different types of cranes
- Crane hazards and safety standards
- Conducting a crane safety inspection
- Preparing a boom crane for a lift
- Lifting, moving and landing a load
- And more
ONLINE COURSE DURATION
Approximately 30 minutes
PASS MARK
Testing conducted throughout this online course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to pass this course. The course is able to be taken three times in efforts to achieve the pass mark. Printable resources are available in the form of a comprehensive student manual. The manual is a valuable resource for future use and knowledge retention.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available for download and printing.
COURSE PREVIEW
Additional Safety Knowledge
Crane Operator Qualifications in Alberta
Alberta OHS Code Part 21 requires crane operators to be competent, and for mobile cranes with a rated capacity over 5 tonnes, the operator must hold an Alberta Journeyperson or Provisional Journeyperson Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator certificate. Boom trucks, tower cranes, and overhead cranes each have specific certification pathways. Employers must verify operator credentials before work assignment.
Load Charts and Capacity Planning
Every lift must be planned using the manufacturer’s load chart specific to the crane configuration in use. Key variables that reduce lifting capacity include:
- Boom length and angle
- Load radius (horizontal distance from centre of rotation to load)
- Counterweight configuration
- Ground conditions and outrigger extension
- Wind speed — most cranes require shutdown at 32–40 km/h sustained wind
Operators must never exceed the load chart rating for the specific configuration and radius in use. A load exceeding chart capacity by even 10% can cause tipping or structural failure.
Rigging and Signal Person Requirements
Riggers must select slings rated for the load weight with an appropriate safety factor (typically 5:1 for synthetic slings). Wire rope slings, chain slings, and synthetic web slings each have distinct inspection criteria and rejection standards. A certified signal person is required whenever the operator’s view of the load is obstructed or when directed by the site safety plan. Standard hand signals must be used unless voice communication is established and verified.
Crane Safety In Industrial And Construction Environments — Ground Conditions
The most common cause of crane tipping is soft or unstable ground under outriggers. Ground bearing capacity must be verified before setup. Timber pads or steel plates are required to distribute point loads. Slope, buried utilities, and proximity to excavations all affect ground stability. A daily pre-shift inspection of the setup is required in Alberta.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
