PM checklist
EOT crane and hoist: a preventive maintenance checklist
An EOT crane fails in ways that drop a load: a wire rope with broken wires, a hook opened up, a brake that does not hold, a limit switch that does not stop the hoist. This checklist is an in-house starting point for those items. It does not replace the statutory examination your factory rules require, or the crane manufacturer's manual. The method is in the preventive maintenance guide.
Key takeaways
- Rope, hook, brake and limits are the checks that stop a dropped load. Do them on a schedule, not after a near miss.
- A crane also needs the examination your local factory law requires, by a competent person, at the interval that law sets. This checklist is the in-house care between those examinations.
- Write what you found: broken wires counted, hook throat measured, brake tested. "OK" hides the trend.
- Take the crane out of service when a check fails. Do not "use it carefully until Saturday".
- Lock out the crane before anyone works on the hoist, the runway or the electrics.
Each shift, by the operator
OSHA 1910.179 expects frequent inspection of a crane in regular service. A short operator check at the start of the shift is the practical version. Train the operator on what "fail" means.
| Check | What to record | Take it out of service when |
|---|---|---|
| Pendant or remote, and the emergency stop | Tested, or failed | Any function dead, or the emergency stop does not kill motion |
| Hoist upper and lower limit switches | Tested, or failed | The hook keeps travelling at the limit |
| Brake | Holds the load, or slips | Any slip with a normal load |
| Unusual noise from the hoist or the bridge | A note if it changed | A new grind, or a wheel that squeals on the runway |
| Hook latch, if fitted | Closes, or bent | Latch missing or not closing |
| Obvious rope damage you can see from the floor | A note and a photo | Broken wires, a kink, or birdcaging. Then stop and call a technician |
Monthly in-house inspection
This is a technician's job, with the crane parked and locked out where the check requires it. It is not the statutory thorough examination.
| Item | What to record | Remove from service when |
|---|---|---|
| Wire rope | Broken wires in a lay, diameter, kinks, corrosion, lubrication | Beyond the discard criteria in the crane or rope standard you follow |
| Hook | Throat opening against the original measure, twist, cracks, latch | Throat opened past the allowance, or a crack |
| Brake lining and adjustment | Measured or tested as the manual says | Slip, or lining below the minimum |
| Limit switches and trolley stops | Tested | Any limit that fails |
| Runway, wheels and end stops | Wear, loose bolts, oil leaks | A wheel flange worn past the manual, or a loose end stop |
| Pendant cable and festoon | Cuts, pulled cores | Exposed conductors |
In India, follow the examination and the competent-person rules that apply to your factory, including those under the occupational safety and health framework your state enforces. This page cannot tell you your legal interval. Ask your safety officer and keep the certificate on the crane's record.
A worked example from a typical plant
Worked example (illustrative)
A machining shop has one 5-tonne EOT crane. Operators "look at the rope sometimes". The annual examination is in a file. Between examinations nobody measures the hook throat. A latch breaks and is removed "until the new one arrives", and the crane keeps working for three weeks.
The planner adds two schedules. Operators complete the shift checks before the first lift, including a tested emergency stop and a latch that closes. Once a month a technician measures the hook throat against the number stamped at install, counts broken wires against the discard rule in the manual, and tests the limits. The annual statutory certificate is uploaded to the same asset. The story is illustrative.
The latch would have stopped the crane the day it broke. The throat measurement would show a hook opening up before it is a failure.
Common mistakes
- Treating the annual certificate as the only inspection. Ropes and brakes change between certificates.
- Writing OK on the rope. Count broken wires and compare with the discard rule.
- Leaving a crane in service with a failed limit "because everyone knows where to stop".
- Lubricating a rope with the wrong product, or not at all, until it corrodes inside.
- Using this list as legal advice. Your factory's rules and the crane manual set the real interval and the discard limits.
How to put this list to work
Put the operator checks on the crane before the first lift of the shift, and the monthly inspection on a named technician. Upload the statutory certificate to the same asset so the in-house checks and the legal examination are one history. If a check fails, the crane stays down until it is fixed. A checklist that allows "use with care" is not a checklist.
Sources
- Overhead and gantry cranes, 1910.179 (opens in a new tab), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Maintenance of work equipment (opens in a new tab), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK
Frequently asked questions
How often should an EOT crane be inspected?
Operators should check rope condition they can see, the hook latch, the brake, the limits and the emergency stop at the start of the shift. A technician should do a fuller inspection on a monthly-style interval. Your factory law may also require a statutory examination by a competent person. Do all three. This page does not set your legal interval.
When should a wire rope be discarded?
When it meets the discard criteria in the crane manual or the rope standard you follow: broken wires, diameter loss, kinks, corrosion or birdcaging. Do not invent a looser rule on the shop floor.
Can the crane be used if the hook latch is missing?
No. Take it out of service until the latch is replaced, unless the manufacturer specifically allows operation without one, which is rare.
Is this a legal inspection program?
No. It is an in-house checklist to sit beside the statutory examination and the manufacturer's maintenance manual.