SC&RA NEWS
56
INTERNATIONAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
■
NOVEMBER 2013
increase a wide variety of member support
and participation at future events.
In session
Among an inspiring assortment of
presenters throughout the week, keynote
speaker, Josh Williams, Safety Performance
Solution (SPS) senior project manager,
started things off in style on day one with
his memorable presentation:
Increasing Self-
Responsibility for Safety
.
Williams has worked at SPS for 15 years,
and is the author of
Keeping People Safe:
The Human Dynamics of Injury Prevention
.
He’s also the co-editor of
Keys to Behavior-
Based Safety
with Dr Scott Geller, his
partner at SPS. Williams has more than
20 publications in leading safety journals,
and received the Cambridge Center
National First Prize for his research on
behavioural feedback.
One of the key questions he addressed
during his presentation was, “What
is an ideal safety culture and why is one
necessary?” He emphasised throughout
the session that achieving a company-
wide safety culture requires companies to
identify any barriers preventing employees
and leaders from performing at their best.
Williams identified three aspects of safety:
person, behaviour and environment.
“It’s a numbers game, almost like
Vegas,” he highlighted. “You minimise
risky behaviours on the front end, and you
dramatically reduce the potential risks –
the likelihoods – of bad things happening
down the line.” Williams also stressed the
importance of active caring – a culture of
looking out for other people. “You want to
get involved to the extent that it feels good
to help out other people. Most of us have a
natural inclination for wanting to belong to
something bigger than ourselves.” Williams
outlined the importance for leaders to take
ownership of fostering responsibility and
good behaviour practices in the workplace.
Rig it right
Al Abel, a lifting specialist at Mazzella
Companies, followed up on day two with
his popular presentation,
Rig it Right and
You Won’t Go Wrong.
Abel has been a lifting specialist, as well
as safety manager at Mazzella Companies,
headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA,
for almost 20 years. He travels throughout
the USA promoting safe lifting practices
for companies of all sizes. He also holds
the certification from ITI as a certified
inspector; OSHA Safety and Health
Compliance; Crane Training USA–
Inspector Certification; and is a certified
Crosby trainer.
Abel’s presentation emphasised the
stance that no matter how many cranes
or hoists you have, or even if you don’t
have any, safe lifting concepts can be
applied to any workplace. He discussed
the applicability of ASME’s
B30
standard
to cranes, hardware, slings and below-the-
hook lifting devices. Abel also highlighted
examples of what you never want to hear
anyone say regarding rigging and lifting.
Following Abel on the second day of
presentations, Klaus Meissner, Terex Cranes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Chalmers is editor-in-chief at Thrive
Creative Services, a creative agency based
in Chicago, USA. For more information
see
director, product integrity, from Germany,
educated the audience on
Mobile Crane
Safety When Working in the Wind
.
Meissner began working in the crane
industry at Demag in Zweibrücken,
Germany, in 1988, now known as Terex
Cranes. Since 2002 he’s been leading R&D
for all telescopic and crawler cranes at
Zweibrücken and, as director, is responsible
for product safety co-ordination and
intellectual property management.
Meissner is an expert for mobile crane
approval, appointed by the German Health
and Safety Authority, and works with
different European standards committees
on crane and safety standards.
His presentation stressed the reality that
working with wind turbines isn’t the only
application where mobile cranes encounter
wind. He raised the question: “What
about lifting loads with large sail areas
and when travelling partially erected on
site?” Meissner’s session underscored the
effects of wind on crane parts and loads,
precautions when lifting and standard
assumptions for load chart calculations.
Coming up
Remember that the January board meetings
are just around the corner. Canyons
Resort, in Park City, Utah, USA, is the
destination, from 5 to 8 January 2014. By
bringing leaders together, SC&RA is adding
value to its membership, and strength to
the industry overall. The January board
meetings set the tone for the year to come,
and serve as a first step for many in getting
involved with the Association. Attendees
have the exclusive chance to participate
in discussions concerning policies and
procedures that will affect the day-to-
day operations for thousands of SC&RA
members around the world.
■
David Cowley,
at TNT Crane
& Rigging,
presided
over most of
the week’s
presentations
Having so many quality exhibitors in one room
allows fellow SC&RA members to easily find
one another, thus enabling a more efficient
platform for the growth of ideas and any
resulting opportunities
The September Workshop brought together
professionals from many areas of the industry,
allowing for valuable “face time” and a chance
to explore the benefits of quality networking
