CHAPTER 3 CRANE CREW SUPERVISOR In minutes, a crane can easily lift and place a load weighing several tons.    Major tasks involved in any construction   or   ship-loading   operation   are   the handling  of  supplies,  the  driving  of  piles,  and  the excavation  of  materials.  Most  of  these  tasks  are performed by equipment belonging to the lifting and loading  family.  Part  of  this  family  are  cranes  with various attachments, such as hook block, clamshell, dragline,  and  pile  driver.  Cranes  provide  safe  and efficient   accomplishment   of   assigned   tasks   when operators  use  them  properly  and  demonstrate  the same respect for the crane as they should any other labor-saving device; however, the first time you bend the  rules  or  take  shortcuts,  disaster  is  waiting  to happen. As a direct result of OPERATOR ERROR, crane accidents  take  heavy  and  tragic  tolls  each  year. People are crippled or killed and enormous property damage  is  incurred  as  a  direct  result  of  crane accidents.   Nine   out   of   ten   crane   accidents   that occurred in the past could have been avoided. Over eighty  percent  of  these  accidents  were  due  to  operator inattention,   poor   judgment,   overconfidence,   or excessive   speed. The  Naval  Construction  Force  (NCF)  has  for many  years  recognized  the  requirement  for  an extensive  crane  safety  program.  The  crane  safety program  applies  to  crane  operators  and  the  safe operation of weight-handling equipment. Standards for   weight-handling   equipment   operations   are outlined  in  the  Management  of  Weight-Handling Equipment,    NAVFAC   P-307;    NCF Equipment Management   Manual,   NAVFAC  P-404;  NMCB Equipment   Management,   COMSECOND/COM- THIRDNCBINST  11200.1  series;  Use of Wire Rope Slings   and   Rigging   Hardware   in   the   NCF, COMSECOND/COMTHIRDNCBINST 11200.11; and Testing  and  Licensing  of  Construction  Equipment Operators, NAVFAC P-306. CRANE CREW SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES The  Naval  Construction  Force  crane  crew supervisor is assigned and designated in writing by the  commanding  officer.  The  person  selected  is normally  the  best  crane  operator  available  within battalion-wide assets. The equipment officer, crane test  director,  and  the  crane  crew  supervisor  share  the responsibility of ensuring that any crew that prepares, assembles, operates, or works with or around cranes are   well   trained   in   both   safety   and   operating procedures. CRANE  CREW The  equipment  officer  and  the  Alfa  company operations chief should select the crane crew at the beginning   of   the   home-port   period.   Construction tasking requiring crane support and the number of cranes assigned in the TAB A dictate the size of the crane  crew. During  the  home-port  period  the  crane  crew supervisor   should   be   aware   of   and   review   all construction tasking that requires crane support. A knowledge of crane operations enhances your ability to make proper plans to meet construction tasking. Proper  planning  means  you  select  the  correct  number and  types  of  crane  lifts,  assign  the  correct  type  of crane needed to accomplish the task, select the correct rigging  gear,  and  assign  a  competent  crew  to  perform the  lift.  Additionally,  if  any  special  skills  are  required to perform any of the tasking, you should know that special  training  can  be  coordinated  through  your battalion   training   department   with   the   Naval Construction   Training   Center   (NCTC),   Port Hueneme,  California,  or  Gulfport,  Mississippi. Qualifications The  skills  and  safety  standards  demanded  for efficient   crane   operations   require   only   mature professionals  be  assigned  as  crane  operators  and riggers on a crane crew. Equipment Operators must meet   the   minimum   physical   examination requirements as established by the NAVFAC P-306. Additionally, they must pass a written and operational skills  test. 3-1