Crane and rigging systems are powerful tools at manufacturing and construction sites, but their power also comes with risk. A single safety issue, equipment failure, or miscommunication can bring operations to a standstill, resulting in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity, project delays, and even damages.
Fortunately, it’s possible to get ahead of delays before they start by ensuring workers have the skills and the knowledge they need to inspect, maintain, and operate equipment safely and correctly. In this blog, we’ll look at how training can help employees communicate effectively, reduce the risk of delays, and improve critical skills needed on the job site.
Understanding the Root Causes of Crane and Rigging Delays
Crane and rigging delays are often the result of human errors that stem from skill gaps, breakdowns in communication, and non-compliance. Understanding the root causes is the first step to preventing them. Among the most common causes are:
- A lack of technical knowledge and hands-on skills: Operators and riggers without proper training may struggle with tasks like balancing loads, completing government-mandated inspections, maintaining equipment, or operating equipment under varying conditions.
- Safety incidents and regulatory non-compliance: OSHA citations, stop-work orders, or investigations can bring operations to a halt. OSHA violations related to cranes frequently stem from issues like fall protection, equipment inspections, unqualified signal persons, proximity to power lines, and inadequate training.
- Improper equipment use and inadequate inspections: Misuse or overloading cranes and rigging gear can damage expensive machinery, causing delays for repairs. Plus, employees who don’t know how to adequately inspect equipment can miss opportunities to repair equipment or replace key components before a breakdown occurs.
- Poor communication and coordination: Crane operations require precise teamwork. Any miscommunication between the operator, riggers, and signal persons can cause inefficiencies or even accidents.
Digging into the Direct and Indirect Costs of Training Gaps
The price of untrained or undertrained teams can have a significant ripple effect that goes beyond the immediate impact of a mistake. Direct and indirect costs include:
- Equipment damage: A dropped load or over-extended boom can mean repairs costing tens of thousands of dollars.
- Project delays: Missed deadlines often result in penalties, especially in contract-based work.
- Fines and legal fees: Non-compliance with OSHA standards can lead to significant financial penalties.
- Insurance premiums: Companies with frequent claims or incidents see insurance costs rise significantly.
- Lost revenue: Idle equipment and workers mean lost production time and, as a result, lost revenue.
- Customer dissatisfaction: Missed deadlines can damage long-term relationships or lead to contract losses.
- Low employee morale and high turnover: Repeated errors and unclear procedures can frustrate workers, increasing turnover. Plus, 94% of workers say training encourages them to stay at a company longer.
- Reputational damage: Safety incidents can create negative publicity that diminishes a company’s brand, making it harder to obtain clients and hire employees.
Using Crane and Rigging Training to Keep Operations Moving
A proactive, well-rounded training program not only improves safety and compliance but also boosts productivity and creates a better working environment. There are several strategies employers can embrace as part of a thorough training program. These include:
- Comprehensive Skill Development: Crane and rigging operations require a broad set of skills, such as:
o Technical Skills: Workers need to learn critical techniques, such as calculating load weights, performing inspections, and securing rigging properly.
o Safety-Related Skills: Safety training emphasizes hazard identification, proper use of personal protective equipment, and how to respond to emergencies.
o Documentation Skills: Employees need to be able to complete all reporting, maintenance logs, and compliance documentation accurately.
- Blended Learning Opportunities: Blended training models combine various formats to reinforce learning. Blended learning encompasses:
o Instructor-led courses, whether in-person or virtual, which provide foundational knowledge, hands-on practice, and mentorship.
o On-demand video modules that offer flexibility for busy schedules and reinforce concepts.
o Simulation-based training, which allows workers to practice complex operations in a risk-free environment. Simulations are especially beneficial for training on situations that can be difficult to recreate safely.
- Microlearning for Continuous, Efficient Improvement: Workers in the construction and manufacturing industries aren’t usually sitting behind a desk. Microlearning provides:
o Short, focused lessons that support knowledge retention and help address skill gaps on the fly.
o Mobile-accessible training to enable just-in-time learning on the job site.
- Tailored Career Paths: Today’s employees are increasingly interested in employers that will help them grow their careers. Creating a customized training program can help companies:
o Develop role-specific learning paths that give workers a roadmap to advance into more skilled positions.
o Attract new workers, especially among Gen Z workers who say they want to pursue the skilled trades but need training.
o Create a pipeline of workers to fill important operational roles.
In addition to boosting individual employees’ skills, a strong training program makes workers more confident and standardizes practices across an operation, which improves communication and coordination across teams. It also creates a safety culture and promotes a safety-first mindset.
Making Training Work for Your Workforce
While training is essential, a one-size-fits-all training program often leads to wasted time and disengagement. Interplay’s crane and rigging training combines blended learning, microlearning opportunities and personalized pathways based on individual skills assessments. Offerings include:
- Instructor-Led Training (ILT): Give your operators hands-on instruction from seasoned crane and rigging experts. Interplay and ITI’s ILT reinforces safety protocols and operational best practices through in-depth guidance or real-time feedback. It’s ideal for developing both foundational skills and advanced techniques.
- On-Demand Digital Courses: Access consistent, standardized content across teams, shifts, and locations anywhere, anytime. Digital training ensures alignment and scalability, supporting operational efficiency and compliance goals.
- Immersive Simulations: Replicate high-risk scenarios in a safe, controlled environment. Employees can build muscle memory and decision-making skills without taking equipment out of service or risking damage, leading to better performance under pressure.
- Flexible Microlearning and In-the-Field Resources: Enable just-in-time skill building through short-form, mobile-first training opportunities. This training approach improves engagement, retention and job readiness–exactly when it is needed most.
- Skills Assessments and Gap Analysis: Identify strengths and skill gaps with Interplay and ITI’s assessment tools. Our crane and rigging assessments (that are both instructor-led and VR-enabled) evaluate individual and team skills, highlight improvement areas, and map training plans directly to business priorities.
- Train-the-Trainer Support: Empower internal instructors with Interplay and ITI’s proven curriculum, instructional tools, and ongoing support. Our resources can help your team deliver consistent, high-impact training that adapts to your workforce and evolves with your operations.
To learn more about how the right training can help build a confident workforce and minimize the risks of delays, unscheduled downtime, and costly compliance issues, visit iti.com.
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