Barth Crane Inspections specialises in accident investigation and reconstruction services, as well as offering safety inspections, crane operator training and load testing.
Crane accident investigation services
Barth Crane Inspections performs crane accident investigations, which include immediate on-site assessments and reviewing critical lift plans and events prior to the accident. The company ensures that interviewers get the correct information, including equipment appraisals and site safety surveys, and records the scene to review at a later date.
In the majority of crane investigations, Barth Crane Inspections is brought in later to review depositions, reconstruct the accident, determine the plausible cause and review any accident reports submitted by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), state or local municipalities.
Expert witness in crane accident investigations
Barth Crane’s founder, Tom Barth, has experience with a range of cranes in various industries and locations has been invaluable to legal teams that require a professional evaluation.
Whether it is investigating a dismantling failure on an offshore platform or a tower crane collapse on a high-rise construction project, Barth understands the underlying principles and potential causes in accident scenarios.
He is also experienced in evaluating accident and inspection reports, lift plans, witness depositions and other evidence.
Crane training programmes
Thomas Barth additionally offers Cranetastrophe™, a variety of onsite and classroom-based training programmes for operating crawler, mobile and tower cranes. His onsite training are suitable for offshore platforms or floating rigs and all programmes meet or exceed current ASME B30.5 requirements and OSHA regulations, while his classroom-based training courses include accompanying audio-visual materials to provide operators with extra instructions.
All training programmes covers various safety and operational topics, including:
- Causes and results of crane accidents
- How to prepare for critical and multiple crane lifts
- How to comply with OSHA and ANSI / ASME / B30 safety requirements
- How to read and use load and crane capacity charts
- Pre-operational inspections and checks
- Procedures on operating cranes in hazardous environments, for example near power lines, in adverse weather conditions
- Safe operating practices and procedures
- Training and testing requirements
The curriculum covered is customisable, depending on the requirements of the client.
Crane inspection services
Bath Crane Inspections’ comprehensive and certified crane inspections are applicable to various types and models, including crawler, mobile, overhead and tower cranes.
The company’s crane inspections create a safer work environment, reduce maintenance and repair costs, ensure regulatory compliance and provide a detailed inspection record for the client.
Depending on the type of crane, the company also performs component inspections, including:
- Bearings, gears, pins, shafts, rollers
- Belt and chain guards
- Bolts, rivets, pins, fasteners
- Boom hoist and lift cylinders
- Cab windows and doors
- Chain drives
- Controls and instrumentation
- Fire extinguishers and other safety gear
- Hoisting drum
- Hydraulic system
- Indicators
- Outriggers
- Pneumatic system
- Power plant
- Rigging hardware and accessories
- Sheaves
- Slewing units
- Structural components
- Tires
- Welds
About Barth Crane Inspections
Barth Crane Inspections is an OSHA-accredited inspection firm with years of experience in the operation and inspection of cranes. The company delivers a comprehensive, customised report with references to ASME standards and photographic evidence, so clients can be assured that their cranes are safe to operate.
More than 38 years’ experience as a crane operator, inspector and trainer on barge and oil platforms, has led founder Thomas Barth to carefully study the industry’s practices, procedures and equipment regarding crane security. Barth has worked as a crane operator in Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska, working on a jack-up platform and dealing with 30ft tides. He has additionally operated cranes on the Alaska pipeline and Red Adair, extinguishing an oil-well blowout.