3 Tips for Safe and Efficient Machine Rigging

Machine rigging can be dangerous and time-consuming without proper preparation and knowledge. However, you can ensure the safety of your workers and the accuracy of the project with some insightful knowledge of how to undertake the process. Here are three tips to ensure you complete your machine rigging with minimal risks and delays.



1. Inspect and Prepare the Equipment and Surroundings

Before moving the equipment, the first step is to check it for cracks, rust, and missing parts. If you are unsure of how to handle the equipment, employ a machinery expert or consult the manual for more details.

You must understand how tall, heavy, wide, and long the machinery is. Consider the machine load's weight and size, the load's center of gravity, and the number of lifting points.

You can follow simple guidelines to prepare your machines. For example, you can take out any fluids, fuel, or lubricants that could leak during shipping. Wrap anything that could break during shipping and take out any fragile parts, like tanks.

Make sure the buttons, nuts, and other parts are tight, and cover the stack to keep dirt from falling on the machine. Take out the battery and lock or zip any parts that move or open, like doors. Clean the machine and grease all of the parts that move. Lastly, if you will move the equipment as an oversized load, use safety flags, lights, and signs.

Also, consider the surroundings where you will rig the machine. Ensure there are no buildings under the crane, ensure it stands on stable ground, and look at the weather in the area.

2. Prepare Employees

Ensure your employees understand the whole transportation process to reduce any risks and injuries. Before you load any equipment onto vehicles, provide your workers with the right personal protective equipment (PPE) and train them on how to wear it to keep them safe from any possible dangers.

Also, delegate tasks based on each worker's ability. For example, you can specify that an employee will be in charge of directing the driver and another will inspect the equipment before they load it.

The most important considerations are to know who the load manager/rigging leader and the crane operator are and to delegate a person in charge of essential machine lifts. This task delegation will make the process go more smoothly and make it less likely that something will go wrong.

Finally, give your employees the right training and information about what to expect during the process so they can do their jobs safely and properly.

3. Hire a Machine Rigging Service

A machine rigging service is the best chance you have to safely and securely rig your machines between your plants. However, you must consider several factors before you settle on a company of your choice.

First, make sure that the company you want to hire has a lot of experience in the field. Ask for leads from other people in your field so you can find out what they think of the company. Look up the company online to see if it has a good track record and good reviews from customers.

Also, check to see if the company has the right licenses and security before you hire them. Lastly, make sure to ask them about how often their services are completed on time and other data to make sure they are reliable.

Contact us at Sentry if you need machine rigging services. We have over 50 years of experience to help you complete any machine rigging project within your specifications. We’re proud to serve the people of Middle Tennessee.