Accidents caused by manual lubrication of hoisting cables easily preventable
Without steel cables, there is little to lift. An essential part of any hoisting system. Both lifespan and reliability strongly depend on the level of maintenance. Therefore, steel cables are regularly treated with special lubricant. Often this is manual work, where lubricators armed with a brush or cloth apply the lubricant to the cable while it runs over the drum. A very risky task, because if attention lapses or fatigue sets in, a dangerous situation arises, usually resulting in serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries.
Under time pressure, mistakes are made 11 times more often
Scientific research shows that under time pressure, mistakes are made 11 times more often when following procedures. These procedures are crucial to ensure the quality of the completed work and, above all, the safety of personnel. The pressure on maintenance staff to quickly get an installation operational again is high, because time is money. Every minute a crane is out of operation results in a loss. Despite all safety measures, accidents with serious injuries still occur.
Serious Consequences
The severity of accidents varies. Sometimes it’s just a harmless slip with a sore backside when the work floor is smeared with grease. But there are also cases of people losing a limb because they got entangled in the cable during manual lubrication. In almost all cases, inattention is the cause. Not surprising, as concentrating for hours on end while manually greasing a cable up to a kilometer long leads to lapses in focus.
People must be removed from dangerous situations. This can be done very effectively by automatically lubricating steel cables remotely instead of manually.
No More Human Hands Needed
Experts in lubrication maintenance and hoisting installations wanted to put an end to these life-threatening situations. They developed a device that automatically lubricates cables, the Viper Wire Rope Lubricator. This device is placed around the cable, then removes old lubricant and injects new lubricant under pressure deep into the cable. As a result, no human hands are needed when lubricating steel cables.
Much More Consistent Lubrication
The application of the Viper Wire Rope Lubricator has additional benefits. The lubrication along the entire length of the cable is very consistent. The amount of grease applied is the same everywhere on the cable. Because the lubricant penetrates deep into the cable, the inner wires around the core are optimally lubricated and protected against corrosion. Additionally, there is hardly any lubricant waste, the workplace stays clean with much less risk of slips, and contamination of the environment by lubricant is prevented.
The Viper in Action
Watch the Viper in action on a Liebherr crane. Lubricating hoisting cables here is done in a significantly safer way compared to places where manual lubrication is still used.
Safer Work and Cost Savings
The use of the Viper not only makes lubricating hoisting cables much safer. Because fewer people are needed for the lubrication task, it is also cost-effective. This way, the investment in the Viper quickly pays for itself.