According to OSHA, cranes in the U.S. must be assembled on a ground that is “firm, drained and graded sufficiently, in conjunction with supporting materials, such as blocking, cribbing, pads, and mats to provide support and levelness.” Cranes are one of the most important parts of construction equipment, needed to lift heavy loads and move large amounts of materials.
But they can be dangerous if they’re not set up properly, and an unstable crane can be toppled over by the weight of its load if it doesn’t have adequate support. And that’s where crane pads and crane matts come in.
These ground mats are designed to support a cranes weight and movement while it works, keeping the ground beneath it stable and level. Having them in place can greatly reduce the number of issues that a crane can face when moving extremely heavy loads.
They’re placed on the ground in the best possible location for the crane at a construction site, and the machine then moves to be situated on the ground mat. From there it picks up its loads and transports them. Typically, you don’t have to move a crane more than a few times per job, so you should have at least two mats or pads for them to move to.
This helps keep the crane stable and in working condition, a good thing for any construction company when you consider the costs of large scale equipment like cranes.
These crane mats can be assembled from a variety of materials, and can even be used as a structural roadway to provide passage over unstable ground, pipeways, and more. They are also used with other machines like drills, camps, tanks, and even helipads if some situations.
Meaning that they can have a lot of uses in the construction world.
The materials used in their construction depends on the type of machine being moved and how heavy it will be when resting on the pad. You want to make sure that you have the proper type for the weight.
If you have questions about ground mats and how they can help your construction business you should contact us. There are a lot of factors that go into the type that you construct or purchase, and so having a second opinion can be beneficial.
