Think Safety. Slow Down and Use Common Sense.
No set of safety guidelines can cover all possible scenarios. When in doubt, slow down and stop the process. Think it through.
Look for impediments, depressions, voids, trenches, excavations, slopes or signs of poor ground conditions that can lead to an unsafe situation. If found, correct the situation to a compacted and level surface or do not set up.
Be aware of potential vehicle traffic that may conflict with your area of operation. Redirect traffic or adjust your outrigger pad set up as needed.
By itself, no outrigger pad can provide a complete guarantee of safety. Common sense always needs to be used.
Always Follow the Original Equipment Manufacturer&#;s Guidelines
Operators must use all of the original equipment manufacturer&#;s guidelines for their outrigger-enabled equipment when using outrigger pads.
Failure to comply with all manufactures fitting and training guidelines can result in serious injuries or fatalities in addition to significant property and equipment damage.
Always Use Outrigger Pads or Crane Pads
Every time the outriggers are deployed, your outrigger pads or crane mats must be under them.
Assess Your Ground Conditions
Ultimately the ground is supporting everything. It must be taken into consideration in every application.
All uneven ground should be leveled prior to the placement of any outrigger pad or crane pad.
Managing Deflection
If excessive deflection is occurring due to ground displacement, the ground is not suitable to provide the load bearing capacity that is needed to support the load. Excessive deflection limits proper load distribution, and can cause damage to outrigger pads or crane mats over time. The below methods can be used to improve both the set-up and ground conditions to reduce deflection.
Add additional supporting materials that are more rigid and create a larger area.
Add additional supporting materials that are stiffer to ensure rigidity, stability and safety. If additional supporting materials are needed, see &#;Stacked Outrigger Pad Setups&#; for how to properly place them.
Compact the soil using appropriate soil compaction equipment such as a roller, plate soil compactor, rammer or similar equipment.
Add rock, gravel or cement like materials to the soil to increase the ground bearing capacity.
Blade the soil to remove insufficiently compacted surface layers and expose sufficiently compacted ground.
Allow wet soils time to dry, drain needed areas and/or add rock, gravel or cement like materials as noted above.
Verify the outrigger pads you are using have enough surface area to spread the outrigger load over the area required to be equal to or lesser than the ground bearing capacity.
Inspection
How to inspect your outrigger pads and crane mats.
Outrigger pad/floats must be smooth and free from debris in order to evenly spread the load and achieve solid contact with the outrigger pad or crane mat.
Always inspect your outrigger pads and crane mats for material integrity prior to use. If they are compromised for any reason or you are unsure, do not use and call 800.610..
If using additional cribbing, dunnage or other supporting materials in conjunction with DICA outrigger pads or crane pads, always inspect them for cracking, warping, rotting or other signs of possible failure. If the additional materials show signs of compromised integrity, do not use.
Proper Placement of Outrigger Pad/Float
Proper pad/float placement is critical to effective load support and distribution.
The crane outrigger float should be placed squarely in the center of an outrigger pad or crane mat. FiberMax crane pads have standard &#;foot placement targets&#; to assist with proper pad/float placement.
Outrigger pads/floats placed outside target area (center of the pad/mat) will result in non-uniform ground bearing pressures.
Stacked Outrigger Pad Setups
Failure to comply with the below guidance may result in &#;point loading&#;. Point loading concentrates the load and increases pressure, rather than spreads the load and decreases pressure. Point loading increases the possibility of a tip-over and with it, serious injuries or fatalities in addition to significant property and equipment damage.
When stacking outrigger pads, always stack a smaller outrigger pad on top of a larger underlying pad.
Never stack a larger outrigger pad on top of smaller outrigger pads, cribbing, dunnage or other supporting materials.
Always use materials of a known strength that are designed as support for heavy equipment.
Do Not Span Voids or Depressions
Do not under any circumstances use DICA outrigger pads or crane pads to set up over depressions or voids of any type. Supporting materials of any kind should always be set-up on compacted, drained and level surfaces. Monitor your outrigger pad setup, ground conditions, personnel and surroundings at all times for potential safety problems.
Equipment Grounding
Safety Tech outrigger pads and FiberMax crane pads are an insulator that prevents the transmission of electrical current from the equipment to the ground. If electrical grounding is needed, see your original equipment manufacturer&#;s guidelines for proper grounding procedures and follow the listed instructions.
Due to atmospheric conditions, static electricity can build up on equipment. However, static electricity is not created, nor does it build up within Safety Tech outrigger pads when they are in use.
Electrical material properties of the engineered thermoplastic material used in Safety Tech outrigger pads includes the following: Surface resistivity of 10 to the 15th ohms/square (ASTM EOS/ESD S11.11) Dielectric strength short term of 2,300 volts/mil (ASTM D149).
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Temperature Range
The following are acceptable operating temperature ranges.
Safety Tech Outrigger Pads: -40 to 180 Fahrenheit / -40 to 82.22 Celsius
FiberMax Outrigger Pads: -60°F to 180°F / -51 to 82.22 Celsius
FiberMax Mega Duty: -40°F to 160°F / -40 to 71 Celsius
Proper Maintenance and Stowing
Maintain DICA outrigger pads and crane mats using the below methods.
Use low to medium pressure water to remove soil, mud, road chemicals, hydraulic fluid or other debris.
Alternate the use of SafetyTech outrigger pad sides to distribute any potential surface wear and maximize shape recovery. Side alternation does not apply to FiberMax products.
Secure all outrigger pads and crane pads prior to vehicle transit in a way that prevents their motion or loss.
Safe Lifting and Handling
Use the following guidelines when handling DICA outrigger pads
When lifting DICA outrigger pads users should use their legs as the primary source of lifting power.
To safely roll round Safety Tech outrigger pads, begin by standing the pad on edge. Position yourself to the back or side of the pad. Carefully roll the pad to the intended location and follow the outrigger pad lowering instructions below.
To safely place pads that are standing on edge into position, two methods may be used.
Dropping: Verify all personnel not involved in lowering the outrigger pad are a safe distance away from where the pad will be placed. Have the personnel involved in the lowering stand on the side away from where it will be located. Once the area where the pad will be positioned is clear, allow the pad to fall away and drop into place.
Lowering: Verify all personnel not involved in lowering the outrigger pad are a safe distance away from where the pad will be placed. In unison, slowly lower the pad by bending at the knees while maintaining a flat back until the pad lies flat.
An outrigger pad is a safety tool that can be used with any equipment that has outriggers, down jacks or stabilizers. It is a must for stability when a piece of equipment &#; such as a crane &#; lifts loads or personnel aloft. This article will provide an overview of outrigger pads, including how to use them safely and what kinds of pads are available on the market today.
The Basics
Outrigger pads are placed on the ground under the equipment&#;s outrigger, shoe, float or foot. The size and thickness of the outrigger pads to be used should be selected based upon the type of equipment, soil conditions of the work site and type of lift being performed.
When working with outrigger systems, it&#;s important to understand that the point of contact between an outrigger and the ground is quite small. Because of the pressure of the outrigger, the ground underneath may shift, be displaced or collapse if an outrigger pad is not used. If any of those things happen, there is the potential for the equipment to shift or tip the load, which could lead to the equipment toppling over. In fact, approximately half of crane lifting accidents are caused by improper use of outriggers.
Outrigger pads were created to stabilize equipment so that the ground below doesn&#;t shift and equipment doesn&#;t topple over. Stability is dependent upon the equipment&#;s footprint and center of mass. The footprint is the total area enclosed by the support structure of the equipment. The center of mass is the point at which the equipment would balance if it were set on top of a single point to support it. If the center of mass is on the edge of the footprint or outside of it, the equipment will topple. There are two ways to provide extra stability. The first is to use a counterweight to help shift the center of mass back over the footprint. The second is to make the footprint bigger with an extendable outrigger system.
All cranes have counterweights, but there is a limit to how heavy they can be due to transportation and setup considerations. As noted earlier, the ground can only sustain so much pressure before it gets displaced or collapses. Even if you can transport a crane to the work location, there is no guarantee the ground conditions will be stable enough to set up and hold the crane. Because of that, it is essential for the stability of the equipment to use retractable outriggers to extend the crane&#;s footprint. After deploying the outrigger system, installing outrigger pads underneath the outriggers will expand their point of contact with the ground and displace the pressure from the equipment through the outrigger pad to the ground.
Six Important Points
As with any safety tools, outrigger systems and outrigger pads must be used according to the instructions of their manufacturers. In addition, keep the following six points in mind when working with an outrigger system.
1. Proper setup and leveling are critical to the appropriate function of any style of outrigger system. The operator is required to follow the manufacturer&#;s chart regarding the allowable level and grade percentage when setting up the equipment. If the level is incorrect, the equipment&#;s lifting capacity will be reduced.
2. Prior to setting up, try to acquire recent soil conditions for the work area. Knowing the ground-bearing capacity will help workers determine what type of outrigger pad is the best fit for the equipment that will be used. OSHA 29 CFR ., &#;Ground conditions,&#; states the following in paragraph .(b): &#;The equipment must not be assembled or used unless ground conditions are firm, drained, and graded to a sufficient extent so that, in conjunction (if necessary) with the use of supporting materials, the equipment manufacturer&#;s specifications for adequate support and degree of level of the equipment are met. The requirement for the ground to be drained does not apply to marshes/wetlands.&#; Per .(a)(2), &#;supporting materials&#; refers to blocking, mats, cribbing, marsh buggies, or similar supporting materials or devices.
For those who do not work in construction, ASME B30.5-3.2.1.5(i) regarding mobile and locomotive cranes states that &#;[b]locking under outrigger floats, when required, shall meet the following requirements: (1) sufficient strength to prevent crushing, bending, or shear failure; (2) such thickness, width, and length, as to completely support the float, transmit the load to the supporting surface, and prevent shifting, toppling, or excessive settlement under load &#;&#;
3. Check for current locates and know where utilities are overhead and underground. Maintain proper clearances around overhead power lines. It&#;s an absolute must to find out the known voltage of the overhead power lines and determine the minimum approach distance for qualified and unqualified personnel.
4. Outrigger pads must not be used to bridge any gaps or span any voids.
5. The maximum lift capacity of the equipment must be known, which includes understanding how to follow the load chart. Be sure to factor in not only the load being lifted but the rigging being used to lift the load as well. A key to safe lifting work is employing qualified personnel who know how to read load charts and have been trained to run the equipment. A strong job briefing prior to work also is a must.
6. Understand that different pieces of equipment have different outrigger systems. Workers will need to understand how to set up those systems on each piece of equipment they work with. Following are short descriptions of some common outrigger systems found on today&#;s equipment.
A Rule of Thumb
A known ground-bearing capacity may not be available for every job site or equipment setup. And in a number of industries &#; including line work, tree trimming and some crane work &#; determining the capacity may not be practical, particularly during storm response work. To address the issue, I suggest following a rule that I learned from my father and have been using for more than 20 years. An outrigger pad should be at least three times the square surface area of the outrigger shoe or float, provided you are working on Grade A soil conditions. As soil conditions worsen, continue to create a bigger footprint using outrigger pads and cribbing. After the equipment is set up and level, or within the manufacturer&#;s grade tolerance, and outrigger pads have been deployed, make a dry run of the boom. Use a spotter to ensure the outrigger pads are not shifting, sliding or sinking into the ground. Then check to see that the equipment is still level or within grade. If any issues are identified, stop and stow the boom. Now is the time to add cribbing, blocking or more outrigger pads. The pads should be built to support the maximum load of the pick or lift; to displace the weight of the equipment while keeping the equipment level; and to help the crew work safely.
A Variety of Pads
Outrigger pads are built in different lengths, widths, thicknesses and shapes. When it comes to shapes, there are pros and cons depending on what you choose. For example, because large square outrigger pads have a large surface area, they are not as easy to move around on the job site as round outrigger pads, which usually can be rolled into position by one person but have less surface area.
In terms of the materials used to build outrigger pads, I have found only three &#; American custom composite, premium birch and American steel &#; that I believe should be used when personnel are aloft or with any critical pick or lift with a load of 10,000 pounds or more.
American custom composite has 3,000 psi and maintains its value for a lifetime. This material is engineered to perform in the most extreme conditions and typically will outlast the equipment it is being used with.
Used in the field since , premium birch has been battle-tested in the harshest conditions with some of the largest equipment. These outrigger pads have a typical life span of 10 years.
American steel crane mats are built with high-grade steel and will outlast the equipment they are being used with.
Conclusion
As with any tool of the trade for line construction and maintenance, outrigger pads must be inspected before each use or setup. After the setup, perform a dry run with a spotter to inspect the outriggers and outrigger pads. Check the equipment level, and then you&#;re ready to move forward with the job.
About the Author: Jeff Steiner is co-owner of Bigfoot Construction Equipment (www.outriggerpads.com). Prior to leading the company, he served in the U.S. Army and spent nearly 20 years as a journeyman lineman. Reach him at .
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