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821 Cranes and Derricks Safety II
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Backup Protection

In situations where the use of equipment with live booms that are designed to free fall is prohibited, the boom hoist must have a secondary mechanism or device designed to prevent the boom from falling in the event the primary system used to hold or regulate the boom hoist fails, as follows:

  • Friction drums must have:
    • a friction clutch and, in addition, a braking device to allow for controlled boom lowering
    • a secondary braking or locking device, which is manually or automatically engaged, to backup the primary brake while the boom is held (such as a secondary friction brake or a ratchet and pawl device)
  • Hydraulic drums must have an integrally mounted holding device or internal static brake to prevent boom hoist movement in the event of hydraulic failure.
  • Neither clutches nor hydraulic motors may be considered as brake or locking devices for purposes of this subpart.
  • Hydraulic boom cylinders must have an integrally mounted holding device.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

3-4. When using equipment with a live boom is prohibited, what must the boom hoist use to prevent the boom from falling in the event the primary system fails?