Overhead Crane System Grounding – Everything you Need to Know

You must know about grounding if you are working with an overhead crane system. It is one of the most vital processes that ensure your safety and the people working around you. If you look at the Bureau of Labour Statistics, you will find out that 6% of all worker deaths happen due to electrocution. Therefore, you have to stay careful and take all the steps to avoid this situation. So, for that reason, the grounding of the overhead crane system is significant.

You have to take a look at the specifications that OSHA has to offer. One of the common violations of OSHA's rules and regulations is the improper grounding of circuitry and equipment. So, here we will try to fathom everything that comes with an overhead crane grounding system. It will aid you to make the right decisions, and it will be beneficial for the safety of your employees and your crane. Points that we must know are:

Definition and purpose of electrical grounding

In electrical engineering, the ground is a reference point in an electrical circuit to measure the volts. It is nothing but a common path through which electrical current comes back. It plays the same role when it comes to a direct physical connection to the earth.

The main reason for grounding is to avoid the harm of the workers if they touch any dangerous voltage. If you check the electrical power distribution system, you will find a Protective Earth (PE) conductor. It is one of the essential systems that will provide you with safety.

In a short ground in an electrical circuit, the energy will go to the path that comes with the least resistance. It will help the energy to complete the circuit. It will be a complicated situation if your operator becomes that ground. It may even cause the death of the operator.

So, an electrical ground is a pivotal part of the electrical safety process. It will provide the excess energy with a safe and clear path to travel back to the electrical circuit. So, make sure to ground your crane correctly to avoid unwanted shocks or electrocutions. To be precise, it adds an essential layer of safety for the operators and other people working around the application.

What are the benefits of overhead crane system grounding?

Overhead crane system grounding comes with numerous benefits. Let us perceive those benefits as it will help you to understand the benefits.

• Electrical cranes come with long heights. Therefore, they are prone to come in contact with electrical wires. During those times, grounding is one of the most important things that you have to ensure. It will protect the operator and the people working around it.
• We all know that cranes are heavy, and they are capable of doing heavy-duty work. For that reason, stability is one of the essential things that you have to keep in mind. So, you have to stabilize your crane precisely, and for that, grounding is essential.
• A shock hazard is a significant accident that happens due to electricity. It is harmful to the operators and other people as well. So, grounding is one of the best and most convenient ways will help you to prevent these situations from arising.
• It will help you to save the repairmen or damage cost. For example, if electrocution happens on your site, you have to spend a significant amount of money repairing the damage. However, grounding will protect you from coming across those repairing costs as no damage will happen to your crane. Plus, it will also minimise your downtime. To be precise, you don't have to worry about downtime if there is proper grounding to your crane.
• We can understand that electrical noise is quite irritating. If you listen to it for a long time, you may witness some headaches. But, the grounding is responsible for the quietness of the crane. So, it will lower the noise and will make the process less irritating.
• Electrical fires are one of the most dangerous accidents that can happen to your application. The worst part of an electric fire is that it spreads pretty rapidly. It will harm your machinery and is also harmful to the workers working in your facility. One of the easiest ways of avoiding those fires is by grounding your overhead crane system. It is one of the critical parts of safety.
• Grounding provides low resistance, which is an essential part of the process. The purpose of this low resistance is to short-circuit or trip a breaker in case of an electrical fault. So, it will protect your facility from witnessing a major accident.

These are all the crucial things about grounding your overhead crane system. Follow the details that we mentioned above and take the steps according to that. To remind you again, do not forget to check the grounding of your system, as it is one of the important parameters to maintain the safety of your site.