Top Crane Safety Rules Every Mobile Crane Operator Should Follow

Becoming a crane operator can lead to a rewarding, long-lasting career that can open doors to new and exciting opportunities. According to the 2024 National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Construction Craft Salary Survey results, mobile crane operators can make an average salary of $80,674, which is higher than the national average of $66,621. It’s clear that mobile crane operators can earn high wages that can help their families thrive.

But with such a physically demanding job, you need to ensure you’re taking the proper steps to keep yourself and others safe. Here, we’ll dive into the top crane safety rules you need to know on the job site — and how PTS can help prepare you to get there.

4 Crane Safety Rules: What You Need to Know

1. Make sure you protect yourself by wearing the proper safety gear. Wear a hard hat and closed-toed shoes. A bright, orange jacket will also give you more visibility on the job site. Also make sure you’re protecting yourself from weather conditions with warm clothing since you may be required to be outside for long periods of time.
2. Ensure you’re protecting yourself from the elements. One important crane safety rule is to observe the conditions around you, so you’re not caught off-guard if the job site encounters high winds, lightning, rain or snow. Knowing your way around the job site is another important safety tip because it’s important that you’re able to maneuver the crane safely around your surroundings.
3. Make sure you’re also performing daily inspections and proper preventative maintenance on your crane equipment to ensure they’re operating as expected. Double check the engine, oil levels, emergency controls, safety switches, and more. These important safety checks will ensure that the equipment is working properly so you can safely operate it on the job site.
4. Ensure a qualified individual is operating the equipment. The proper mobile crane operator training can help with this, and PTS is the perfect choice. Let’s learn why.

PTS Can Train You to Be a Crane Safety Expert

We’re ready to help you become a mobile crane operator, and learning the proper safety protocols is an important part of that process. With our mobile crane operations training course, you can gain the skills necessary to gain entry-level employment as an NCCCO certified crane operator. In just three weeks, you can get practical experience operating both a Mobile Hydraulic Telescopic Boom Swing-Cab and a Telescopic Boom Fixed-Cab crane.

In addition to learning crane operation, you’ll also learn crane safety and how to perform preventative maintenance. These are all important skills that will be useful on a job site. You’ll learn the importance of never lifting a load over people, or a load that is over-capacity. Make sure you take up the slack slowly, and never try to lift a person.

Don’t forget about our rigger and signal training. With our training, you’ll learn different types of signals that you’ll use on a job site and prepare to successfully complete the NCCCO Rigger Certification program. This training can help you become a safer crane operator.

At PTS, we’re eager to help you learn the top crane safety rules so that you can become an effective and successful mobile crane operator. We’re proud to be one of the nation’s leading heavy equipment and mobile crane operator training schools, and we’ve helped countless individuals realize their potential and gain employment in successful fields.

Our team includes NCCER Master Trainers, NCCER Craft Instructors, NCCCO Certified Instructors and NCCCO Certified Examiners. We’ve worked with veterans as well, and we’re happy to help you use your VA benefits, like the Post-9/11 GI Bill, to help pay for program tuition. We’re committed to your success, and we’ll do whatever it takes to help you start the career you deserve.

Are you ready to get started learning important crane safety rules that can help you find employment? Contact us today to schedule a tour of our facility and earn a $500 tuition reduction scholarship.