FAQ's crane inspection crane certification

Under Cal/OSHA, Title 8, any crane exceeding a 3-ton capacity is required to be inspected by a licensed Certifying Agency.  

There are two major events when a Certifying Agency is required to perform an inspection.

Quadrennial Inspection - every 4 years

Annual Inspections - every year in between the Quadrennial Inspection 

Simply put the difference between a Quadrennial inspection and an Annual Inspection, is the required load test. 

Quadrennial Load Test: Tests the structural integrity of the crane, thus a more intense load test.  Specific amount of known weights will be required. 

Annual Load Test: Functional test to assure the functions of the crane are in safe operating order.  No specific amount of weights required, a reasonable known weight is suitable for an annual.  

Cal/OSHA requires that all ACTIVE cranes be inspected annually. 

Daily and/or weekly usage wears down important components. This wear can lead to a breakdown — or worse, a dangerous failure that puts you, your team or your company at risk.

Routine inspections can help identify potential problems and address them before a costly or irreversible incident occurs.

Mobile Cranes / Crawler Cranes - The specifications required for a quadrennial load test is as close to 110% without going over, in which you can reference your cranes load chart for applicable weights.

Full boom extension

• A test pick at a high boom angle, around 60 degrees
• A test pick at a low boom angle, around 20 degrees

If there is a Jib for the crane, it’s recommended that it be on the crane   during the cranes quadrennial load test.