Real-time guidance system for cranes to manage risks due to releases of hazardous materials

Cranes are widely used to move and uplift heavy and large loads. Their widespread use in several applications also means having many and various safety issues. Cranes’ dangerousness has special relevance in the chemical process industry and intermodal transport where accidental events could cause the release of hazardous substances. Based on the idea that crane accidents caused by obstructed view are preventable, this paper describes the development of a prototype camera-computer-monitor to be installed on industrial crane in order to help workers in visualising the load and potential obstacles. A real-time visual guidance system (VGS) was also developed to support the navigation of the object into the correct position. In the context of chemical industry and transportation of hazardous materials, the information on the real-time positioning of load/obstacle, acquired by such a system, allows achieving a dynamic risk assessment by simply interfacing the VGS with dynamic risk assessment models.