Ben Gerkin from Industrial Training International

NAME:

Ben Gerkin

EMPLOYER:

Industrial Training International

NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:

20

ROLE:

Crane and Rigging Instructor

BEN GERKIN

COULD YOU GIVE US A SUMMARY OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY SO FAR? HOW DID YOU COME TO BE IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?

I began working in the lifting and hoisting industry as a truck driver hauling counterweights for mobile cranes. I worked my way up and began my career operating three years later. After a 10-year stint as an operator, I was offered a job as a salesman for a crane and rigging company in Shreveport, Louisiana and my family and I relocated to the south. I was fortunate to receive excellent training on the company’s equipment, and I quickly learned how to provide lifting solutions to clients and customers.

In 2012 I worked as a district manager for a crane company from Louisiana that added operations in Pennsylvania and eventually worked myself into a position as a lifting and hoisting consultant for a major oil and gas company. In that role, I was able to audit and provide training to numerous contractors who were performing lifting and hoisting operations in North and South America. It was in this role that I was introduced to my current employer, ITI. I began work as a crane and rigging instructor for ITI in the summer of 2021.

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON ACTION OR BEHAVIOUR YOU WITNESS IN THE FIELD WHEN OPERATORS DON’T PLAN FOR LIFTS, OR MOVEMENT OF OVERSIZE WIND TURBINE PARTS, APPROPRIATELY? HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN FIX IT?

Without question, the most common issue I have seen in this situation is the operator and the riggers not having the proper specific rigging to perform the job safely and successfully. This is not always due to the operators not planning the lift properly, it is typically due to others involved in the lift who may be less informed about what the scope of work will be. These issues tend to happen on the front end of the work process, and they are more prevalent to happen when there are new crane contractors hired to perform the work. These kinds of mishaps will create hazards that, at best, lead to unnecessary downtime in the field with the cranes and personnel.

HAVE YOU ANY THOUGHTS OR IDEAS ON AN INNOVATION OR PROCESS THAT MAY HELP TO PREVENT OR ALERT WORKERS WHEN LIFTS ON WIND FARMS ARE POTENTIALLY UNSAFE?

My best piece of advice would be to check the wind and weather reports and be sure to plan the work around these items. Never exceed wind speed allowances for the

Image of Crane Operator Training from ITI website

The most common issue I have seen in this situation is the operator and the riggers not having the proper specific rigging to perform the job safely and successfully.

My best piece of advice would be to check the wind and weather reports and be sure to plan the work around these items

crane and if there is lightning in the area, always follow the manufacturer guidelines to ensure the safety of the equipment and personnel in the area.

Wind is typically the main hindrance to proper crane operation, and since these job sites have been selected due to their high exposure to wind and the loads to be lifted have very large sail areas, the necessary deductions in maximum permissible wind speeds must be calculated. There are resources available to personnel to help aid them in performing these calculations, and proper training can be vital to ensuring these are performed for the equipment.

Lightning can also be a critical issue. There are various lightning detection apps operators have available to them, and they should take advantage of their availability. It is necessary that crane owners, site supervisors and lift directors have strong policies and procedures to manage these known hazards that can arise quickly and without warning on wind farm locations during lifting activities.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE AFFECTING YOUR PARTICULAR ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY TODAY?

In my current role, I am exposed to many crane operators and riggers working in this industry. A future challenge that I’ve seen which will affect the crane and rigging industry is the need to hire qualified employees. The best way to fill this need is to expose these new employees to proper training in order to promote their competency. Once they have been exposed to this training, it is essential to get them working in their role quickly and with proper supervision.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR MEASURES OR DEVELOPMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE WIND INDUSTRY AND CRANES, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO STANDARD PROTOCOLS AND TRAINING, THAT WOULD IMPROVE INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND SAFETY?

In recent years, there have been massive advances in the capability to train

employees on operating equipment that have no physical consequences. Virtual Reality (VR) training has become available to trainees with minimal cost to employers. Utilising this type of training can be valuable to qualifying operators with no real-world risk. This immensely benefits employers, employees, and primary contractors, as employee competency can be tested on various machine types and environments. Also, these VR machines can be set to expose the operators to specific conditions they may encounter while working on different job sites, which allows employers to assess the operator’s reactions to the different challenges they encounter. These assessments can also be very helpful in verifying the operator’s level of competency.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE AUSTRALIAN WIND INDUSTRY GOING IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS? HOW DO YOU THINK THIS WILL IMPACT THE CRANE INDUSTRY?

An incredible push towards clean, renewable energy is occurring in the global market right now. With the geography of Australia and the need for more sustainable energy sources, I believe the wind industry will be extremely busy for Australia in the next 5 to 10 years. The need for larger and more capable cranes and unique and viable rigging solutions will be ever more necessary to accommodate these demands. Along with these demands, the greatest challenge facing the industry is the need for qualified and competent operators to be available to perform these functions.

Photo of the ITI team conducting rigging applications and training

DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL OPINIONS OR COMMENTARY ON THIS TOPIC?

I believe the future of this industry is very bright. Business leaders who have the foresight to ensure the qualifications of their personnel will be the companies that rise above and succeed in the current environment. I believe a potential labour shortage is forthcoming and qualified personnel will be in short supply. As an industry, we must realise this and address it.