Crane Industry Unites for 2025 Safety Week: Elevating Awareness, Saving Lives
- cranehub
- May 6
- 2 min read
May 2025 — In an industry where precision, coordination, and awareness can mean the difference between success and tragedy, Safety Week has become a cornerstone of culture in the crane and lifting sectors. This year’s Safety Week, held from May 6–10, brings together crane operators, riggers, engineers, and safety leaders across North America and beyond under a shared commitment: “Every Lift, Every Time — Safety First.”
A Unified Effort Across the Industry
Leading crane companies including Maxim Crane Works, Bay Crane, Lampson International, and Mammoet are participating in the week-long initiative. Their yards and job sites are hosting toolbox talks, live demonstrations, and safety training refreshers, with topics ranging from load path planning and lift zone control to the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“This week isn't just about following rules — it's about re-centering safety as a personal responsibility,” said Diane Wheeler, VP of Safety at Bigge Crane and Rigging. “One careless step can impact an entire team. Safety Week is our reminder to stay vigilant.”
Key Themes and Focus Areas
2025’s Safety Week includes a strong focus on:
Ground Condition Awareness: Emphasizing the importance of proper ground assessments to prevent tip-overs, particularly as mobile cranes become larger and more complex.
Lift Planning Technology: Promoting the use of digital lift planning tools and real-time telemetry systems to increase transparency and reduce risk.
Mental Health and Safety Culture: Addressing the emotional and cognitive well-being of field crews, recognizing stress and fatigue as safety risks.
Near-Miss Reporting: Encouraging a culture of openness where reporting close calls is not penalized, but celebrated as an opportunity to improve.
Equipment Demonstrations & Simulations
At multiple training facilities, including the NCCCO’s headquarters in Utah and IUOE Local 14 in New York, VR simulators are giving newer operators hands-on experience with emergency scenarios such as boom collapse, power line contact, and swinging loads in high wind. Meanwhile, OEMs like Liebherr and Link-Belt are using Safety Week to demo the newest built-in safety systems on their cranes — including automatic outrigger monitoring and zone limiting features.
A Week That Drives Long-Term Change
What makes Safety Week more than a one-off event is its power to influence year-round operations. Many companies use it as a launching point to revise lift procedures, introduce new training programs, and gather feedback from crews working in the field.
In a sector that has seen fatality rates decline slowly but steadily over the past decade, Safety Week is helping accelerate that progress by pushing a proactive mindset — not just reacting to accidents, but anticipating and preventing them.
The Final Word: “It Starts with You”
Whether you're signaling from the ground, climbing into the cab, or setting up the rigging plan, safety in the crane industry is a chain with no weak links. As the banners hung across job sites read this week:“It starts with you — because every lift counts.”
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