Safety Always

Hooked on Safety

Safety is at the core of who we are at Konecranes, and prioritizing it in all areas of our activities gives us a competitive advantage. We build safe material flows for our customers with our products, solutions, and services.

We want to make sure everyone gets to go home safely, every day. Our work in managing safety starts from our own employees and extends beyond the company’s boundaries to our suppliers, subcontractors, everyone engaged with our products and everyone we work with. We integrate safety and security in all our operations, including manufacturing, installations and maintenance, office, and remote work as well as travel.

With the help of our products, solutions and services, our customers not only enhance safety but also improve the efficiency and productivity of their operations.
 

There is no job so important and no service so urgent that we cannot take the time to perform our work safely and correctly.

Safety means many things for us. Safety equals our employees' health and safety - it means that we can do our work safely without fear or risk of getting hurt. Our goal in safety is to ensure that everyone gets to go home safe, every day. This goal covers our own employees and extends beyond the company’s boundaries, covering our product offering, our suppliers, subcontractors, everyone engaged with our products and everyone we work with.

Safety is vital in everything we do and prioritizing it in all areas of our activities gives us a competitive advantage. We provide products and services that make our customers’ material flow more efficient and safer. Safety is in the core of who we are.

 

Safety is one of our core values. Our mindset "If You see it, You Own it" means that we never walk by an unsafe situation or action. We work safely - always. We are committed to:

  • Achieving zero work-related incidents and illnesses.
  • Behaving safely – always.
  • Zero tolerance towards unsafe acts and safety violations.
  • Never walking by an unsafe situation; If you see it, you own it!
  • Continually improving our health and safety culture and performance.
  • Meeting or exceeding applicable legal standards and other requirements.
  • Supporting employee well-being.
HSE observations 2019-2023

Konecranes HSE observations throughout years

The reporting of safety observations has increased greatly throughout the years. In 2023, we significantly exceeded our target of over 3 observations per person by reporting a total of 5.81 per person in 2023 (2022: 4.31), with a total of 95,686 observations reported globally. This was an improvement of 34 percent compared to 2022 (71,382).

Safety Always

Crane

Safety in the work

In each environment and every process, safety must be built into the design, operation and maintenance of the crane.

Operation

Safety in operation

A safe crane is the product of a good design, regular maintenance and safe use. Features such as Overload Protection, Sway Control, Target Positioning and Protected Areas can make valuable contributions to safety.

Maintenance

Safety in mainenance

The better a crane is maintained, the safer it will be. We prefer to take care of the cranes across their entire working lives and recommend a Konecranes service contract as an investment in the continuous safe use of the cranes.

Design

Safety in design

Our products are designed with safety standards in mind. We engineer our lifting and control equipment to withstand humidity, dust and temperature variations. Key components and electronics of the crane are protected.

Our safety principles

Safe material flow with safe cranes and maintenance

Industrial material handling has considerable inherent occupational health and safety risks. We want to provide products and services that make our customers’ material flow more efficient and safer. Our offering includes technologically advanced equipment with innovative safety features as well as efficient preventive and predictive maintenance that enables our customers to keep equipment in good working order throughout their lifespan.

Prior to launch, our products are thoroughly tested in our Reliability Centers against applicable standards. We follow product safety performance through our product safety management process called AIR, which includes reporting and investigating known equipment-related safety incidents, including occurrences such as load drops.

Designed with safety in mind

We incorporate safety into the design, manufacturing, maintenance, and service of our products. We create value for crane operators by providing applications that increase safety, usability, and efficiency.

Our cranes can be fitted with a wide variety of our existing safety features. Sway Control, Hook Centering and Snag Prevention limit unwanted movements of the load during lifting or moving or if the load or hook gets caught on something. Inching and Microspeed allow the operator to control load speeds efficiently and safely especially in the starts and ends of lifts. Remote operation (using the Remote Operating Station) enables the crane operator to work in safe areas with better ergonomics. This also increases safety in customer facilities, as people are further away from the machines.

Target Positioning helps crane operators position the loads safely and quickly. Geofencing, which is a feature that limits load movements in areas that might cause risks to people or property, is made possible through the Work Zone Smart Feature application. Solutions such as Assisted Load Turning, Target Positioning and End Positioning help improve the safety of load manipulation and ensure that the load is delivered safely and accurately where needed. Our Live Channel, an online virtual crane demonstration tool, enables us to showcase our crane safety features to our customers in real time.

Safety culture

Safety means many things for us. Safety means the well-being and health of our employees. It means ability to work safely without fear or risk of getting hurt. It is not only about our own operations but extends also beyond the company's boundaries.

We strive for a culture where workplace injuries and illnesses are prevented, where people drive safety by leading by example, and where everyone plays a part in building a safe and healthy working environment.

Safety is deep in our DNA. Our safety culture is based on the principle that there is no work so urgent or important that it cannot be done safely. Our target is to create and maintain a culture where everyone takes responsibility for safety and embraces the mindset “If You See it, You Own it!” This mindset is based on a principle that anyone who sees a deviation in safety, must challenge the situation, stop the unsafe action, rectify or remove the hazard, and finally, report it through our HSE reporting tool for proper corrective measures to be taken. We should never walk by when seeing a safety issue.

Our global safety work is built with three focus areas: Life-Saving Behaviors, Global HSE standards and Certified Management Systems. We want to enhance our safety culture continuously. 

  • The Life-Saving Behaviors is a collection of behavioral requirements, grouped around the main hazards and risks in our operations, both in the factories and at our customer sites. They are the expectations around the way we work.
  • We continued having our operations certified according to ISO 45001 and management system standards. A total of 79 percent of all manufacturing units were certified against the ISO 45001 standards at the end of 2023.

Safety is vital in everything we do, and prioritizing it in all areas of our activities gives us a competitive advantage. We provide our customers with services and equipment that enable them to work efficiently and safely throughout the product’s life span. Safety in in the core of who we are.

Smart Features

Snag Prevention

Why is Snag Prevention an important aspect of intelligent lifting? Currently, there are several Smart Features that give more control over lifting objects. These are available for rope hoist cranes and open winch cranes, thus increasing the usability and safety of each crane. In this short video, Konecranes, a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses, shows a demo of the Snag Prevention feature. Watch how this feature saves the day when the crane hook, slings, or load get caught on some object while in motion. It automatically helps to minimize damage to the load, crane, or other machinery nearby.

Smart Features:

Hook Centering

Hook Centering improves safety and prevents damage. Side pulling puts added stress on ropes and other crane components and sets the stage for hazardous load swing. The Konecranes Hook Centering feature automatically eliminates side pull of loads and this dangerous scenario by positioning the trolley and bridge over the load, helping to prevent equipment damage and harm to employees. Hook Centering means improved operational safety, faster load cycle times, ease of operation and less wear and tear on crane components.

CheckApp

CheckApp Daily Inspections

Konecranes CheckApp for Daily Inspections has been designed to help crane users quickly and easily record their findings when performing pre-shift and/or pre-lift inspections. It gives users a digitalized and cost-effective way for recording and retrieving daily inspection data that can be used for internal auditing and compliance.