Keep pedestrians safe around overhead cranes by keeping people out from under suspended loads and making crane movement visible. Mark exclusion zones on the floor along crane paths and landing areas, route walkways away from them, and use warning horns, flashing lights or floor-projected lines that show where the load is traveling. Train operators to stop when anyone enters the path, and train workers never to walk under a load. Detection systems can add a layer by sensing people in the crane path and alerting the operator or, where integrated, stopping travel. OSHA 1910.179 requires employers to make crane operators avoid carrying loads over people.
Crane areas often overlap with forklift traffic, so plan both together: a forklift operator delivering to a crane bay becomes a pedestrian once they leave the seat. Check that crane warning devices work as part of the crane’s regular inspection, and that floor marking matches the actual crane envelope. Signals between rigger and operator should follow a standard set; forklift hand signals traces them to the crane method. For forklifts lifting suspended loads with jibs, see forklift booms, jibs and rigging. Detection reduces risk, but it does not replace exclusion zones.