Crane (Lifting Equipment) Day (Kuren no Hi)

What Is Crane Day?

September 30th is "Crane Day" (クレーンの日, Kurēn no Hi) in Japan. It was established in 1980 by the Japan Crane Association and the Boiler and Crane Safety Association, marking the promulgation of the current "Ordinance on Safety of Cranes, etc." on September 30, 1972. It is a day for people who operate and build cranes to raise their awareness of preventing workplace accidents and to make safe working practices thoroughly understood.

Two "Crane Days" Become One

The date settled on September 30th through a slightly unusual history.

• It began on November 1st: In 1967, the Japan Crane Association designated November 1st, the day the old crane safety ordinance took effect in 1962, as "Crane Day."
• A second "Crane Day": A few years later, the Boiler and Crane Safety Association separately named June 6th "Crane Day," leaving Japan with two Crane Days.
• Unified in 1980: Partly at the urging of the Ministry of Labour (now the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), which oversaw both associations, the day was unified in 1980 as September 30th, the date the current ordinance was promulgated.

What Happens on Crane Day

For Crane Day, photos and safety slogans for posters are invited from the general public, and the finished posters are distributed to workplaces and related businesses. Events such as the "National Crane Safety Convention" are also held as part of the day's activities.

Fun Facts About Cranes

• Named after a bird: The English word "crane" also means the bird. The machine is said to have been named because its long arm lifting loads resembles the crane's long neck. In Japanese it is also called "kijūki" (hoisting machine).
• The power of pulleys: Combining fixed and movable pulleys lets you lift heavy loads with a small force. A crane puts this principle to work on a large scale.
• Operators need qualifications: Depending on factors such as how much the crane can lift, operating it requires a license or completion of a skills training course.
• Slinging is skilled work too: Attaching wire ropes to a load and hooking it onto the crane is called "tamakake" (slinging), and qualifications or special training are required for it as well.
• Cranes that raise themselves: Climbing cranes used to build high-rise buildings can lift themselves up as the building grows taller.

Ways to Spend Crane Day

• Look at what kinds of cranes are being used on construction sites around town
• Borrow the "point and call" safety check used in crane work for locking up or before sending an important email
• Read about how skyscrapers and bridges are built
• Take another look at the safety rules in your own workplace

The Power That Builds Cities, and the Safety Behind It

September 30th is a day to turn our attention to cranes, which support our lives by building offices and bridges and handling cargo in ports, and to the safety that surrounds them. Moving enormous loads is kept safe by each person's checks and by rules followed step by step. Why not make today a day to value the "usual checks" in your own work?