Modelling safety of gantry crane operations using Petri nets

Area of Science:

• Industrial Engineering
• Operations Research
• Safety Engineering

Background:

• Petri nets (PN) are powerful for modeling industrial operations but underutilized in safety studies.
• Gantry crane operations present complex safety challenges in industrial settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model gantry crane operations using generalized stochastic Petri nets (PN).
• To identify and analyze safety hazards within the gantry crane operational cycle.
• To propose system redesigns for mitigating identified risks.

Main Methods:

• Developed PN models for three distinct operational phases: inspection/loading, load movement, and unloading.
• Utilized reachability trees to analyze PN models and identify hazardous states.
• Simulated modified models to test proposed safety interventions.

Main Results:

• Identified specific hazardous states leading to potential accidents, such as load falling and equipment failure (hook, sling, hoist rope).
• Demonstrated the causal link between hazardous states and unwanted incidents.
• Validated the effectiveness of proposed safety measures like mechanical stoppage and warning systems.

Conclusions:

• Generalized stochastic Petri nets are effective for analyzing gantry crane safety.
• The study provides actionable insights for redesigning gantry crane systems to improve operational safety.
• Proactive identification and mitigation of hazards can prevent industrial accidents.