Book excerpt: Everything you need to know about using cranes and derricksIf you employ cranes, trust one rock-solid reference to provide tried-and-tested guidelines for selecting and working with them safely and efficiently. Nothing available covers the subject with the depth and expertise you'll find in Cranes and Derricks. The authors - Howard I.Shapiro, Jay P. Shapiro, and Lawrence K. Shapiro, are the principals of an international firm that's helped define the state-of-the-art in crane and derrick engineering.This new third edition addresses...*the latest innovations and technologies, including new telescopic crane attachments and heavy-lift mobile crane arrangements - both telescopic and lattice boom - and newly-permitted partial outrigger extensions*a solution to the problem of crane stability under dynamic loading*crane support considerations, pick-and-carry work, tailing operations, site access and other site issues*new information on safety and accident avoidance and risk management*and much, much more