Lifting machinery is classified as one of the eight categories of special equipment according to national regulations. From a safety perspective, whether considering the equipment itself or its use, it is not considered particularly dangerous compared to other types of special equipment. However, according to accident statistics from the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in recent years, the accident rate and the absolute number of casualties from accidents involving lifting machinery have consistently ranked first among the eight categories of special equipment. In 2009, the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine made the safety of lifting machinery a key focus of its annual "Three Actions," hoping to reduce lifting machinery accidents through rectification. Why is the accident rate of lifting machinery so high? Based on our years of experience in lifting machinery safety inspection, the main reasons are as follows: The high accident rate has complex causes: ****Standards are outdated.** The lag in standard revision has led to a weakening of innovative design awareness for lifting machinery. The design basis for lifting machinery in China is the "Crane Design Code" GB3811-1983, and the design safety requirements are mainly based on the "Safety Regulations for Lifting Machinery" GB6067-1986. These two general technical specifications, introduced in the 1980s, played a decisive role in the standardized management of lifting machinery at that time. However, with the large-scale production and use of lifting machinery, as well as improvements in production processes and the use of new materials, the standards are no longer applicable in some situations. The "Safety Regulations for Lifting Machinery" is the main theoretical basis for the inspection regulations of lifting machinery. The new inspection regulations of 2009 have been issued and implemented since April 1st of this year, but a revised version of the theoretical basis, the "Safety Regulations for Lifting Machinery," has not yet been issued. If there are significant discrepancies between the new inspection regulations and the new safety regulations, inspection agencies will be at a loss when inspecting lifting machinery. Insufficient design foresight is also a problem. Some lifting machinery manufacturers do not adequately consider the load conditions of load-bearing components in various operating environments when developing and designing new products. The reliability of the braking system of the hoisting mechanism is a key factor determining the safety performance of the lifting machinery; the vast majority of safety accidents occurring during the use of lifting machinery are related to the hoisting mechanism. The hoisting mechanism primarily employs an electromagnet-based electromechanical brake. The reliability of its operation hinges on the control of the electromagnet coil, and the design of the electrical control system for crane machinery has been a weak point in my country for over 20 years. Manufacturing processes are also lagging. Differences exist between Chinese and European/American standards for crane machinery, hindering the growth of Sino-foreign joint ventures in the Chinese market. The technological content of some small and medium-sized cranes needs improvement. Furthermore, market competition limits manufacturers' profits, restricting investment in new product development. Installation quality control is inadequate. Historically, crane installation acceptance has relied solely on final completion inspection, with quality control entirely dependent on the skills and expertise of the workers. Installation is essentially a continuation of manufacturing, with on-site conditions often worse than manufacturing. The lack of clear standards and requirements for process control in crane manufacturing and construction specifications has led to low-level installation, particularly due to violations and inadequate construction techniques that create hidden structural defects and potential accidents. New inspection regulations came into effect on April 1st, revising the final acceptance inspection of lifting machinery to include supervision and inspection of the entire installation process, providing strong assurance for future installation quality. Inadequate management during use is a major cause of lifting machinery accidents. Safety accidents occurring during use are a key focus, and inadequate management by the user unit is a primary reason. This management mainly refers to the management of personnel and equipment. With the reform of state-owned enterprises and the development of private enterprises, it is difficult to ensure that every lifting machine is operated by qualified personnel. Furthermore, the weak safety awareness of private business owners regarding special equipment is also a significant factor contributing to lifting machinery accidents. On the other hand, equipment management includes daily inspections and planned maintenance. Daily inspections, primarily checking equipment safety performance, are often the most easily overlooked. Some companies don't even schedule annual maintenance plans for lifting machinery. In addition, violations of operating procedures are a major cause of safety accidents during lifting machinery use. Other factors contributing to lifting machinery accidents include the operating environment, load classification, and illegal or over-qualified production of lifting machinery. Addressing the Root Causes and Key Issues As crane machinery inspectors, we believe the following approaches are crucial for reducing crane machinery safety accidents: First, we should expedite the issuance (or revision) of universal technical standards that comply with current industry requirements for crane machinery production, installation, and use, while also aligning with international standards. For example, the revision of the "Safety Regulations for Cranes" should prioritize the control of the lifting mechanism's brakes, fully utilizing the auxiliary braking function of electrical brakes to protect them. Second, we should encourage Sino-foreign cooperative production of crane machinery within China, introducing advanced technologies to improve the technological content and safety performance of crane machinery and the overall manufacturing level of China's crane machinery industry. Third, we should strengthen the supervision and management of the crane machinery industry, severely cracking down on illegal and out-of-scope production of crane machinery. Policies should favor crane machinery manufacturers with high technological content and high safety performance, eliminating or shutting down low-tech, low-safety enterprises that compete on price. We should encourage crane machinery manufacturers to attract highly skilled personnel, especially in control technology, to design crane machinery with entirely new concepts. Fourth, quality supervision departments at all levels should strictly enforce the statutory training and assessment of operators, especially strengthening on-the-job operation management skills training within user units. This includes emphasizing the responsibility system of enterprise safety production personnel, strengthening the safety awareness of key enterprise leaders regarding special equipment, standardizing operator procedures, improving the safety awareness of personnel engaged in special operations, and encouraging lifting machinery users to implement a daily inspection management model for equipment. Fifth, because the supervision and inspection of lifting machinery has long been conducted after completion, the supervision and inspection of the installation process according to the new inspection regulations requires all inspection personnel to change their mindset and improve their professional skills. Theoretically, it is necessary to strengthen the study and understanding of the inspection regulations, understand the weak links in the manufacturing and installation processes, and thus formulate practical and feasible inspection operation guidance documents to ensure inspection quality. Based on this, in future periodic inspections of lifting machinery that has been installed and used in the past, in addition to routine inspections according to the inspection regulations, targeted inspections should be conducted on links in the installation and manufacturing processes that are prone to safety hazards and defects. Advanced testing methods should be used to add necessary testing items to prevent accidents. Sixth, it is advocated that the lifting machinery used on construction sites be managed through unimpeded communication in terms of supervision and inspection, and that construction lifting machinery with safety hazards not be put into use until the problems are rectified.