Acing Ground Support
Benefits of mats and pads for access and lifting safety
By Lawrence St. John
Safety is critical on every construction project, but when heavy cranes are involved, there is no room for errors or shortcuts, especially when it comes to ground support design. Cranes have toppled when they’ ve been walked across areas with inadequate ground support or unstable subgrade and when outriggers have punched through soft ground.
Even when ground stabilization studies indicate the ground is stable enough to operate on, unseen voids may be present, and objects to
8 • 515-955-1600 • September 2025