Zaren Baldacchino, 59, was visiting his son on a Sliema construction site yesterday morning when the steel wire of a tower crane snapped and its metal hook fell on him, killing him on the spot.

New figures published in the UK this week show the number of employees killed in the UK construction industry last year has increased for the first time in four years. The Health and Safety Executive has released provisional data for the year to March 2011 which shows the number of workers killed was 50, an increase on the previous year, when 41 died – the majority on smaller construction sites. This is the first rise in deaths since 2006/7 when there were 79 fatalities .

REALITY: People that want to negotiate your price are in reality negotiating your profit. Any time the word “negotiate” appears in a sales situation, it means both your price AND your profit are going down.

RETHINK NEGOTIATION: Where’s “value negotiation?” Where’s “customer profitability negotiation?” Where’s “customer productivity negotiation?” Where’s “customer improved morale negotiation?” Uh, they’re nowhere. That’s because negotiations in sales have “lower price and loss of profit to the seller” at their core.

The team at Facelift took a special ultra high resolution photograph at Vertikal Days this week.

Voting deadline is today for our 2nd Annual Great Crane Photo Contest. Make sure you’ve voted for your favourite photos.
Categories include:
Wildest Crane Project Photo
Coolest Mobile Crane Photo
Coolest Tower Crane Photo
Winners will be annouced on June 30, …

Ten Manitowoc cranes are working on the construction of a remote dam in South Africa. The De Hoop (“The Hope”) Dam will be 81 m tall and stretch more than 1 km over the Steelpoort River in Limpopo, South Africa. It is being built for the South African Department of Water Affairs.

In celebration of our recent Father’s Day, I am reprinting the column I wrote 12 years ago when my father passed away. If your father has passed away, please take the day to remember happy stories and great deeds. If you are lucky, and your father is still alive, be with him to celebrate, thank him, and tell him you love him. Please.

Sims Crane & Equipment Co, Tampa Florida, announces the promotion of Kurt Kuffermann to vice president/general manager of operations. He will oversee day-to-day operations of all departments located at our Tampa headquarters, including dispatch, shop, service, parts and yard activities. He will also serve as coordinator to branch operations across the state.

According to www.baseballreference.com, in the 135 years of Major League Baseball, there have been a total of 17,538 MLB players. Out of that 17,538, only 25 of them have hit more than 500 home runs. Of those 25, nearly half are contemporary players who may have used steroids, but the others are among baseball immortals: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Matthews, Ernie Banks, Jimmy Foxx, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Reggie Jackson, and Mike Schmidt.

Food for Thought is our way of sharing interesting concepts on corporate leadership and management with others who might find it useful. The thoughts offered are intended to be controversial and thought provoking. They always follow our motto of helping develop logical leadership.