Ernie Pierini

A lattice crane boom came crashing down across a busy road in the centre of Abu Dhabi, UAE this morning blocking traffic for several hours. Local reports say that the crane was working on a demolition site, using a demolition ball, although this has not been fully confirmed.

1. How many of you have some social media involvement? (Almost everyone raises their hands.)
2. How many of you wish you were better at it? (Almost everyone raises their hands.)
And keep in mind this is from a (supposedly) sophisticated group of people. They all have smart phones, most of them get personal Facebook notices on their phones, but for one reason or another they have chosen not to enter the world of business social media.

A fatal crane accident at BHP Billiton’s iron ore operations at Port Hedland in Western Australia’s Pilbara region has suspended operations at the facility while an investigation is carried out.

Heavy haulers have had to invest in new equipment to haul wind components due to their increasing weights and heights. Permitting and regulatory issues continue to complicate matters. Jeff Hampton reports. Transporters of wind energy components are juggling the challenges of carrying ever-larger loads and maneuvering the continued tangle of permits.

With all the reports of wind turbine installations we could not resist publishing a report on a more traditional windmill erection job. The Zeldenrust Windmill in the Dutch town of Dokkum is an octagonal ‘stellingmolen’ or Smock and cap stage mill, with four pairs of stones two for wheat and two for producing pearl barley.

Reports from the scene are sketchy, some say the five were on the top of the crane to replace a motor, however we understand that the five were in fact climbing the crane. The men were standing on the climbing platform/frame when one or more pins or rods broke on the platform/frame allowing it to fall to the ground.

Linden Comansa’s LCL Series of luffing jib cranes will be completed in September, with the launch of a fourth model, the LCL 165. In just more than a year, the Spanish manufacturer has completely renewed its range of luffers. The LCL 190 crane was presented at Bauma 2010, while the LCL 280 and LCL 310 were launched in March 2011.

IPAF welcomes the position paper issued by the FEM Product Group for Cranes and Lifting Equipment, which states that cranes should not be used for lifting people, except in exceptional circumstances where safety requirements have been fulfilled and undertaken at the specific responsibility of the user.

When shopping for knuckleboom cranes, buyers have much to consider in deciding which class size they should buy. Because the purchase is for an entire crane package, even the chassis must be part of the equation. Manufacturers says the irst consideration is reach, followed by load. Once those two factors are determined, everything else, including the truck chassis on which the crane will be mounted, will fall into place.

Slate Magazine published an article by James Ledbetter about the ever-increasing number of disappearing salespeople. The headline read, “Death of a Salesman. Of Lots of Them, Actually. The troubling disappearance of salesmen and how it helps explain America’s economic woes.”