Ernie Pierini

About a year ago we launched Ace of Sales 1.0 – instant success. Salespeople loved our customized emails that set them apart from the competition and the ability to send low cost custom greeting cards and postcards. They loved the ability to do all social media from the Ace of Sales home page. They loved the ability to import their outlook contacts.

A hire firm boss has admitted a mobile crane that leaked oil on the A92 before a fatal car crash was not safe for the road. Lawrence Whyte, 40, of Ellon-based William Whyte Cargo Handlers, initially told the inquiry in Stonehaven Sheriff Court that he believed the crane was roadworthy. But he went on to admit it was not when shown the condition of some of its parts.

A LARGE Dutch ship which has its own massive onboard tower cranes sailed up Walney Channel for the first of eight visits to the port to start a new phase of a windfarm’s development. Fair Partner, owned by Jumbo Shipping of Holland, effectively kicked off phase two of the construction of the £1bn Walney Offshore Windfarm, nine miles off Barrow.

A four axle truck crane was turning at an intersection and hit a 71 year old lady, who died later in hospital. Witnesses say that the driver was not speeding or driving recklessly and there is absolutely no suggestion that there was anything wrong with the crane.

The International Sign Association has added a Mobile Crane Operator Safety Certification Training class in Altoona, Pa. ISA also has partnered with The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), which has agreed to administer tests the day following the completion of training. The tests will be held in the same location as the training. ISA will conduct the Altoona course May 25-28 and one in Pittsburgh April 20-23. Dozens of other courses will take place around the country throughout the year. Visit www.signs.org/cranetraining for the full 2011 crane-training schedule.

Linden Comansa has introduced two new models of luffing-jib cranes. The company says the new models will be available by the end of April. These new cranes, LCL 310 and LCL 280, altogether with the LCL 190 presented last year in Bauma, form the new family of luffing-jib cranes from Linden Comansa, which will be completed this summer with the launch of a fourth model, the LCL 165.

Perth- Australia, a court has fined two directors of D&G Cranes $45,000 each and the company $90,000 for a fatal accident in 2007. D&G Hoists & Cranes, operations director David Keating and Luigi Vincenzo Decesare, managing director, were found guilty in December of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace, which caused the death of Luke Murrie, 22, after he was struck in the head by a 375kg tower crane section.

A man has died after a crane dropped a concrete panel on him in Kitchener, Ontario, just west of Toronto, Canada yesterday, it was the second incident on the site in two weeks. The man aged 42 suffered severe head injuries when the concrete slab fell as it was being lifted off of a truck by a tower crane. The ministry of labour suggested that poor rigging may have been to blame. The company responsible for the site is Tricar Developments.

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A reader from the USA has sent us an example of what some riggers will get up to when the right equipment is not to hand. We don’t have the full details of where this happened, probably for good reason thought, on a large site two riggers were connecting up what looks like some kind of pile puller and other heavy attachments and having no purpose, made a sling, they decided to use a length of old cable in multiple wraps with the ends clamped.