Crane Safety

A crane working on the Kaw Lake dam in north central Oklahoma tipped over the edge into the water yesterday. The operator managed to exit his cab before the crane went over.

A six axle All Terrain crane went over at the Orica Chemicals refinery at Kooragang Island, near Newcastle New South Wales, late last week, after one of its outriggers punched through the ground into some sort of void.

A tree worker fell around 23 metres from a crane yesterday in Bremerton to the west of Seattle Washington. Aaron Bjorn Waag, 28, was apparently suspended from the hook of an All Terrain crane via some sort of harness. He was trimming tree limbs when the harness gave way dropping him to the concrete walkway below.

The crane, a Demag owned by rental company Kran & Shakt had set up with full boom and extensions on a project close to the city’s Central Station to lift glass panels into place on a new building being constructed by Peab.

The fatal crane accident near Hobart, Tasmania earlier today was a road accident involving an articulated pick and carry crane.

The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) and Equipment Training Solutions, LLC (ETS) have rolled out a comprehensive Rigger Safety Training Course.

Imperial Crane in the USA has announced that it has achieved an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of .75, a record low for the company. According to Imperial an EMR is informative and important because it represents the results of a company’s safety policy. A high or low EMR can affect opportunities for potential work, the company said.

The driver of the truck crane involved that ran through a set of traffic lights in Tampa on September 16th, crashing into a bus and a sheriff’s car, seriously injuring a deputy, has been cited for ‘running the light’ and having faulty service brakes.

The crane must be shut down when wind speeds at its upper reaches hit 35 mph, although it also can be shut down in lesser winds if the operator thinks conditions warrant. Cold weather alone, however, won’t stop work through the winter on what Rinner calls the Statehouse’s “drum” — the area above the roofs of the building’s four wings and below the copper dome.

The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) now offers a free mobile app for instantly accessing all necessary crane hand signals. The new app is available in the iTunes App Store and Blackberry App World. Every signal included is compliant with the new OSHA Cranes and Derricks Standard, Appendix A to Subpart CC of Part 1926-Standard Hand Signals.