Safety

A Rough Terrain crane tipped over yesterday by the side of the river in St Joseph Michigan. The operator escaped with minor leg injuries. The crane went over sideways at the Pier 33 Marina trapping the operator, Walton Dohner in the cab upside down hanging over the St Joseph river. The photos suggest that one of the outrigger beams was not fully extended on the side the crane tipped.

Ottawa, Ontario-based construction company AGF Raymond Rebar has been fined C$110,000 for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured during the lifting of two rebar structures.

OSHA now offers a guidance document to help small businesses comply with the agency’s cranes and derricks rule published in August 2010. This new standard was issued to address the number of worker injuries and deaths associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction.

The UK’s Health & Safety Executive has concluded an investigation into the failure of a hook on a loader crane whilst lifting a large cabin. Examination of the hook after the accident revealed that a roll pin used to secure a nut onto the threaded shank of the hook had failed. The failure of the pin allowed the nut to move on the threaded shank, particularly when the hook and load were rotated.

A 450 tonne All Terrain crane went over on a wind farm in Denmark last week dropping the rotor blades of a turbine it was helping to repair.

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.

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.

Article from Industrial Lift & Hoist on the topic of Sythetic Sling Care. While this is an effective way of lifting objects, proper care must be taken by the rigger. Educates reader on the difference between cutting and abrasion and the different types of protection for both.

The UK Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has warned that employers must periodically examine lifting equipment. The announcement comes following two accidents, one of which was fatal. It should encourage revised training and equipment testing practices for manual hoists and slings.