Crane Accidents #3
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
UPDATE, Blame set in bridge accident
By TRACY ROBINSON, COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
Human error is being blamed for the July 29 accident in which a 116-ton concrete beam broke, crashed into the existing bridge, then fell into the Shark River along with part of a crane during construction of the new Route 35 bridge. A construction foreman told a crane operator to release the beam before it had been secured in place, Thomas Dowd, regional construction engineer for the State Department of Transportation, said yesterday. Officials have said the method employed to install beams involves temporarily securing them before the crane lifting them lets go. A project manager for Amec Civil, the contractor hired by the state to build the new fixed- span bridge, explained how the accident happened in simpler terms. “They just screwed up, that’s all there is to it,” Jim Bowers said. Dowd said the foreman is still employed by Amec Civil and working on the bridge project but will not take part in the beam installation process. DOT officials said they did not know if he had been reprimanded by his employer. “He’s probably as upset as anybody else that it happened,” Dowd said. Any penalty to be levied against Amec Civil will not be decided until the bridge is completed, said DOT spokesman Micah Rasmussen. Begun in March 2000, the $46.3 million project is already $3 million over budget and more than a year behind schedule. The initial completion date was the end of 2002; authorities haven’t announced a new target date for completion. Officials spoke about the construction accident during a morning meeting yesterday at the Coast Guard station in Point Pleasant, at which a revised plan on how the beams will be installed was given a public hearing. When the project resumes, the officials said, the navigational channel beneath the bridge will be closed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 21 work days, Mondays through Thursdays, as was the plan in July. In addition, the existing Route 35 bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic during those times. A detour will route Route 35 traffic over the Main Street (Route 71) bridge between Belmar and the Avon-Neptune shore to the north. The beam installation was supposed to resume next Tuesday, DOT officials said, but late yesterday Dowd said the crane to replace the one that broke in the accident was “stuck in Customs” in Port Newark. This means that the installation will not begin until Wednesday at the earliest, depending on when the crane arrives, he said. Rasmussen said the DOT can’t get the crane out of Customs “due to code orange,” the high- risk-of-terrorist-attack alert issued by the government just before Sept. 11. The new safety and beam erection plan calls for two significant changes: radio communication between construction workers and additional layers of approval before a beam is released by the crane operator, DOT officials said. Crews will start by putting beams into place in the center of the span instead of at the sides, officials said. This method will allow the beams to be secured on both sides. Other measures are intended to ensure safety. “It’s fortunate no one was killed,” Bowers said at one point yesterday. DOT employees will be on site, as they were when the accident occurred, officials said. Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration representatives will also be there this time, Dowd said. In the wake of the accident, some members of the local boating community affected by the channel closings spoke out at yesterday’s sparsely attended meeting. Mary Ann Leyrer — who along with her husband, Ralph, owns two Belmar-based charter fishing boats, the Last Lady I and II — said many did not attend yesterday’s meeting because they were not aware it was scheduled until Thursday. “It’s typical of this whole project that everything is last-minute,” said Leyrer. OSHA is reviewing engineering specifications for the revised installation process and should have a response by Monday, said OSHA spokesman Gary Roskoski. The accident is still under investigation, Roskoski said, noting they have six months to complete a report and issue any penalties if applicable. Some are eager to see the beam work begin again, including Robbin Kirk, Belmar’s chief financial officer, who represented the borough at the meeting. “We want to see the bridge get done,” Kirk said. Local businessman Seth Frankel, the owner of the Shark River Yacht Club, agreed. “Just do it,” Frankel said. “I think they had everything under control last time,” he said, calling the accident a “fluke.”
Crane topples at Stono bridge site, injuring 1; 2nd time in month heavy equipment failed on job
BY TONY BARTELME AND RON MENCHACA, Of The Post and Courier Staff
A large barge-mounted crane working on the new Stono River Bridge toppled onto another barge Thursday, injuring a worker, narrowly missing boats at a nearby marina and causing more than 65 gallons of diesel fuel and lubricant to spill into the river. It was the second time in a month that a crane has fallen at the construction site. Last month, a crane hit the existing drawbridge, forcing officials to close one of the main links to Johns Island for three days. This time, the crane fell away from the bridge and roadway. Police stopped traffic for about an hour as Coast Guard and other emergency crews converged on the scene. The crane was lifting a 100,000-pound steel rebar cage when it tipped over. Mark Hunter, who owns a landscaping and irrigation company, was driving to James Island when the crane went down. “They had stopped traffic while they were lifting it, which was a good precaution,” he said. “But the thing they were lifting was really huge, and I said to myself, ‘This_isn’t going to work.'” He pulled out a disposable camera and snapped a few shots as the crane began to tip. “As he started to lift it, the cage buckled. It was all in the water within a minute.” The incident could have been much worse, Howard said. “If it had fallen a few degrees in a different direction, it could have hit some boats in the marina.” Ernie Dozzi, DOT maintenance engineer, said the accident “was pretty much the same thing that happened last time.” On Aug. 16, a crane operator was lifting another cylinder steel cage when the crane’s 170-foot-long boom buckled and landed across the bridge. This incident came three weeks after a barge hit the old bridge, causing $60,000 in damages. “Three accidents in about 30 days obviously means we have something to investigate,” said Bob Harrell, a state transportation commissioner. He said high-level Federal Highway Administration and state inspectors were dispatched to the construction site. Construction on the bridge has stopped and won’t begin again until their investigations are done. Wor also stopped for more than a week after the Aug. 16 incident. “This bridge will be built,” Harrell said, but added that replacing the contractor is one possible scenario. Republic Contracting of Columbia won the $46.9 million contract to build the four-lane bridge in January 2001. An employee in Republic’s on-site office said the company had no comment and referred questions to a subcontractor, Case Atlantic. Representatives from Case’s office in Florida declined to comment.In Thursday’s incident, the crane operator was taken to Roper Hospital with cuts and other minor injuries, said Lt. jg Chester Warren of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office. Warren said the man’s identity was not available. Warren estimated that 50 gallons of diesel fuel and 15 gallons of industrial lubricant spilled into the river. The Coast Guard deployed absorbent booms around the spill. He said investigators also were trying to determine whether the 100-foot-long barge was large enough to hold the weight of the crane and its load. Inspectors with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration also were on the scene. “We’re still gathering information from the last one,” Jim Drape, acting area director of the federal OSHA office in South Carolina, said of the Aug. 16 incident. Records show that OSHA cited Republic Contracting with 55 health and safety violations during the past 10 years and has fined the company $21,615. Case Atlantic had no recent labor or safety violations in South Carolina. Harrell said the crane operator reportedly had 34 years of experience. “I’m told that he was using a larger crane than we started out with and a larger barge, which was supposed to add stability. What they’re saying is that when he lifted the cage, a gust of wind caught it, moved the cage and caused the crane to pull to one side. Then everything tumbled to the side. My problem with this explanation is that high currents and winds come with the territory.” After police reopened the bridge to traffic Thursday afternoon, motorists had a dramatic view of the wreckage. Looking like a giant overturned tank, the crane’s massive tracks were still on the barge. The crane’s boom reached over a second barge before dipping into the river, its tip nearly hitting several boats. Tish Anderson who runs the ship store at Buzzards Roost Marina, heard the crane fall. “I heard it snap. It sounded like thunder. One of my customers looked out the window and said the crane fell. I said, ‘Oh come on, you are kidding me.” Anderson called the Coast Guard after she saw diesel fuel on the water. “You could see the sheen. The smell was so bad you could barely breathe.” Bob and Beth Kelley of Headquarters Island also saw the crane fall. They joked that they might start a river taxi service after they ferried a friend across the river who was stuck in traffic waiting for the bridge to reopen. “We were surprised to see another accident this soon,” Bob Kelley said.
Dock tragedy as son sees father crushed
By Mark Hookham, Daily Post
A SON saw his father killed in the hold of a ship as he helped unload cargo at a Merseyside dock. Foreman Jeffrey Swan, 53, from Ellesmere Port was crushed between a crane and the hold of a cargo ship at Seaforth Docks. His son, who also works at the dock, was working on the quayside next to the ship when the accident happened shortly before 6.30pm on Saturday evening. Jeffrey Swan was working 200 feet inside the hold of Jega, a Canadian registered cargo ship which regularly visits the Port of Liverpool. It is believed he was directing a crane that was unloading forestry material through the ship’s hatch. Mr Swan, who was one of the most experienced stevedores on the dock, was an agency worker for docking company Stanton Grove. A spokesman for the Port Police said: “The police can confirm that a dock worker met his death whilst in the process of unloading a vessel. The police are conducting an investigation on behalf of the coroner.” Two ambulances had attended the scene after a call at 6.21pm but they did not attempt to move Mr Swan. Stanton Grove managing director Alan Taylor said: “We fully believe that we had no part to play in this accident. “I am not yet in a position to fully comment as we have not yet conducted all the witness interviews.” A spokesman from Merseyside Docks and Harbour Board safety department said: “An officer from our department attended the scene on Saturday night. ” It was a very unfortunate accident. A full investigation is being held between the private company and the Health and Safety Executive.” Colin Carr, industrial organizer for the Transport and General Workers union, said: “This is only the second death at Liverpool in five years and that does not mirror the national picture, where there are larger numbers of fatal accidents. “We are, however, concerned that this happened inside the hold of the ship because traditionally this is the most dangerous area of the ship. “Forestry products often have to be maneuvered from smaller areas of the hold to under the ship’s oblong hatch so the cranes can reach them. “As a foreman I imagine he would have entered the hold to sort out a problem or answer a query.” Last year a truck driver was killed in a warehouse shed near Langton Dock in the Bootle dock complex.
Crane collapses in Jerusalem, wounds at least seven people
JERUSALEM – A crane collapsed at a construction site in an industrial area of Jerusalem on Wednesday, injuring at least seven people, rescue workers said. Paramedics said two people were in serious condition, while the others were moderately or lightly injured. The crane collapsed in the Talpiot neighborhood in southern Jerusalem. In May 2001, the floor of a banquet hall collapsed in Talpiot during a wedding, killing 24 people and wounding about 300.
Crane hits wires, knocks out power
By Journal Times staff, Aug. 31, 2002
RACINE — About 205 We Energies customers lost power Friday when a crane on a barge came into contact with power lines hanging over the Root River. The barge was near the State Street bridge when the top of the on-board crane touched the power lines. The crane stopped as police and emergency personnel arrived. Soon after, the crane operator simply moved his craft forward to escape the power lines. The power outage affected customers inside an area bounded by Five Mile Road, Highway 20, Douglas Avenue and Lake Michigan. The outage occurred because when something which is grounded comes into contact with power lines it redirects flow, said Megan McCarthy, spokeswoman for We Energies. The crane hit the wires at about 2:23 p.m. and We Energies crews had repaired related problems by 3:20 p.m., she said. Power was fully restored, McCarthy said.
Powerful wind pushes port crane off its rails
MOREHEAD CITY – Port officials this week used powerful hydraulic jacks to get the facility’s 900-ton container crane back on track after the mammoth machine was pushed off its rails by high winds early Monday. “The wind got it and shoved it down the track,” said Doug Campen, director of safety and security for the N.C. State Ports. “It ran through the stops and off the end.” The crane dug into the asphalt before coming to a stop. While the crane is back on track, it will need some minor repairs and an inspection before it can go back in service, Mr. Campen said. “If you looked at if from the street, you wouldn’t know anything was wrong with it,” Mr. Campen said. The crane has a 32-foot span between opposite legs, which makes it small for a modern container crane, many of which have a span of 50 feet. It has two special attachments, capable of lifting 17 and 21 tons, respectively. An eye-catching feature at the port, the crane was moved from the Morehead City facility to Wilmington port in 1979, creating a storm of controversy. Residents and business interests became so incensed at the loss that they founded the Morehead City Ports Committee in an effort to get the crane back. Originally, two container cranes had been purchased and one given to each port. Morehead City’s loss of the 40-ton capacity crane was seen as a blow to the development of business at the port, in part because at the time 70 percent of all international trade was containerized. The port in Morehead City was outfitted with this crane in January 2001. Before leaving Wilmington for its 90-mile journey to the port here, the crane was jacked up and loaded onto a 300- by 90-foot cargo barge. It was skidded off the barge and jacked down to the rails.
Worker hurt in Marysville
By John DeWeese, Herald Writer
MARYSVILLE — A lift overturned Wednesday afternoon during restoration work on the Marysville water tower, seriously injuring one worker as the basket he was in plummeted 30 feet to the ground. The worker, a 47-year-old Oregon man, was listed in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with head and other injuries, a nursing supervisor said. He was in intensive care Wednesday night. The tower, the tallest structure in downtown Marysville, is undergoing a $180,000 renovation. Witnesses said the lift was extended about 30 to 40 feet on the north side of the tower when it collapsed. The lift snapped two main power lines along Sixth Avenue and crashed down on a Ford Ranger truck. Power was cut to buildings in Comeford Park and nearby businesses and homes. The owner of the truck, Ernie Perrault of Marysville, said he was discussing a real estate deal at the John L. Scott Realty Building across the street when the accident occurred. He described hearing electric wires popping and a crunching of metal as the lift’s basket smashed into his truck. “At first I didn’t think anyone was in the basket,” Perrault said. A work team from Snohomish County PUD took two hours to restore power. Marysville spokesman Doug Buell said the mayor decided to close the park overnight and post city employees to keep the site clear. Police also closed Sixth Street between State Avenue and Delta Avenue. Investigators are not sure what caused the collapse, but the lift’s tire broke through a section of the sidewalk. Once the lift is removed, crews will assess if any water or sewer mains were damaged, Buell said. The lift operator worked for United Steel Erector, a Bellingham-based company subcontracting for Long Painting Co. City engineer Rob Nelson said the tower’s restoration began three weeks ago and had been running smoothly. A state inspector made a preliminary investigation, Buell said, but it was too early to determine the cause of the accident. “It’s hard to say at this point. There are a lot of parties involved,” Buell said. Ron Larson, who works for Ready Trucking in Redmond, said he delivered the 125-foot Genie S-125 lift to the Marysville site. The lift has a computer system that controls the basket’s movements and prevents operator error. In his opinion, it would be very unlikely that the lift could tip over unless it was placed on unstable ground. When the water tower was built in 1921, it was the primary source of water for the community. The tower has been unused for 26 years, but local historic societies donated most of the money to have it restored as a landmark, said Marysville chief administration officer Mary Swenson. Construction will continue as soon as a crane removes the fallen lift, Swenson added.
Overturned Crane Slows Traffic
Traffic was diverted downtown for a while Tuesday after a crane tipped over. The accident happened on Central Parkway near Hopple Street. The worker in the crane was trapped for a short time but got out with only minor injuries. It’s still undetermined what caused the accident.
Child killed by falling crane in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – A construction crane crashed to the ground in St. Petersburg on Monday, killing a 7-year-old child and injuring three other people, authorities said. The injured — two women and a 3-year-old child — were hospitalized, authorities said. Their conditions were not immediately available. The accident occurred in the Primorsky district far from the center of Russia’s former Imperial capital, officials from the city Civil Defense and Emergency Situations department said. The cause was being investigated and prosecutors said they were trying to determine whether criminal charges for safety violations were warranted.
Electric Worker Killed in Accident, Four others in crew hurt when boom hits line.
By RICK ROUSOS & JOHN CHAMBLISS, The Ledger
LAKELAND — A Lakeland Electric worker was electrocuted and four other linemen were injured Monday in an accident off Reynolds Road east of Lakeland. Marcus Moore, 31, of 5235 Paul Brown Road in Kathleen, was killed about 1:30 p.m. while working at Citrus Woods Mobile Home Park, 1610 Reynolds Road between lots 335 and 336. The four injured linemen were in good condition at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Monday night, a nursing supervisor said. They were listed by co-workers as Chris Anderson, Mark Harrison, Mike Sims and Guy Schatzman. The accident occurred while the men were using a boom, which utility officials describe as similar to a crane, to drive a utility pole into the ground to repair damage done by an earlier storm. A metal piece of equipment at the end of the boom hit a primary electric line, officials said. The line carried between 7,200 and 13,000 volts, said Keith Hulbert, the general manager of Lakeland Electric. The electricity traveled through the boom into the ground and shocked the workers. It was unclear where Moore was standing when he was shocked or if he was touching the boom, but the wet ground made the situation worse because it acted as a conductor, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers. The four Lakeland Electric employees who survived were standing on the ground near the pole when they were shocked, Rodgers said. Rodgers said a line never snapped or fell to the ground. About 50 workers and family members who crowded an LRMC waiting room Monday mourned Moore’s death as they waited for word on the four injured workers. Co-workers said Moore had a wife and a couple of young children. He was described by his supervisor, Gerald Holbrook, as a man’s man with a good heart. “He was a big, strong, powerful man, but he was real gentle,” Holbrook said. “He had a great sense of humor” and loved to hunt. Gilbert McKee, 43, a lineman who was shocked and burned while placing an insulator on a power line in 2000, said he used to playfully wrestle with Moore. “We were both big guys,” McKee said. “He was a big teddy bear.” McKee, who learned of Moore’s death through a co-worker, said Moore was about 6 feet tall and weighed about 270 pounds. McKee said he would miss his co-worker of at least 10 years. “We worked side by side,” McKee said. “We all look out for each other here.” Hulbert said the details of the accident are sketchy because the five-member crew was working alone. He said more should be known within the next few days. “Our hearts go out to the family members, friends and co-workers,” Hulbert said. “We’re going to do all we can to help them through this time of tragedy.” The past two years, Lakeland Electric received a first-place award for compiling an outstanding safety record from the Florida Municipal Electric Association.
Fatal accident at Wilson Bridge construction site
The Associated Press, WFLS News
(Oxon Hill, Maryland-AP) — A construction worker on the Wilson Bridge project is dead after a crane came into contact with live power lines. It happened around nine this morning on the Maryland side. Prince George’s County Fire and EMS spokesman Chauncey Bowers says the boom of the crane came down, touching the wires on the way. A 44-year-old man was electrocuted. Efforts to revive the man were unsuccessful. A witness says the victim was running toward the crane, and tried to get on it just as the boom struck the power lines. He says the man was blown from the crane face down. The bridge crosses over the Potomac River, connecting Virginia and Maryland.
Bent crane won’t slow UF stadium expansion
By David Jones, FLORIDA TODAY
GAINESVILLE — North-South Drive in front of Florida Field was closed Monday night when part of a crane being used for the $50 million stadium expansion bent. Work continued Tuesday on other parts of the project on the south portion of the expansion, which will increase seating from 83,000 to 90,000-plus in 2003. The crane was actually in the process of being removed from the site when its lifting mechanism bent. “It’s just one of those little bumps in the road,” said Florida associate athletic director Greg McGarity, who is overseeing the project. “Nobody was injured.” The timing, however, couldn’t have been better for the expansion. McGarity said if the crews were still using the crane, used largely to lift heavy steel, “We’d have problems, put it that way.” Overall, the expansion is on time and on budget. UF is currently preparing to get new lights correctly lined up before the Aug. 31 season opener against Alabama-Birmimgham, which isn’t vital because a backup portable lighting plan in place. Most of the concrete and steel should be in place within the next month. McGarity said the area around the stadium will be much cleaner this year and fans planning to attend the opener shouldn’t have any safety concerns. “We will have the same entry pathways that we had last year, as you enter the stadium from the west side,” McGarity said. “We’ll have the same lanes, it’s just going to be a lot neater because there’s a lot of concrete now in place whereas last year we had asphalt and had some dirt.” Fans at games this season will already get a partial view of what the west side will eventually look like, with most of the skeleton of the expansion already taking form. “Your heavy part, your steel and concrete, we’re really winding down,” McGarity said. “And they are the two largest segments of the project.” Electric work and plumbing and should continue through the current season. “The critical time is going to be the day after this (home) season is concluded, on Nov. 17,” McGarity said. “That’s when things really start to kick into gear.” On Nov. 17, workers will begin renovating the top two floors of the west side press box area. The bottom five floors will be completely demolished and rebuilt. Florida coach Ron Zook said of Monday’s crane incident, “I hope that’s the biggest problem we have.”
Worker is shocked by lightning; Hospitalized after crane is struck
HOBOKEN – A construction worker was hospitalized after being shocked by a bolt of lightning which struck a crane near him during a brief thundershower yesterday afternoon, said Police Capt. James Tuminaro. Eric Bomberry, 24, of Ontario, Canada, received the electrical shock at 1:42 p.m., on a construction site on Second Street between Sinatra Drive and River Street, Tuminaro said. Bomberry was standing on a flatbed truck, which was delivering steel girders to the site, when the crane beside the vehicle was struck by lightning, he said. At the time, Bomberry was holding a cable tied to a load of girders being raised by the crane, according to reports. The charge from the lightning bolt traveled from the top of the crane, down the cable, to the load of girders and into Bomberry’s hand, shocking him so violently he was knocked off the flatbed truck, Tuminaro said. Police and Emergency Medical Technicians arriving first at the scene said Bomberry was conscious and coherent when he was taken to the hospital. Jersey City Medical Center spokeswoman Sally Deering said Bomberry was admitted into the hospital for observations. The incident is under investigation by the Hoboken Detective Bureau, as are all industrial accidents, Tuminaro said. – Michaelangelo Conte
Freak accident fells construction laborer
By Michaelangelo Conte, Journal staff writer
HOBOKEN – A construction laborer working at the Shipyard Project is in critical condition after a freak accident yesterday, officials said. Calogero Messina, 57, of Bethlehem, Pa., an employee of MJP Construction in Leonardo, was injured at 10:10 a.m. while working on the fourth floor of 1200 Shipyard Lane, officials said. A witness said a crane had placed a load of a dozen steel scaffolding frames down on the building’s fourth floor, and that when Messina pulled the strap to untie them, the load shifted and the stack began to move toward him. The witness, who would not give his name, said Messina quickly stepped back to avoid the stack of frames. But his foot got stuck in a beam and he fell backward, said the witness, who is also an employee of MJP. “He fell backward slamming to the ground with all his weight and his head hit the floor making his hard-hat bounce 10-feet into the air,” said the worker, adding that Messina was conscious when EMTs took him away. Messina was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center. Yesterday evening, Medical Center Spokeswoman Sally Deering said he was listed there in critical condition, and was later moved to University Hospital in Newark. University Hospital Spokesman Rogers Ramsee said Messina remained in critical condition last night.
Worker killed at Detroit Lions new stadium
ALEXANDRA R. MOSES, Associated Press Writer
A painter at the Detroit Lions’ new stadium was killed Tuesday when a hydraulic lift he was on fell into the first tier of seats. Other details were not immediately released, but police Lt. Janice Butler confirmed the death of the worker at Ford Field. Brian Dye, another painter at the stadium, said the machinery tipped over and the basket the man was sitting in fell into the seats upside down. Construction was shut down for the day and was to resume Wednesday, said Tom Lewand, chief operating officer for the Lions. The 65,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open next month when the team plays host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an exhibition game. The Lions are returning downtown — from the Pontiac Silverdome — for the first time since 1974 at the new $315 million venue. Ford Field includes a giant glass wall, revealing the Detroit skyline, and the old Hudson’s warehouse, built in 1920. The Super Bowl is scheduled for the stadium in 2006. High winds caused a crane to collapse during construction of Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1999, killing three ironworkers. A 450-ton piece of roof dropped in that accident and caused $100 million in damage to the stadium. As a result, the park’s opening was delayed by a season.
Worker Topples Crane Near WTC Site
NEW YORK (AP) – A 35-ton crane fell over near the World Trade Center site on Sunday while the operator was drunk, police said. Crane operator Noel Brolly suffered a minor hand injury. No one else was injured, officers said. Brolly was using the 100-foot crane to load debris onto a truck at the World Financial Center, which was damaged by the Sept. 11 collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The crane toppled onto the West Side Highway and blocked two of its four lanes, but “traffic is pretty light in that area on Sunday morning,” said police Officer Jennara Everleth. Brolly, 38, was charged with reckless endangerment. In addition to being legally intoxicated, he didn’t secure the crane to its platform, which was his responsibility, Everleth said. A woman who answered the telephone at the home address for Brolly provided by police said she was unaware of the crane collapse and declined comment. A telephone call to the company that owns the crane, Atlantic-Heydt National, was not immediately returned.
Ship crashes into Baltimore dock, crane falls; Officials work to control fuel spill
By Associated Press
BALTIMORE – A bulk cargo ship crashed into a dock in the Port of Baltimore, knocking over a 162-foot-high crane and forcing state officials to scramble to control a fuel spill, officials said Saturday. The Maryland Port Administration crane, which will cost between $6 and $8 million to replace, was left a heap of twisted metal, said Jack Cahalan, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. It looks like a big dinosaur, resting on its side,” Cahalan said. No injuries were reported. The accident happened Friday night after the 653-foot ship had a failure in its propulsion system, Cahalan said. “We were lucky in the fact that that berth was not active last night,” Cahalan said. “Nor was there any cargo in the vicinity of the crane.” The 750-ton crane held about 450 gallons of diesel fuel, Cahalan said. About 370 gallons were recovered by early Saturday morning, said Mike Sharon, chief of the emergency response division at the Maryland Department of the Environment. Most of the fuel was taken straight out of the crane, and crews were able to absorb fuel that leaked on the ground, Sharon said. Sharon said he saw no evidence of any fuel spilling into the water, but a containment boom was floated near the wreckage as a precaution. The department will continue to monitor the area over several days. “It’s the first time we’ve dealt with a crane collapse down here,” Sharon said. Lt. Comdr. Mark Hammond, a senior investigation officer with the U.S. Coast Guard in Baltimore, said the ship’s crew was trying to moor the vessel when an apparent mechanical problem prohibited them from slowing down. The ship was fully loaded with lumber, enabling it to knock the crane down without traveling very fast, Hammond said. “We’re still piecing together a lot of facts of the case,” Hammond said. The ship appears to have hit the pier and the crane simultaneously, Hammond said. He also said the lower part of the bow struck the cement portion of the pier, breaching the hull. Divers were inspecting the ship Saturday. “There was evidence last night of some flooding,” Hammond said. The crane fell on land near the Dundalk Marine Terminal around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Crews responded within an hour and worked into early Saturday morning to recover fuel. Cahalan said the wreck will not have an impact on the daily operation of the port. But, he said, it will take days to remove the wreckage. “It is an unusual accident,” Cahalan said. The vessel is owned by Star Shipping Line and is of Norwegian registry, Cahalan said. The ship was coming from Brazil.
3 crushed to death as crane boom slips
By ChennaiOnline News Service
Nagapattinam, July 24: Three labourers were crushed to death and two others seriously injured when a portion of a crane slipped and fell on them while they were being lifted to the surface of a pier under construction in a oil jetty in the seashore of nearby Nagore today, police said. Three representatives of the work contractor, who were overseeing the construction at the site, had been arrested in connection with the mishap while two assistants of the crane operator were said to be absconding, they said. The injured had been rushed to the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, about 80 km from here, police said. The mishap occurred when the boom of the lifting portion of the crane slipped and fell on the victims while they were being lifted to the surface from the underneath the pier. (Agencies)
Toppled Crane Gets Lift at Last
Residents of two apartment buildings in Jamaica were allowed back into their homes last night after workers using a monster crane were able to stabilize one that tipped over Monday. Residents of the 174 apartments cheered when they were given the all-clear from city officials shortly before 7 p.m. yesterday. They were forced out of their homes behind State Supreme Court Monday night after a crane – weighing 130 tons – toppled onto the outside wall of the nine-story court building at 88-11 Sutphin Ave. Two people – the crane operator and a courthouse worker – were injured. As dozens of spectators watched, a crane weighing 625 tons lifted the fallen crane into the air at 5 p.m. A second crane, weighing about 150 tons, also was used to right the toppled one. It took workers at least four attempts at righting the fallen crane. The fourth try came after workers removed a section of the downed crane’s boom to reduce its weight. Frank McCarton, a spokesman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management, said the two six-story apartment buildings on 148th Street, facing the back of the courthouse, were closed after officials declared the crane unsafe Monday night. The courthouse, which has been undergoing renovations for the past year, was evacuated at the time of the 3 p.m. accident and was closed yesterday. Commissioner John Odermatt of the Office of Emergency Management said the courthouse would probably be reopened by 1 p.m. today. The apartment buildings were evacuated about 9 p.m. Monday, and at 2 a.m. yesterday the American Red Cross placed 51 residents in a shelter set up at nearby PS 82. Jose Monson, 40, a factory worker, said he spent the night outside. At 7 a.m. yesterday, he said he was allowed to return briefly to his apartment. “They only gave us 10 minutes to go in and change,” Monson said. “I had to miss work because of that.” Ashiqur Khan, 47, a taxi cab driver, said police ordered him, his wife and their two daughters to leave their apartment at 9:15 p.m. Monday. They chose to stay at a friend’s house. “The police didn’t tell us how long we’d have to be out,” he said yesterday. “It’s awful.”
CRANE TOPPLES
An outdoor concert in Winchcombe was nearly called off when a crane fell and smashed on to the stage. Tribute band the Bootleg Beatles were just hours from their performance at Sudeley Castle when the accident happened last night. A replacement stage was found and the concert went ahead.
Crane Topples Onto Courthouse
By Akiko Matsuda and Herbert Lowe, STAFF WRITERS
Two people were injured, one seriously, when a crane being used at a renovation project at a Queens courthouse collapsed and crashed into the side of the building, police said. The accident prompted the evacuation of the State Supreme Court building at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica, which has been under renovation for about a year. The crane operator and an employee of the Public Administrator’s Office on the sixth floor of the courthouse were injured and taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital. The operator was listed in critical but stable condition with head trauma, said Natasha Burke, a hospital spokeswoman. The courthouse employee, who was hit by glass from shattered windows, was alert and in stable condition, Burke said. Their names were not released. The accident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Callan said workers apparently did not know there was a catch basin under the foundation of the nine-story building that could not support the 150-foot-tall, 170-ton crane. “It sounded like a collapse,” said Robert Godosky, an attorney working on the fifth floor. “I was sure the crane tipped over.” Maria Marino, 54, of Elmhurst, was in the courthouse basement when the crane fell. “Everybody screamed and we went out, but nobody knew what happened.” A larger crane was brought to the site to lift the fallen one. David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the New York State Office of Court Administration, said the courthouse was closed after the accident and would remain closed this morning. He said the building might be opened this afternoon if it is declared safe. Bookstaver said jurors with notices to report for service today should not. But he stressed that all other courthouses in Queens will be open and jurors should report as usual.
Athens Olympic Village Worker Dies
By LISA ORKIN, Associated Press Writer
ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Olympic Village officials demanded that construction companies bolster safety measures or face legal consequences after a fourth worker was killed in an accident on the building site. About 1,500 workers at the village called a 48-hour strike after a 32-year-old Romanian man was killed on Monday after falling off a crane. He was the fourth construction worker to die on the site this year. There have been complaints that construction companies have not been taking adequate safety measures in their effort to make up for construction delays at the village, to house 17,300 athletes and Olympic officials. The Olympic Village is one of the few construction projects for the 2004 Games that is ahead of schedule, and has been showcased by organizers as an example of how Athens has made up for years of lost time. The government has been working overtime to make up for delays that threatened to derail the Olympics. Greece’s largest labor union, or GSEE, condemned what it described as the “indifference” to safety shown by contractors and said it was supporting the strike. “GSEE denounces this unacceptable situation that costs human lives, especially at a project that concerns the Olympic Games ( news – web sites),” the union said in a statement. Four Greek construction companies are building the village’s residential area and they been promised bonuses of more than $12,000 for every section that is completed ahead of schedule. A state-run company, Olympic Village 2004 AE, is overseeing the construction. Representatives for workers have repeatedly complained of poor conditions, including a lack of drinking water, toilets and a general lack of oversight by officials. Some workers have complained they have no contracts, overtime pay or benefits. In a letter to company inspectors on the building site, the general manager of Olympic Village 2004 AE said there was “insufficient” implementation of safety measures. “An investigation of the serious accidents until now have shown that beyond the human factor they are particularly due to … insufficient application of the required measures and safety regulations,” Constantinos Lazarides said in his letter. He added that efforts by contractors to prevent such accidents are “deemed inadequate,” and authorized company inspectors to take action — including lawsuits — to ensure safety measures are implemented.
Crane hydraulic fluid leaked into river
A leaky crane dumped between 40 and 60 gallons of hydraulic fluid into the Spokane River on Wednesday afternoon, the Washington State Emergency Management Division reported. The spill occurred at around 4:30 p.m from a crane at a construction site on East Trent Avenue, just east of downtown and south of the Gonzaga University campus. Booms were deployed in the river to clean up the fluid. Rob Harper, a representative with emergency management, said the spill was stabilized within a half hour. Traces of the fluid could still be seen floating in the water late Wednesday. The Department Ecology could not yet determine what damage the fluid may have caused, if any, Harper said.
Trucker escapes serious injury
A TRUCKER narrowly escaped horrific injury after his lorry was lifted off the ground by an enormous crane in a terrifying incident at Felixstowe port. The Evening Star can today reveal details of the incident during which the driver found his lorry lifted ten feet off the ground after a bolt on one of the twistlocks holding the container on to his trailer failed to work. The drama happened just as the High Court in London was hearing about a similar accident. As port chiefs heard they would be paying around #250,000 compensation to Derek Mayes, who suffered severe brain damage after his lorry was picked up and fell more than 20 feet, another driver was facing the same situation. In the latest incident it is understood that a bolt which had been undone sprang back into place, which meant that when the rubber-tyred gantry crane lifted the box, it lifted the whole lorry – cab and trailer. The driver was still inside the cab and could do little as his truck was hauled into the air, dangling with the cab facing toward the ground. As he feared it would plummet downwards and smack into the concrete quayside and leave him dead or with serious injuries, his predicament was spotted by workers who alerted the crane driver. The driver was able to gently lower the lorry back onto the quay, although it still smashed into another container, damaging it, and the weight left the trailer buckled and a write-off. Port police and a fire crew attended the scene, and also a port safety investigation officer, who is looking into the incident, which happened on Wednesday. It was the latest in a series of incident in which lorries have been lifted into the air, and in a number of cases drivers have suffered serious injuries. Brian Robinson, of Cavendish Park, Felixstowe, was awarded #87,829 after his lorry fell ten feet after being lifted by a crane. He suffered a fractured spine. He was left unable to work after the accident, which again was caused when twistlocks failed to undo correctly. Mr Mayes, now 65, of Stowmarket, almost died when his lorry was lifted into the air and he fell from a cab window as it slewed on its side. He suffered brain damage and needs constant care and support from his family. One lorry driver who spoke to the Evening Star said: “I have seen lorries lifted more than 30 feet in the air, hanging by their boxes. “You just don’t know what is inside those containers – it could be three tonnes or 30 tonnes – and whether you are going to come crashing down or not. There have been quite a few near misses. “I cannot understand why we cannot get out of our cabs like we do at Isle of Grain, Tilbury, Southampton and just about everywhere else.” Felixstowe port takes health and safety very seriously and has invested millions of pounds into safety systems and training. It says it has an excellent safety record for the number of accidents at the terminal, both minor and serious, for the type of working environment and size of the business. Port corporate affairs manager Paul Davey said internal investigations were held by safety staff into all incidents. Drivers were told to remain in their cabs during the loading and unloading operations on the quayside. “The unlocking of twistlocks is the responsibility of the lorry driver and this should be done at the gate,” he said. “They should then remain in the cab. We have discussed this matter at length with the Health and Safety Executive and that is felt to be the safest way of doing things – that is the consensus of opinion among all the expert professionals. “There would be greater danger for the drivers if they were to get out of their cabs as the drivers of the rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which are heavy pieces of machinery, have a restricted view and cannot see the far side of the wheels.” Other ports did operate different systems. The Isle of Grain has a remote-controlled crane system where vehicles wait in bays and drivers leave the cabs, and other ports also had different procedures.
UPDATE, Fine proposed in T-REX accident
Crane company will meet with OSHA to discuss citation
By Kevin Flynn, News Staff Writer
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday proposed a $5,000 fine stemming from a T-REX construction accident that injured three people. Absolute Crane of Erie was placing concrete barriers along the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 between Interstate 225 and the Quincy Avenue overpass the evening of April 3 when the crane tipped over. Two cars ran into the boom of the crane, and three people in the vehicles were injured. The owner of Absolute Crane will meet with OSHA representatives in two weeks to discuss the citation. The crane operator can contest the findings of accident investigators. The fine, if any, isn’t final until after the meeting. Scott Bonacci of Absolute Crane declined to discuss the position he will take but criticized OSHA’s release of the complaint before the meeting. “You shouldn’t put out a report until the report is final,” he said. Herb Gibson, OSHA’s area director in Denver, said the citation lists four alleged violations of procedures for operating the crane. Among the concerns were the deployment of outriggers, beams that extend horizontally from the vehicle, two to a side, to provide a stable footing when lifting heavy objects. The findings also claim that the 68-foot boom had been lowered nearly three degrees farther toward horizontal than called for in the manual and that the crane’s two front tires weren’t touching the ground while handling the concrete barriers.
UPDATE, Work stops to remember mates killed in steel fall
By MATHEW DEARNALEY
Workmates of two men crushed to death by tumbling steel at a big South Auckland mill on Tuesday will attend a memorial service on the site this morning. Pacific Steel’s rolling mill and despatch area remained shut yesterday and are unlikely to reopen before tomorrow, as an independent engineer continues an examination of a gantry crane under which the pair were working. The site’s 180 or so shift workers were consulted yesterday morning before the smelter part of its operation – in which scrap steel is recycled as billets before being turned into wire in the rolling mill – was restarted following the tragedy. All work will pause for this morning’s ceremony, organised by the management of the Fletcher Building site. Gareth Lloyd George, the 55-year-old co-owner of maintenance contracting firm Steelcraft Engineering, and his employee and workmate Raymond Rutherford Wilson, 56, were killed after a two-tonne bundle of steel fell from the electromagnetic crane. Mr George, a former Welsh coalmine fitter, worked at Pacific Steel for more than 18 years and had seven employees, including one of his three sons. Mr George and Mr Wilson were said to be good friends. Labour Department Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) inspectors have issued a prohibition order preventing use of the crane, which travels along rails below the roof of the mill’s despatch building, until they receive a report from the engineer. OSH Auckland regional manager John Forrest said it could take months to find out exactly what went wrong and to decide whether any legal action was called for. The chief executive of Fletcher Building’s building products group, Andrew Reding, said the smelter was fired up again yesterday only after a meeting with all shift workers on the site. “Let’s not underestimate how devastated everyone is,” he said. After a four-year effort to raise safety standards, everyone was left struggling to comprehend how the two subcontractors could have been killed. “Everyone is asking on the site: How the hell could this happen? Everyone is desperate to understand what happened.” Mr Reding said management representatives had visited the families of both men, and had made counsellors available for shocked workers.
Worker Injured In Mining Accident
Safety investigators are looking into what caused a mining accident that injured a 40-year-old worker Wednesday morning in Hartland, Mich. Donald Mate of Belleville, Mich., was injured while attempting to assemble a boom of a large dragline-type crane at the Hartland Sand and Gravel Co. mine on Pleasant Valley Road, according to Michigan State Police in Brighton. The boom reportedly shifted, and Mate became pinned between the boom and the machinery track. Mate was freed by co-workers and was treated by paramedics. He was airlifted by Med-Flight to St. Joseph Hospital in Ypsilanti. He reportedly suffered severe trauma to his chest, shoulder and leg areas. Federal Mining Safety investigators and the safety department of the Levy Corp. – the owner of the mine — are investigating.
Crane Operator Rescued From Falling Tree
A 60-year-old crane operation had to be rescued when a 4-ton tree fell on the cab of the machine he was operating. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue personnel used the jaws-of-life to cut the man out of the crane. A fire spokesman said the man was believed to have broken his foot and possibly a rib, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. The man was an employee of Carter Contracting of Jacksonville, and was using a crane to clear trees at Fifth Street and Lewis, where a warehouse is scheduled to be built. The man — a Middleburg resident whose name has not been released — was taken by air ambulance to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center.
Man shaken when old gas tank explodes
By DARYL FARNSWORTH, BEE STAFF WRITER
A crane operator accidentally punctured a gas tank on an old piece of equipment at Modesto Junk Co., causing an explosion and fire Thursday. Fuel from the punctured gas tank spread through a pile of metal rubble and burst into flame after the explosion, said Ron Holmes, a Modesto Fire Department battalion chief. Crane operator Jose Esparaza was shaken but didn’t appear to be seriously injured, Holmes said. Esparaza complained of ringing in his ears. He was taken to a Modesto hospital where he was treated and released. Employees said all equipment that has gas or propane tanks is supposed to be empty before they are dropped off, but occasionally a partially filled tank slips through.
Coroner’s inquest recommends more safety training for man-lift operators
SAINT JOHN, N.B. (CP) — A coroner’s inquest has recommended more safety training for man-lift operators, as well as improved sensors to help prevent deaths on the hydraulic lifts. The inquest in Saint John was looking into the death of Richard Johnston, 22, who died while working at the Irving Oil refinery two years ago. The Alberta man suffered fatal head injuries when he was thrown from the basket of the hydraulic man lift after the machine caught on a pipe. The inquest jury said late Monday there should be more training for man-lift operators. It also said there should be sensors on the basket of the man lift to help prevent them from colliding with objects in the air. During the hearings, a safety officer with the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, testified the incident resulted from the failure of the operator of the man lift to recognize what was happening and respond appropriately. The operator, who works on the ground, told the inquest he had received fewer than five minutes of hands-on training on the job site before he was given a certificate to run the machine. Dave Griessen, a spokesman for the provincial Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, said the recommendations will be taken seriously. But he cautioned that sensor technology can’t necessarily solve all safety problems. “We’ll talk to the manufacturers about that. It can be complex because you don’t want to create unsafe situations if you have automatic shutdown devices when such sensors go off,” he said.
Worker Killed by Falling Steel
Mon Jun 17, 5:34 PM ET
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) – Steel reinforcing rods weighing more than half a ton broke loose as they were being lifted by a crane Monday and rained down on construction workers, killing one, officials said. The dead man was identified as Richard Ellis, 40. A second man suffered a minor injury. The steel rods are known as rebar and are used to reinforce concrete.
Contractor files suit in fatal crane collapse
Tucker McCormack, Register Staff
MILFORD — A Missouri-based contractor filed a $23 million suit Tuesday claiming the owners of Milford Power Co. reneged on an obligation to provide insurance to shield the contractor from financial liability in a February 2000 construction collapse that killed two workers and seriously injured a third. Black & Veatch filed the lawsuit in Superior Court against Milford Power Co. LLC and Hartford Fire Insurance Co., alleging breach of contract and seeking to recover $23 million in labor and construction costs that have gone unpaid since the fatal accident. The action is a counterclaim filed in response to a lawsuit brought against Black & Veatch by the power plant operator, which claims it is entitled to millions in damages for the contractor’s delay in completing the 544-megawatt generating plant on time. The new plant is not yet operating. In 2000, the federal government cited Black & Veatch in a report on the accident, finding the “premature removal” of a temporary bracing caused a massive structure to collapse. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation against Black & Veatch was settled without the company making any admission of liability. According to a federal safety investigation, the steel building structure collapsed onto a crane, the bottom of which then struck two aerial lifts being used by workers. Kevin Winslow, 43, of Newington, and Wayne Most, 38, of West Hartford, were killed. A third worker, Robert Fitch, 62, of North Branford, was trapped inside a crane for eight hours and lost a leg. Fitch is suing Milford Power and Black & Veatch for negligence. In its counter suit, Black & Veatch claims the unforeseen impact of the building collapse on the project’s timetable, combined with the “unavailability” of the required number of skilled tradesmen, has delayed the completion of the project “beyond the control and without the fault” of the contractor. The filing of the counterclaim comes on the heels of a U.S. District Court decision this year to dismiss a federal lawsuit by Black & Veatch that claimed the company was wrongly denied insurance coverage by the power plant operator and its insurer. In that case, the federal court found a lack of jurisdiction over the contractor’s complaint. The court did order that a surety bond be substituted for a $23 million mechanic’s lien filed against Milford Power Co. to secure payment for materials and other services provided by Black & Veatch. The countersuit by Black & Veatch is the latest civil case to arise out of a maze of litigation stemming from the February 2000 collapse. The counter suit will be consolidated, with other cases resulting from the power plant accident, in Superior Court in Rockville, where the complex litigation is handled, said Louis R. Pepe, a Hartford attorney representing Black & Veatch. The countersuit claims Black & Veatch suffered substantial financial harm, and that Milford Power misrepresented that it had obtained proper insurance indemnifying the contractor from wrongful death and other claims.
UPDATE, COMPANY FINED AFTER DEATH OF SITE WORKER
An engineering firm has been fined £30,000 after one of its workers was crushed to death on a Devon demolition site. Thomas Henderson, 46, was working for McLean and Gibson (Engineers) Ltd when he died in July 2000 at the St Regis paper mill site near Silverton, Devon, Exeter Crown Court was told. Mr Henderson died at the scene from chest injuries and a fractured skull when a barrel containing nuts and bolts which was being hoisted by a mobile crane, fell on him as he stood inside the container into which it was being loaded. The company, of Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland, appeared in court for sentence after pleading guilty at Cullompton Magistrates’ Court on April 15 to a breach of Health and Safety rules. The firm, whose managing director, William Greig, was in court, was also ordered to pay costs of £3,960. The court was told by Simon Laws, prosecuting for the HSE, that the firm was contracted to dismantle St Regis mill. The court was told the death of Mr Henderson, from the Glenrothes area, on July 31, was the result of inadequate procedures, which had been improved since the accident.
Storm topples cranes in Bulgarian sea port
SOFIA, Bulgaria – A rain storm swept through Bulgaria’s largest sea port on Saturday, toppling two pillar cranes and several cargo containers but causing no injuries, an official said. “The wind gusted at some 180 kilometers (110 miles) per hour,” said Mitko Georgiev, the civil defense chief at the Black Sea port of Varna, 469 kilometers (296 miles) northeast of Sofia. Authorities did not immediately give an estimate for damage in the region.
UPDATE, Man killed at job site is named
by Patti Lewis
The victim of a fatal crane accident at the Wal-Mart Super Center building site has been identified as Randall Alan Marry, 45, of Phoenix, Nogales Police Capt. William Ybarra said. As reported by the Nogales International on Tuesday, Marry was working on a crane last Friday morning when it fell and crushed him. Summit Builders is the general contractor for the project, but Marry was employed by Statewide Erectors, said Jeff Stone, Chief Executive Officer of Summit Builders. “As a company and personally, I feel terrible for the family and about the accident,” Stone said. “We’ve been in business for quite a number of years, and nothing like this has ever happened,” Stone said. Summit Builders, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is conducting an investigation into the accident, Stone said. “The incident is under investigation, and I cannot comment at this time,” Mark Norton, Tucson Office Supervisor for OSHA, said. Shirley Veatch, office manager for Statewide Erectors, said she could not comment.
Man crushed at Wal-Mart
By Kathleen Vandervoet
A 45-year-old man was crushed to death Friday morning at the construction site of the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Nogales. The man, whose name was not available on Friday, was an employee of Statewide Erectors, Inc., Nogales Fire Chief Dennis Van Auken said. Police Chief John Kissinger said information showed the man, who was a crane operator, was a Phoenix resident. Van Auken said workers were in the process of disassembling the crane when the boom fell and crushed the man. Van Auken said the man was pronounced dead at the scene when responders were unable to detect any pulse. Medical support for such decisions is provided through radio contact with University Medical Center in Tucson, Van Auken said. He said the fire department received the emergency call at 8:27 a.m. and responded with both medical units, Engine 1, Ladder 1, a battalion chief and himself. Construction began in early March on the 26-acre site of the $10.2 million Wal-Mart on Grand Avenue south of Mariposa Road.
Overturned Truck Slows South Bay Commute
Joe Belden
There was no joy Tuesday night for commuters heading home to Blossom Valley on Highway 85 in San Jose. The Santa Teresa southbound off-ramp was scheduled to be closed until Wednesday morning after a construction crane crashed into the scaffolding overhead. Investigators say the crane operator made a critical mistake. “He had just unloaded some of his material, and failed to lower the boom into the bed of his vehicle,” said San Jose Fire Capt. Mark Mooney. “So that boom was up. This is operator error.” The truck rolled over after a steel beam hit it. The driver was rescued with only minor scrapes and cuts. The ramp will reopen after structural engineers check it for safety.
$1 million awarded to man injured on construction job
By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON, Advocate staff writer
A jury late Thursday awarded about $1 million to a man whose heel was crushed and back was fractured in a construction accident. Jurors in state District Court in Baton Rouge assigned a crane company 38 percent of the fault in the accident. The remaining liability was attributed to a construction company that settled out of court before the trial began. Louis Chapman, 39, filed a products liability lawsuit against Koehring Cranes after he was injured while working on top of a building at 2250 Florida Blvd. on May 16, 1996. Chapman claimed a design defect caused the boom of the crane to drop while he was underneath it. He jumped 25 feet to a concrete slab to avoid being hit by the boom, landing on and crushing his left heel, said his attorney, Kevin Monahan. Koehring Cranes, which manufactured the 1970 crane, pointed out that Chapman wasn’t wearing a safety harness to guard against a fall. The company also said the crane operator could’ve stopped the boom by engaging the correct buttons. Koehring claimed the construction company that owned the crane failed to maintain it. One expert testified that corrosion contributed to the accident. Monahan said there had been previous problems with the bolt system on that particular model crane. The product safety engineer for the crane company claimed he had no prior knowledge of a bolt breaking, Monahan said. Attorneys for Koehring couldn’t be reached for comment Friday. The jury reached the verdict after a two-week trial in state District Judge Tim Kelley’s court.
UPDATE, Worker crushed after crane hits cable holding steel frame
By Mark Arner, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER, May 15, 2002
A 31-year-old man working on the San Diego Trolley extension was killed yesterday when a crane accident led to the collapse of an 80-foot column being built to support a bridge, authorities said. The 12:12 p.m. accident west of Waring Road apparently happened when part of the crane struck a cable that was holding up the steel frame for the bridge support, police said. The impact snapped the cable, causing the steel frame to collapse. Three construction workers were on the bridge support at the time, authorities said. Two jumped from the frame when they saw what happened. They suffered minor cuts and bruises. Rosendo Luna of San Diego was unable to escape the falling steel and was crushed, the county Medical Examiner ‘s office said. The crane operator was not identified. A construction foreman said that yesterday was the crane operator’s first day on the job. The foreman, who declined to be identified, said he was giving hand signals to the crane operator, but that the operator appeared to be looking up at the time. “He wasn’t taking my signals,” the foreman said. “He was looking up in the air and revving it up to full throttle.” The accident is being investigated by Cal-OSHA, but investigators with that agency declined to comment yesterday. The fatal accident halted construction on the project for at least a day, authorities said. The delay, however, could be extended, said Nancy Irwin, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, which oversees trolley planning and operations. The project design and construction management company is Washington Infrastructure Services Inc. Modern Continental is the project’s primary contractor, and the company’s name was printed on the crane involved in the accident. Pacific Coast Steel Inc. is the subcontractor building the framing for the bridge support, Irwin said. Representatives from the companies referred questions to Irwin. “Everyone at MTDB offers its condolences to the family of the victim,” she said. The accident happened near the site of a future Grantville trolley station, north of Interstate 8, between San Diego State University and Qualcomm Stadium. The construction is part of the 5.9-mile Mission Valley East trolley extension, which will run from Qualcomm Stadium through SDSU and connect with the trolley system’s Orange Line in La Mesa . The project is on schedule and set for completion in December 2004. The $431 million project is funded primarily with federal gasoline taxesand various state and local taxes. The 45-mile trolley system was most recently expanded in 1997 with the opening of a $220 million, six-mile segment from Old Town to just east of Qualcomm Stadium.
UPDATE, OSHA issues citation in death of construction worker
By: CLIFF DESPRES, Staff writer
A Dallas-based construction company plans to contest a citation issued recently by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for a safety violation in the death of a construction worker at the site of Lewisville ‘s new city hall two months ago. The $2,500 citation was handed down April 15 after OSHA officials investigated the death of 27-year-old Brian Keith Cummings of Howe , Texas , who was struck by a swinging crane March 14 and pinned between a large auger bit and a heavy counterweight on the back side of the crane. “No barricade was put up around the swing radius of the crane to prevent employees from being struck by the counterweight and superstructure of the crane,” according to the citation document. “(That area) shall be barricaded in such a manner as to prevent an employee from being struck or crushed by the crane.” The citation was issued to N.L. Schutte Drilling Inc., the company Cummings worked for. N.L. Schutte was subcontracted by Commercial Structures & Interiors Inc. – the city hall project’s general contractor – to do the foundation work for the structure at 151 W. Church St. Clayton Stephens, vice president of N.L. Schutte, said the penalty will be fought. “It will be contested,” he said. Stephens declined to comment on how the company would defend against the alleged violation.”What my grounds are for contesting; that I won’t reveal until I go before OSHA,” he said. “It is a serious violation and it will affect us tremendously.” OSHA conducts an investigation whenever a construction worker is killed on a site. In March, Cummings was cleaning the auger bit when he was struck by a crane being operated by his uncle, according to the citation document. He was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas where he underwent surgery, but died about five hours after the incident due to severe crushing injuries. Randy Sadler, one of Cummings’ supervisors at N.L. Schutte, was saddened by Cummings’ death. “He was never not smiling,” said Sadler after the incident. “Everyone who knew him fell in love with him, and he was one of our hardest workers. “Stephens said that, despite any citations, losing Cummings was difficult for everybody. “I knew Keith and I knew his uncle for quite a while,” he said. “It’s like losing a family member in a car wreck. It’s hard to deal with. We lost part of our family.” Stephens said N.L. Schutte has currently completed its work on the new city hall, but will return later to complete another phase of work. The new $9.69 million, 62,000 square-foot facility will replace the existing City Hall at 1197 W. Main St. Donna Huerta, communications manager for Lewisville, said the construction schedule has been slightly delayed because of inclement whether, but the project will make up any lost construction time in the summer months. She said the structure will likely be completed in May 2003.
£5 device would have saved welder’s life
David Martin, 49, a welder employed by Service Welding Ltd, died in an accident in December 2000 that was entirely preventable. Mr Martin, working at the company’s premises in Wallsend, sustained fatal crush injuries when a heavy steel plate being moved by overhead crane fell on him. The load slipped from the crane hook because a catch that would have prevented it doing so had fallen off some months earlier and had not been replaced. The company’s insurers had drawn attention to the matter of the missing devices but there was a failure to act on the advice. Prosecuting HSE official Alec Burns told the court: “The hooks when supplied to the company in 1997 had safety latches on them. They had come off. They are easy to replace and cheap, and had those latches been on, the chain would not have come off.” Newcastle Crown Court fined Service Welding Limited, who admitted the offence, £25,000 for failing to meet the minimum requirements of health and safety legislation in the circumstances of Mr Martin’s death. The company is now no longer trading. A Martin family statement read: “This was a tremendous loss to our family and friends, a bereavement which we will never get over or be able to come terms with. No amount of money will ever bring Dave back, but lessons should be learned and a clear signal sent to employers.” Judge Whitburn acknowledged that the company had heeded safety in the past but concluded: “Had safety latches been fitted then this accident with all its tragic consequence for Mr Martin and his family would have been avoided and all for just £5.” Legal representative for the company expressed their regret on its behalf, telling the court it was “deeply, deeply sorry.”