Crane Accidents #4
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
UPDATE, A frustrating recovery
By DEBORAH M. MARKO Staff Writer
WOODSTOWN — Four weeks have passed since a rusted steel I-beam pinned construction worker Jim Collins inside his excavator at a Main Road/Chestnut Avenue work site. While Collins doesn’t recall much about the freak accident that nearly cost him five fingers, he’ll never forget the yellow-jacketed firefighters who scrambled to his aid. The weeks have sped by in a swirl of surgeries, rehabilitation and doctor consultations since a makeshift platoon of 60 rescuers pried Collins free from the cab. The active 27-year-old isn’t taking convalescence well. His mindset vacillates between thankfulness at retaining his hand to frustration at not being able to use it fully. “I’m pretty bull-headed,” he said, grinning when his girlfriend, Caryl Doble, doesn’t disagree. “I want to regain full use of it.” At his Woodstown home, Collins showed off his medical miracle — pieced together with surgical pins, stitches and scar tissue. “I can’t feel my fingers,” he said, gently tapping the fingertips extending beyond a Velcro cat. Collins can move his index finger and thumb despite frayed nerves and severed tendons, but he can’t force them into a pinch. Each day, Collins chalks up another achievement, like wrestling a sock onto his foot. A lefty, Collins now writes using his right hand, estimating his penmanship could pass for a fourth-grader’s. He hasn’t mastered the dual controls of his PlayStation 2, but he’s great on the television remote control. “It’s a guy thing,” Doble jokes. Collins puts up a brave front despite his physical wounds. He also carries emotional scars that make it difficult to sleep. He doesn’t see the accident in his dreams — he hears it. “I’m know I’m lucky,” Collins said. “But I would have rather won the lottery.” Collins tried to reach his cell phone when he realized he was trapped — but couldn’t. There was nothing to do but wave and yell to the steady stream of rush hour traffic on Main Road, including a school bus full of youngsters “They hollered and waved back,” he said. But one woman noticed Collins’ distress. “She made a U-turn and pulled in,” Collins said, also remembering an off-duty police officer who called 911. The female Samaritan asked what Collins needed and ran across the street to get him a drink. Rescuers who hooked Collins up to a morphine drip promptly confiscated the bottled water, anticipating pending surgery. Collins didn’t realize his dire straits until a rescue front-end loader arrived with a police escort. “I thought, ‘This isn’t good,'” he said. Collins wanted someone to call his girlfriend. He thought she might suspect he was AWOL with the guys. He wanted her to know he had a very good reason for being late. Doble wouldn’t learn his fate until Collins was on a helicopter headed to Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden. She raced there, but Collins was in surgery when she arrived. Though doctors warned her Collins could lose his hand, the prognosis brightened after four-surgeries. The Samaritan visited the hospital to check his condition, but Collins said he was too medicated to thank her and hopes she gets the message. Now it’s up to Doble to keep track of Collins’ appointments. Appointment cards cram his wallet like a set of medical trading cards. “I don’t know what I would do without her,” he said. He may never have to know. The couple had been planning a quiet holiday wedding. In fact, Doble was looking at wedding bands the day before the accident. A ring isn’t going to fit on Collins’ finger at the moment, so they’re going to wait. “I’m just glad he’s alive,” Doble said. Collins teases his commitment is just as strong. He jokes that his near-severed fingers were a romantic gesture, in the same vein as the artist who gave his ear for love. “She didn’t like my Van Gogh,” said Collins with a shrug.
UPDATE, Firm could be fined for death of Gardners man
William Lowery Jr. died Monday in a construction accident in Lancaster County.
By BRETT LOVELACE
A state official said Tuesday a Cumberland County steel fabrication company could be fined $70,000 for possible safety violations that might have contributed to Monday’s death of a construction worker at Warwick High School in Lancaster County. Inspectors for the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday visited the Lititz construction site where the 22-year-old worker from Gardners was fatally injured when he was struck on the head by a 30-foot, 900-pound steel beam. Inspectors interviewed witnesses and reviewed safety measures used by Landis Inc., of Mount Holly Springs, according to Bob Fink, who supervises OSHA’s Harrisburg field office. “Landis (Inc.) has a history of safety-related violations,” Fink said. “They’ve been fined before.” William Lowery Jr. was pronounced dead at Lancaster General Hospital shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday. His company is helping to build a new addition at the high school. Initial reports indicated Lowery was standing on a steel girder about 20 feet above the ground when the beam struck him. It was later determined Lowery was on the ground when a crane harness carrying the beam malfunctioned. The beam fell and struck Lowery. An autopsy Tuesday determined Lowery died from massive head trauma, according to Dr. Barry Walp, Lancaster County coroner. Lowery’s wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to the couple’s first child in October. A woman who answered the phone at the Lowery home Tuesday said the family had no comment. Fink said Lowery is not the first Landis Inc. employee to die in an accident at a construction site. In January 1997, a worker was killed at a construction site in Middletown, Dauphin County. The man fell 26 feet onto a concrete floor after losing his balance while carrying steel products across a steel beam, Fink said. OSHA fined Landis Inc. $14,000 for not providing proper fall protection at the construction site, Fink said. “The fine amount was based on the fact that Landis had already been cited for safety violations within three years of the fatal accident,” Fink said. “If a third violation is found this time, the fine could reach $70,000.” Fink said OSHA’s investigation should be completed in about two months. Landis Inc. officials did not return a phone message left Tuesday at their Mount Holly Springs office. Since 1990, OSHA has conducted nine inspections at the company’s steel fabrication shop in Mount Holly Springs and at various construction sites where the company had jobs. “A wide variety of safety violations were discovered during several of the inspections,” Fink said. “Some violations were corrected, but others were not.” Warwick superintendent Stephen A. Iovino said Lobar Inc. of Dillsburg is the general contractor for the $29.3 million addition to the high school. The general contractor is responsible for choosing subcontractors, such as Landis Inc. “Lobar has used Landis Inc. on a number of school building projects, including Cedar Cliff and Northern York,” Iovino said. “They’ve never had any problems with accidents.” Construction of a new auditorium, science classrooms, district administrative offices, guidance offices and a health room and the redesign of the existing auditorium into classrooms is expected to be completed in February.
Spanish sailors killed in dock accident
Two Spanish sailors were killed when fierce winds toppled a crane which then knocked them off a gang-plank and into a dry dock, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. The sailors were working on the aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias in the southern Spanish port of Cadiz where gales reached 80 kilometres an hour. “Due to the strong winds a crane hit the gang-plank (where they were standing) and they fell onto the dock,” the spokesman said. On Wednesday cranes at construction sites in two Spanish cities fell over during high winds. Three people including a pregnant woman were killed when a 25-metre crane crashed through the roof of an apartment block.
Crane accidents kill three in Spain
MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Cranes toppled over in two Spanish cities on Wednesday, killing three people including a pregnant woman on a day of high winds and heavy rain. In the first accident, the pregnant woman was killed when a 25-metre (80-foot) crane smashed through the roof of a five-storey apartment block in the town of Santurce, near the Basque city Bilbao. “I thought it was a bomb, of course. I didn’t think it could be anything else,” a woman who lives nearby told state television. Police said the cause of the accident was unknown. Later in La Coruna in the northwest corner of Spain, two women were killed in a similar incident, possibly due to fierce winds, a spokesman for the municipal government said. He gave no further details.
UPDATE, Workers Trying To Recover Submerged Crane, No One Injured In Crane Mishap
November 12, 2002
KITTERY, Maine — The construction company Cianbro says it’s mobilizing equipment to salvage the upper section of a crane that toppled into the Piscataqua River near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. No one was injured in Sunday’s accident, which is being blamed on a failure in a floating crane used to carry the 117-ton crane section onto a barge. Cianbro says it’s trying to determine what caused the largest barge-mounted crane in Maine to fail. The accident punctured the floating crane’s fuel tank, spilling up to 175 gallons of diesel into the river. Oil containment booms were placed in the area.
School Construction Worker Killed By Falling Beam, Beam Slips Out Of Harness
November 12, 2002
LANCASTER, Pa. — A 900-pound steel beam crushed a construction worker at Warwick High School in Lancaster County Monday. William Lowery, 22, of Gardeners, Adams County, was killed when the 30-foot beam slipped out of its harness as it was being lifted, according to News 8. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. The accident happened in an area where no students or faculty are allowed.
Crane section topples into river near shipyard
Monday, November 11, 2002
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — The upper section of a large crane that was being dismantled for salvage toppled into the Piscataqua River on Sunday near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. No one was injured in the 4:30 p.m. accident, which occurred as a floating crane operated by Cianbro Corp. was being used to load the salvaged section onto a barge for transit, said Alan Robinson, a spokesman for the shipyard. It was not immediately clear what caused the operating crane to malfunction. The accident punctured the crane’s fuel tank, spilling up to 175 gallons of diesel fuel into the river. A containment boom was set out in an attempt to recover the spillage. Officials said the submerged salvage crane’s upper section did not pose a hazard to navigation.
Crews to pluck crane from lake
By KEITH KINNAIRD
SANDPOINT – People call on crane contractor Charlie Kramer when they need boats or equipment plucked from North Idaho’s lakes and rivers. But Kramer had to call on himself last week when his barge-mounted crawler crane capsized on Lake Pend Oreille at Lakeview. A crew from CE Kramer Crane & Contracting was working on Bonner County Waterways project to replace public docks on Thursday. When the crew returned on Friday, the crane was submerged in about 35 feet of water and the barge it had been sitting on was capsized. It remains unclear what caused the barge to tip over, though Kramer suspects a section of the barge broke and took on water, dumping the crane into the water. A dive team recovered a portable welder and some tools that were also on the barge, but the crane remains submerged. Kramer hopes to retrieve it sometime this week using another crane and a large winch cat. “It may be fixable, but we’ll have to see when we get it out,” Kramer said Thursday. A hazardous materials team set up a containment bo om to confine fuel from the welder and crane, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Howard, director of Bonner County Emergency Services. “There’s not much as far as volume. We’re just trying to contain what’s there,” he said. Crews estimated the crane’s fuel tank had about 10 gallons of fuel in it, Howard said. The sealed tank was almost empty, according to Kramer. The portable welder also had fuel in it. Crews were working on a $127,600 project funded through an Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation grant. The projects involves replacing a floating dock and installing a breakwater. The crane’s boom damaged part of the floating dock, but Bonner County Public Works Director Tim Elsea said Kramer’s insurance will cover the damage.
Luffing crane boom crash, workers safe
Adrian David
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7: Several workers miraculously escaped unhurt when the boom of a luffing crane undertaking the construction of the Taipan Star commercial-cum-service apartments in Jalan P. Ramlee collapsed, today. The building, which is just behind Shangri-la Hotel and the Kuala Lumpur Tower, will have a 25-storey block of 48 service apartments, an 18-storey commercial office block, basement mechanical carparks, a swimming pool and a recreation centre when complete. Several workers, who declined to be identified, said that the boom appeared to have sustained metal fatigue as it crumbled under the load of its construction material from the 17th floor to the 11th floor, at about 9am. Police sealed off the road junctions between Jalan Sultan Ismail-Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan P.Ramlee-Jalan Tengah-Jalan Menara KL as a precautionary measure. The crane sits on the 17th storey of the building under construction and the boom snapped as it crashed onto the 11th floor, leaving part of the boom dangling at about 50m high. The project is undertaken by Sin Heap Lee Construction and managed by Integrated Management Corporation Sdn Bhd for Taipan Star Sdn Bhd. Work on the project was stopped temporarily to facilitate investigations by the project undertaker and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health.
Crane Crashes Onto Police Building; Officials Report Building Damage, No Injuries
November 6, 2002
CARROLTON, Texas — A crane tipped over and crashed onto the roof of the Carrolton Police Department building Wednesday. Department officials said that no one was hurt, but the building was damaged. However, there was no immediate repair estimate. Air-conditioning repair crews had been using the crane for repairs to the department’s cooling system when the accident happened, officials said. Investigators with the city’s risk management team were looking into the cause of the accident, officials said. According to the department, the crane, which was operated by Irving-based Crocker Crane, tipped onto the building at about 10 a.m.
Crane Accident Traps Operator In Cab
Nov. 5 — A crane operator escaped serious injury in a freak accident on the Peninsula this morning when a construction crane overturned. It happened in Foster City, at the intersection of Foster City boulevard and Hillsdale Boulevard. The Foster City fire department hasn’t determined how a 100-foot construction crane overturned. The crane operator was taken to the hospital suffering from cuts and back pain. He was trapped inside the cab for about 40 minutes.
Three workers die as crane falls on drydocks
Dubai | By Sunita Menon and Mona Al Khanjare | 04/11/2002
Three workers died yesterday when the boom crane they were working on at Dubai Drydocks fell into the empty dock. A Dubai Police official said: “The crane was moving the workers from one place to another when it fell. Two of them came down with it and died, while one lost his balance and fell to his death from the crane. Police are investigating the cause.” “Two Indians and one Pakistani were the victims. They are a 53-year-old Indian, a 30-year-old Pakistani and a 39-year-old Indian,” he said. Indian Consulate officials said that they are yet to get permission to go to the drydocks.
Accident Injures Road Worker; Tractor-Trailer Reportedly Skims Equipment
November 4, 2002
ROSEVILLE, Mich.– A Macomb County road worker was seriously injured after an accident in Roseville Monday morning. The 37-year-old worker was working on a traffic light at Little Mack and Masonic. He was extended on a crane when it was hit by a tractor-trailer heading south on Little Mack, which skimmed the bucket and knocked him out of it, according to Roseville police. The worker reportedly was strapped to the equipment and did not suffer life-threatening injuries. He was taken to Mount Clemens General Hospital. Police said that the road commission did not ask them for assistance in conducting traffic in the area. No other injuries were reported. Local 4 reported that traffic is being detoured around the intersection and drivers should avoid the area if possible. Stay with ClickOnDetroit.com and Local First News for the latest developments.
UPDATE, Watervliet company cited by Labor Department
Watervliet steel products manufacturer ALTX Inc. has been cited by the U.S. Labor Department for allegedly exposing employees to potential falls, crushing accidents, electrocution hazards and unguarded machinery. The citation follows a crane accident in August in which an employee was killed. As part of the citation, the Labor Department proposed a $71,000 fine. ALTX has 15 business days to respond. Officials with ALTX did not return two phone calls for comment. The company can either show they have complied and pay the fine, try to set up a conference with OSHA officials that could result in a settlement with a lower fine, or inform the Labor Department that it is contesting the citation, which would start a litigation process. Until there is a settlement the fine is not final. Alleged violations include oil or hydraulic fluid on floors and crane bridges at the plant at 201 Spring St. in Watervliet. Other violations include improperly guarded floor openings, failure to keep aisles leading to exits clean and a lack of eyewash stations where corrosive materials were used, according to the Labor Department.
UPDATE, Pinned by steel beam, construction worker weathers traumatic injury
By DEBORAH M. MARKO Staff Writer
VINELAND — James Collins, a construction worker pinned in his backhoe by a steel beam, is recovering after leaving Cooper Hospital University Medical Center Wednesday. Collins, 27, of Woodstown spent four days at the Camden trauma center after more than 60 area rescuers worked more than two hours to free him Friday, Oct. 18. Hospital officials would not release details of his condition and he could not be reached by phone. The city Fire Department contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding the incident, according to a supplemental police report. Collins was working for Monarch Environmental Inc. of Woodstown. The firm is charged with razing the former Coastal gas station to make way for a new CVS and Commerce Bank on Chestnut Avenue and Main Road. Robert Shrader, the company owner, told police Collins was only supposed to fill the holes where the fuel tanks once were and clear away the metal flashing. Shrader told police Collins was not supposed to demolish the gas station canopy, which led to the steel I beam trapping him inside the front-end loader.
Falling crane kills worker
PETALING JAYA: A construction worker was killed when a crane collapse on him as he was tying iron rods to its hook, in Damansara on Monday. Lim Meng Kion, 43, from Labu in Negri Sembilan, suffered severe head injuries during the 5pm mishap. His colleagues escaped unhurt. Police do not suspect foul play. Lim’s remains were sent to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre for a post mortem. In another incident, police detained a motorcyclist who attacked a policeman at a roadblock near the Selayang wholesale market on Monday. The 39-year-old suspected drug addict, who was riding a stolen motorcycle, became aggressive and took out a stick to attack the policeman when he was flagged down at the roadblock. The policeman suffered facial injuries and received out-patient treatment. Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Ayob Mohamed said police recovered a knife from the suspect who had 13 previous convictions.
Bridge closed after crane collapses
Canadian Press
MARGAREE HARBOUR, N.S. (CP) – A bridge on Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail was closed to traffic Wednesday after a construction accident. The Transportation Department said a crane collapsed and the boom fell on the Margaree Harbour Bridge. The crane operator got out safely and no one was hurt. Fletcher Laurence, who runs a nearby general store, said there were several motorists in the area at the time, but they avoided injury. He said the bridge is now sagging. Traffic was detoured and there was no word on how long it would take to repair the damage. The crane was being used to build a new bridge over the Margaree River.
UPDATE, Injured worker stable after rescue from fallen debris
From Press staff reports
VINELAND – A 29-year-old contractor remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday after being pinned in the cab of his front-end loader by a fallen steel beam three days earlier, officials said. James Collins, of Woodstown, was working Friday at the site of the former Coastal Gas Station at Main Road and Chestnut Avenue, which is being demolished to make way for a new CVS Pharmacy and Commerce Bank. Collins was manning his front-end loader when, shortly after 4 p.m., a steel I-beam fell from the old service station, crashed through his windshield and pinned his hand to the wall of the cab, police said. Rescue workers spent the next two hours removing the beam and pulling Collins from the vehicle. He then was airlifted to Cooper Health System in Camden, where he was listed in stable condition Monday, according to a nursing supervisor. Collins’ employer, Woodstown-based Monarch Environmental owner Robert Shrader, told police Collins was supposed to be filling holes at the site where fuel tanks had been removed, and not demolishing the gas station canopy – which caused the beam to fall.
Rescuers free trapped worker, Foreman stable after two-hour extrication
By DEBORAH M. MARKO
VINELAND — Monarch Environmental foreman Jim Collins was less than 15 minutes from quitting time Friday when a plummeting steel beam slammed through his backhoe’s windshield, pinning him to his seat. For more than two hours, about 60 area rescuers executed a meticulous plan to free Collins, whose hand was pinned between the rusted beam and the cab’s door. He was listed in stable condition Friday at Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden. Collins spent the past week dismantling the former Coastal gas station on Main Road and Chestnut Avenue, which is making way for a new CVS and Commerce Bank. The Woodstown resident was working on the gas pump canopy at 4:15 p.m. when the T-shaped beam crashed down. He remained conscious and alert, wanting to know what was going on around him, said Al Lincks, chief of the city’s Emergency Medical Service. Despite his injury, Collins tried to free himself before help arrived but the beam’s weight made it impossible for him to shift the control stick, Lincks said. It wasn’t long before rescuers flocked to the scene. Brian Dunn of the city’s Public Works Department was leaving a road paving project when he saw the commotion. He raced the city’s front-end loader down Main Road to clear debris at the site. “I got a police escort,” he said. But before rescuers could free Collins, they had to stabilize the beam, said Acting Fire Chief Pete Finley. They wanted to avoid further injury to Collins while not jeopardizing the safety of rescue crews. “I’m not dead,” 27-year-old Collins shouted to onlookers circling the rescue site’s perimeter. Moments later, he could be seen waving over helmets of emergency response teams working to stabilize the beam. Butch Garton, a lieutenant with Fire Company No. 2, had a crane rushed to the site. Forsaking his usual rescue tools, he delicately maneuvered the crane’s skyhook to aerially support the beam. His firefighting colleagues, assisted by Millville’s Tactical Rescue team, erected cribbing under it. The beam was cut to make it more manageable. But it shifted against Collins’ hand, causing him to cry out in pain. It was the only time he expressed any visible sign of discomfort. “He’s tough,” said Lincks, who hung off the side of the cab talking and tending to Collins during the lengthy extrication effort. During the rescue’s second hour, Collins asked emergency workers to cover his hand so he couldn’t see it, which they did. A firefighter helmet was placed over Collins’ blond head as the beam was finally pulled from the cab. He told rescuers he hoped he didn’t lose his job, which he has held for about three years, according to a company spokesman. Collins was lowered onto a stretcher, rushed to a waiting ambulance that raced him across Chestnut Avenue to the South Star medical evacuation helicopter waiting at Veterans Memorial School. It took off, joining a news helicopter that circled the site. As Collins headed to the trauma unit of Cooper Hospital, there were handshakes and back pats to the rescuers for a job well done. Then Fire Company No. 4 Assistant Chief Pat Finley reminded the crew they were scheduled to be elsewhere. “Isn’t tonight the fireman dinner?” he said, remembering the Vineland Chamber of Commerce was hosting a dinner at the Ramada Inn to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the fire department. Responders to the scene included Fire Companies No. 4 and 6, the Emergency Medical Service, Underwood Memorial Paramedics, Millville’s Tactical Rescue Unit, the city’s Public Works Department and the South Star helicopter.
Two injured in crane accident near capitol building
We have breaking news for you this afternoon. Two people are reportedly in stable condition after a crane accident near the State Capitol building. At this time we one know that at least one of the victims fell at least 12 feet and the fire department is using ladder trucks to bring the two men down. Again the two men are in stable condition, and NewsChannel-4 will follow this story through out the day.
Another Bridge Construction Accident At the Site of the New Cooper River Bridge
By Karen Grace Oct 16, 2002
There’s been another construction accident at a Lowcountry bridge. Around noon, crews lost control of a crane at the site of the new Cooper River Bridge. Palmetto Bridge Construction workers were dissambling the crane in order to move it. But a section of the boom fell about two feet. The boom was damaged, and luckily the crane was not. There also were no injuries. The South Carolina Department of Transportation plans to investigate. Some workers feel a little more training on the job could not hurt. “The boom came crashing down and messed up two sections of the boom, this time no one was killed,” said John Lambert, a witness. “It will certainly be a report made on the incident,” said Booby Clair, the director of engineering for SCDOT. “Thats part of preventing future accidents to make sure that happened today won’t happen again.” Work has resumed on the bridge. Count on 2 for the latest on the Cooper River Bridge Project.
Crane Falls at Boone Hospital
Columbia, 10/16/2002
Construction crews are working to clean up a crane accident at Boone Hospital in Columbia. The Columbia Fire Department says the crane gave way Tuesday afternoon. It slammed into the north side of the hospital building. “We don’t know exactly what caused it, but the crane was lifting roofing material and slipped off its supports,” says Boone Hospital Spokesman Lynn Hostetler. No one was hurt, and the building sustained only minor damage. The eastbound lanes of Broadway are open this morning. They were closed yesterday so crews could clean up the site.
Daring rescue on tower crane
By Linda Piper
THREE firefighters and a paramedic spent nearly two hours 65 feet up a tower crane rescuing an injured man on Monday. The 38-year-old man fell as he was climbing up the crane on the Wimpey Homes building site at Chandlers Wharf, in West Street, Erith. The construction worker with Falcon Cranes slipped on the crane ladder and fell about six feet onto a platform, injuring his arm and shoulder. The emergency services were alerted and first on the scene was paramedic Steve Berry, from Barnehurst ambulance station, who immediately climbed up to help the injured man. Firefighters from Erith arrived and realised there was no way of getting the injured man down under his own steam. As blankets and a cylinder of pain relief gas were winched up to Mr Berry, Erith’s White Watch called for a turntable ladder from the Old Kent Road and the fire rescue unit from East Ham. Mr Berry told News Shopper: “It was very cold and windy. The man was in shock and in a lot of pain and was in danger of losing consciousness.” Erith firefighter Andy Thirkettle helped to secure the injured man to stop him from falling. Mr Berry became so concerned about the man’s condition he called in the HEMS air ambulance to assist. A doctor onboard gave him advice as they waited to be rescued. All of them were hampered by the fact the platform they were working on was only 4ft by 18in. The turntable ladder, with a “bucket” stretcher was extended into place but Mr Thirkettle, Erith colleague Keith Pick and a firefighter from East Ham were still unable to get to the injured man. They had to dismantle part of the platform so the man could be helped into the stretcher and lowered to the ground. The man was treated on the ground before being taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich for treatment. “Given all the difficulties, the rescue went as smoothly as clockwork,” said Mr Berry.
Tree-Trimmer Dies After 30-Foot Fall; Tree-Trimming Bucket Drops With Man Inside
POSTED: 11:45 a.m. CDT October 17, 2002
HORICON, Wis. — A 44-year-old man died after a tree-trimming bucket he was in fell 30 feet. Scott Weisensel, of rural Beaver Dam, was trimming a 60-foot black walnut tree in the back yard of Robert Splinter, at noon Wednesday when a mechanical malfunction caused the bucket to drop rapidly, Horicon Police Chief Douglas Glamann said Thursday. Weisensel was thrown from the bucket and later died at Beaver Dam Community Hospital, Glamann said. Weisensel’s co-worker George Rawson said the vehicle, owned by Beaver Tree Service, had been certified two weeks earlier. It was impounded by the Horicon Police Department. The accident was being investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Workers exposed to radiation at St. Lucie plant
By Deborah Circelli, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer October 15, 2002
A nuclear fuel containment building at the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant had to be evacuated last week as workers replaced a piece of monitoring equipment. Six contractors were exposed to a “low dose” of radiation during the Oct. 7 incident, which occurred during routine maintenance of one of the reactor units, Florida Power & Light Co. officials said Monday. The evacuation came a day after 28 workers were exposed to radioactive particles released when two other workers were pressure-cleaning a reactor head during a safety procedure newly ordered by federal regulators. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been notified of both incidents. The NRC said Friday it was reviewing the Oct. 6 incident, but officials could not be reached Monday to comment about the Oct. 7 incident. Officials at FPL, the subsidiary of Juno Beach-based FPL Group that operates the St. Lucie plant, said it is not unusual for workers to be exposed to radiation during a “refueling outage,” the name of the procedure being performed Oct. 7. Such maintenance is conducted every 18 months on the reactors. FPL spokeswoman Rachel Scott said the workers were exposed to radiation while replacing a piece of equipment called the incore, which monitors the reactors’ power level. A crane is used to lift the incore, which is immersed in water along with the nuclear fuel. During the Oct. 7 incident, the incore came too close to the surface of the water, signaling an automatic alarm and an evacuation of the containment building. Scott said workers were using a new crane that was unable to correctly maneuver the incore, which is replaced every five years. Four workers and two health technicians were exposed to 20 to 25 millirems of radiation each. On Sunday, the 28 workers were exposed to 1 to 2 millirems of radiation apiece. Scott said that it is not unusual for a person working on the reactor to get up to 1,000 millirems during refueling, depending on the job. The annual exposure limit for nuclear workers is 5,000 millirems, the NRC said. “We try to minimize exposure and keep it as low as reasonably achievable,” Scott said Monday.
Worker Injured In Crane Collapse Near State Capitol
UPDATED – Friday October 11, 2002 6:18pm
Oklahoma City (AP) – Two people were injured today when a 30-foot section of a construction crane collapsed near the state Capitol. Witnesses said the crane’s boom collapsed at 3:10 p-m behind the Oklahoma Historical Society headquarters. The boom’s wreckage fell on top of an annex that is under construction, injuring two workers. Officials say the injuries are NOT life threatening. Oklahoma City firefighters used a ladder to remove the injured workers. Their names weren’t immediately available. A concrete bucket that was attached to the end of the boom detached and fell through a breezeway at the site. No one was in the breezeway at the time. The Historical Society building and annex is slated to become the new home of the state Supreme Court.
Miracle escape as girders fall off crane
BY JON TUNNEY, October 11, 2002 11:41
WORKMEN at the new TXU headquarters had a miraculous escape after steel girders plummeted from a snapped crane cable. A 21-year-old man was taken to hospital after the girders crashed onto his lorry, flipping him on to the ground. But, incredibly, he escaped with only minor injuries and was back working on the site the next day. The accident happened during work being carried out by construction firm Carters on the car park at the state-of-the-art £35million Russell Road site. An ambulance rushed to the scene at about 2.20pm on Thursday – a spokeswoman confirmed a 21-year-old man had been taken to hospital. But Carters site official Peter Brightey confirmed the worker was back on the site and that building work would carry on as normal. He said: “The crane is lifting steel as we speak. It was just one of those unfortunate things that happen.” Health and Safety Executive officials mounted an immediate investigation. TXU spokesman Christian Judge said initial findings from the investigation showed it was an accident. He said: “Following the incident an immediate investigation was instigated. “The HSE were informed and their preliminary findings show the persons involved were properly qualified and all the equipment was within the certified limits. “More importantly, we understand the gentleman was not seriously injured, which is the primary concern. “No injury can be taken lightly – even if it’s a just a graze it’s too much.”
UPDATE, Men dangling from bridge rescued, 3 men had been working in bucket of utility truck
By: AMY REININK, Staff Writer October 10, 2002
CAMBRIDGE – Firefighters and others spent more than an hour Wednesday morning rescuing three State Highway Administration employees who were stranded in the bucket of a utility truck that tipped sideways at the edge of the Frederick C. Malkus Jr. Bridge. The three men had been working in a bucket of a utility truck beneath the bridge during a routine inspection of the span, SHA officials said. A fourth man was in the cab of the truck, when the truck somehow lost stability about 10:15 a.m. and the bucket rapidly dropped. The cab smashed against the side of the bridge, lying directly on its side and anchored to a light post, which was tilted at an angle by the truck. The men in the bucket, who were secured by safety harnesses, hung for about an hour before they shimmied down a rope they were able to tie to the utility bucket. The rope was thrown to them from a Natural Resources Police boat positioned underneath their precarious perch. Fishermen and walkers on the adjacent fishing pier were joined by curious people who came to watch the rescue operation. About a dozen people watched from the fishing pier. They cheered and clapped as each worker slid down the rope to safety. People also watched the rescue operation from the Choptank shoreline. Some used binoculars to get a better view. Jody Allan Ferris, 38, of Odenton, who was operating the crane from the cab of the truck, was flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury and was treated and released from its emergency department, hospital officials said. The three men in the bucket – Warren Williams Jr., 38, of Annapolis; David Saumenig, 29, of Glen Burnie and Francis Kerrick, 50, of Churchton – were brought to Dorchester General Hospital here for minor injuries, emergency workers said. All three men were treated and released, a hospital spokesman said. Both Rescue Fire Co. and the Oxford Volunteer Fire Co. had rescue boats in the water. Also assisting were Cambridge Police, Maryland State Police and SHA employees. The rescue operation was complete by 11:30 a.m. But then there was the matter of righting the truck and removing it from the highway. Jesse Jr.’s largest wrecker, used to tow tractor-trailers, was enlisted for the task. Shortly after 1 p.m. the wrecker towed the truck off the bridge. Within 20 minutes, traffic was rolling again. Both sides of the bridge were closed until 1:30 p.m., with traffic on both sides backed up nearly seven miles, state highway officials said. A detour along Route 331 through Preston that started about 11:30 a.m. reduced the backup by about a mile. A small oil spill from the truck on the bridge and in the river was to be cleaned up later Wednesday, authorities said. Dorchester editor Gail Dean contributed to this article.
Crane damages equipment, causes small chlorine leak; no one injured
By staff reports, October 11, 2002
INGLESIDE – The Occidental Chemical plant reported a minor chlorine release on Thursday morning. The release was contained to the facility, and no one was injured, Plant Manager Tom Feeney said. A crane damaged a piece of equipment in the plant’s chlorine unit, causing a pinhole leak. Plant operators shut down the unit to fix the leak and then brought the unit back up, causing an overflow from a chlorine condensate tank, which holds a mixture of chlorine and water. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokeswoman Jean Pieper Voshell said that what was initially thought to be a 20-pound release of the chemical irritant turned out to be a low-level release of about 3 pounds. Leaks of 100 pounds or more must be reported to the regulatory agency, Voshell said. Chlorine, in high doses, is an inhalation hazard and can cause breathing problems. “With the concentration and doses this morning there are no real issues of that,” Feeney said. Voshell said the overflow was contained to the concrete area surrounding the tank, and no soil or water was contaminated in the incident.
DAD’S SKULL SMASHED IN NE HORROR ACCIDENT
16:00 – 09 October 2002
Lorry trailer roof falls on man’s head
A NORTH-east dad narrowly avoided being crushed to death after more than a tonne of metal fell on him. Electrician Stuart Milne, 37, suffered a smashed skull in the horrific industrial accident. A falling lorry trailer roof hit the father-of-three so hard, an imprint of his head was left in the metal. He was only saved by a nearby workbench which absorbed some of the impact, his partner Carol Cordiner said today. And Carol – who only nine weeks ago gave birth to the couple’s daughter Katie – believes the weightlifter’s strength had helped saved his life. The accident happened at Gray and Adams lorry building plant in Fraserburgh on Monday morning. Stuart had been working underneath a crane which was lifting a 30-by-eight-foot lorry trailer roof. Carol claimed she was told the crane wires had snapped. Stuart was rushed by ambulance to hospital in Aberdeen where he was found to have suffered two skull fractures, a broken collar bone, a broken vertebra, four broken ribs, a broken nose and a broken ankle. She was told of the devastating news by Stuart’s brother-in-law Graeme Findlay – who works in a different part of the plant. “He told me Stuart had got a little bump to his head – but I knew it was more serious,” the Strichen resident said. “The journey to Aberdeen was terrible, not knowing whether he would still be alive when I got there.” The mum added: “Stuart was in a terrible mess when I was saw him.” “He was breathing but his eye was so badly swollen it looked like it was about to burst.” He recovered consciousness about half-an-hour after the accident and was later able to ask for Carol. “The first thing he said to me was ‘I had a bad Monday morning'”. “I just told him he wouldn’t have to worry about work for a while.” She added: “Stuart is keen weightlifter. I am convinced his strength and build saved his life.” Stuart remains in a high-dependency unit at ARI – but hopes are high he will make a full recovery. And there is one very special person who wants him home as soon as possible. “Our daughter Katie is just nine-weeks-old,” said Carol. She is Stuart’s pride and joy and he just dotes on her.” He has two other daughters, Leanne, 12, and Laura, 8, from a previous relationship. An ARI spokeswoman described Mr Milne’s condition as “stable”. No one at Gray and Adams was available for comment.
UPDATE, OSHA investigating accident that killed two at local plant
By ROGER ADKINS
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing an investigation into an industrial accident that killed two Vienna men last week in Pleasants County. Fred Burkle, 55, and Joe Spiker, 26, died when a manlift they were operating toppled Friday, causing them to fall 45 feet to the ground at the Allegheny Energy Supply Pleasants Power Station. Stanley Elliott, area director of OSHA in Charleston, said Monday officials are attempting to determine why the lift fell. “There’s only so many reasons a piece of equipment tips over,” Elliott said. “It was either overloaded, there was a strong wind or they were on an improper incline.” State police officials said the lift tipped over because it was on an embankment. Elliott said no one witnessed the accident and it will be difficult to determine exactly what happened. The two men were pronounced dead at the scene by Harvey Hatfield, Pleasants County medical examiner, said Janice Lantz, manager of communications at AEP’s administrative offices in Monroeville, Pa. The accident occurred about noon as the men were in the bucket of a Genie Manlift and were painting near a line transfer station at the plant along West Virginia 2 at Willow Island, Lantz said. Trooper T.D. Nichols of the state police said the two men had just finished painting and were moving to another location. They were moving the machinery with the boom extended 45 feet in the air, he said. They approached an embankment, but the machine was unable to handle the grade, Nichols said. It became top-heavy and toppled to the ground with both men inside the bucket. Elliott said there were no witnesses to confirm the machinery was moving when it tipped. The machine is operated by controls in the bucket, Lantz said. It is mobile even when the boom is extended. The machine was fairly new, she said. Nichols said the accident did not appear to have been caused by an equipment flaw. The two men worked for Universal Painters Inc. of New Martinsville and had been subcontracted by Almega Co. of Pittsburgh for work at the plant, Nichols said. Lantz said AEP contracted Almega Co. for painting and general maintenance. The company had been doing work at the plant for a couple of months. The accident is under investigation by officials from the WVSP, OSHA and AEP. Trooper M.H. Bauso is investigating the incident.
Crane crash on Hancock
Kate Sage, October 8, 2002
A crane crushed this Toyota on Hancock Street while construction workers were replacing a tree last Thursday. A crane planting a tree tipped over and crushed a car parked on Hancock Street Thursday morning, witnesses say. The crane was replacing a birch tree when it lost balance and fell onto a gray Toyota parked on the street, said Anthony Viveros, a Metropolitan District Commissioner Park Ranger who was at the site. No one was in the car, and the driver of the crane did not suffer any injuries. Alan Hassell of River Street is the owner of the car, reported Captain Bernard O’Rourke, of Area A-1 police. Edgar Driscoll of Hancock Street heard the crash from inside his home and came down to make sure that it was not his car. “There has been a birch tree in this spot for 30 years,” he said, “It was knocked over on the Fourth of July weekend and we have been waiting for a replacement ever since.” Walter McDonough, vice president of Suffolk-NER Construction, the company responsible for replacing the tree, said that workers had placed signs and cones on the street warning people to move their cars a few hours before the mishap. They also had a car towed that was in the way. “It is standard practice for anyone doing long-term work to come to city hall and obtain a permit,” said Tracy Ganiatsos from the Department of Transportation. “Signs should be up at least 48 hours in advance.” It is unclear how the original tree was knocked over but State House contractors claim a refuse truck displaced it. Nevertheless they did agree to replace the tree, said Kevin Flanigan of the Division of Capital Asset Management.
Two die at power plant
By Tom Hrach, [email protected]
BELMONT, W.Va. – Two workers from Vienna, W.Va., were killed at the Pleasants Power Station at Willow Island, W.Va., Friday after a boom device they were riding in toppled. The pair fell 40 feet to 45 feet to the ground. The victims were identified as Fred Burkle, 56, and Joe Spiker, 26, both of Vienna. They worked for a painting company, Universal Inc. of New Martinsville, W.Va. The deaths happened at just about noon as the two workers were painting a conveyor at the power plant. “We don’t know what caused it. But there will be a full investigation by our company, and OSHA will be investigating, too,” said Guy Fletcher, spokesman for Allegheny Energy Supply, which owns the plant. “All we know right now is that the bucket truck tipped over.” OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates work-related accidents and injuries. They were painting a conveyor at the plant when the accident happened. “They were in what’s called a Genie Boom, a little four-wheel boom used in construction, and they had it extended about 45 feet,” Sgt. T.D. Nichols, West Virginia State Police, Parkersburg, said. “They were moving the boom as they needed and it encountered an embankment to the left, causing the boom to tilt to the left.” Fletcher said the plant’s emergency squad responded to the accident along with the Pleasants County Emergency Squad and rescue workers from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Parkersburg. Burkle and Spiker were dead at the scene from multiple injuries, Nichols said. Fletcher said Universal Inc. was a subcontractor for the Almega Company of Pittsburgh, which has been contracted to do maintenance work at the plant. There was no response to phone calls at the company’s New Martinsville office Friday. The Pleasants Power Station is the newer and larger of the two power plants located at Willow Island and owned by Allegheny Energy Supply. The Pleasants Power Station was built in the late 1970s, while the Willow Island Station was built in the 1940s. Both burn coal to produce electricity. Nichols said this is the most serious accident at the facility in recent history. In 1978, 58 workers died when scaffolding on a cooling tower under construction at the Pleasants Power Station collapsed. Connie Cartmell contributed to this report.
UPDATE, State transportation officials investigation Summerville crane death
(Summerville-AP) Oct. 5, 2002 – State transportation officials have not determined what caused a crane boom collapse that killed a construction worker. John Russell Odom, 43, of Summerville, died Friday when a cable broke and dropped a load of concrete and debris onto a tractor cab. More than ten tons of concrete and debris fell on Odom. Harrell says the string of accidents occurring at state construction sites within the past two months will lead to the tougher safety practice for contractors. Odom was working with Cape Romain Contractors at a construction site on Interstate 26 near Summerville. State labor safety officials said the investigation could take several weeks.
UPDATE, Man crushed under 2-ton bag returns home
By Brandon Keat, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
An Aliquippa man who was crushed under a more-than-2-ton bag of brick-making material 10 days ago returned home Friday — battered and bruised, but feeling lucky to be alive. Ernie Cipolla, 31, is suffering from short-term memory loss and extensive rehabilitation lies ahead, but “they (doctors) think I’ll make a recovery eventually,” he said. “They’re kind of surprised at how far I’ve come so far,” Cipolla said. “They’re saying it’s kind of like a miracle, for that much weight to be dropped on me.” Cipolla, a single parent with a 4-year-old son, was working Sept. 25 atop a steel hopper at Neville Pulverized Lime Co., along Avenue B in the Buncher Industrial Park in Leetsdale, when the accident happened. He was using a remote control to operate a hoist holding the bag of calcium alumina — a sand-like substance used to make fireproof brick — over the hopper and was supposed to cut a hole in the bag so it could drain into the hopper. Somehow, the bag came down on top of Cipolla and pinned him to the hopper. He remained there for as long as 10 minutes before a co-worker discovered him. When police and emergency crews arrived, he was breathing but unconscious. Cipolla said those events are a blank to him. “I really can’t remember anything about that day at all. I remember going to work, and I remember waking up a few days later in the hospital,” he said. “I’m just glad to be alive.” Cipolla’s brother, Vince, said the scars from the accident — the bag covered Ernie Cipolla’s chest and head — are extensive. He said his brother has trouble holding things in his memory, but “the scariest part are his eyes.” “They’re just red — fire red,” Vince Cipolla said. He credits his brother’s excellent physical condition before the accident with allowing him to survive — without even a broken bone. “If he didn’t (work out so much), I don’t know how he would have lived through this. He’s definitely strong. I would have never lived through that.” Vince Cipolla said that when doctors removed Ernie’s respirator three days after the accident and his brother started talking within an hour and a half, “the doctor had tears in his eyes. I think he was overwhelmed.” Ernie Cipolla, who has worked at Neville Pulverized Lime Co. for five years, said the job of emptying the calcium alumina into the hopper is one he has done numerous times over the last year and a half. He said he thinks the hoist used to lift the bag is rated to hold 4,000 pounds, and Leetsdale police said the bag he was working with weighed 4,242 pounds. Ernie Cipolla said it is too soon to think about whether he will return to work at the same place. “I’m just hoping to get myself back to normal before I think about anything,” he said. “Right now, I’m just lucky to be here, and I’m just counting my blessings.”
Construction crane hits Ford Center
By Bryan Dean, The Oklahoman
The Ford Center took another hit Thursday night, but this time it wasn’t guests complaining about the seats or acoustics. A large crane struck the east side of the building Thursday night during an NHL exhibition game attended by about 6,300 people. Flint Construction workers were using the crane to build a Courtyard Suites by Marriot east of the Ford Center. Gary Desjardins, Ford Center general manager, said the accident could have been worse. “The cables broke on the crane, and it swung around and hit the building,” Desjardins said. “It doesn’t appear that there is any damage, but we don’t want to move it until everyone is out of the building.” Desjardins said no one was injured when the crane hit the Ford Center’s brick exterior. “We were fortunate it wasn’t more serious,” he said. Officials said they did not know what caused the malfunction. The $25 million hotel will have 225 rooms and a 600-space parking garage. Site work on the project started last month.
Smokestack pins crane operator
By Karen Snelling / Post-Tribune staff writer
HOBART — A crane operator was taken to St. Mary Medical Center Thursday after he was pinned by a huge smokestack. The accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. behind the former SaveMore Plaza at the intersection of Indiana 51 and U.S. 6. The construction worker, whose name was not released, was moving the 5-foot wide, 40-feet tall incinerator and chimney when it slipped and broke apart, officials from the Hobart Fire Department said. The smokestack crashed through the windows of the crane’s cab, trapping the operator. Hobart firefighters used airbags to lift the weight of the smokestack off the stunned worker. Once the airbags were in place and inflated, a tow truck from Waffco Towing in Lake Station assisted in the rescue by lifting the smokestack from the crane. The rescue operation took 15 minutes to complete, a fire department official said. A waiting ambulance took the bleeding crane operator to the hospital. His condition is unknown. Local developer Charles Greiner is investing nearly $5 million to renovate the retail center. Plans submitted to the city show that the space will be remodeled into a warehouse and banquet facility.
Firm seeks reason crane fell into river
By JAMES EVANS, The Ashland City Times
ASHLAND CITY — Officials with Trinity Marine Products say they have opened an investigation to determine what made a crane topple into the Cumberland River on Wednesday afternoon. The crane operator, whom company officials would not identify, got trapped in the wreckage. The man was in stable condition yesterday in Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was scheduled for release. ”We’re just very pleased no one was seriously hurt,” company spokeswoman Nancy Farrar said yesterday. The operator was pinned in the cab of the crane by two different pieces of metal. Hydraulic jacks and saws were used to cut the worker free. ”It’s (a) true miracle” he wasn’t seriously hurt, Ashland City Fire Chief Chuck Walker said. An official with the Nashville office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Operational Safety and Health Administration said an investigation into the incident had not been announced as of yesterday.
Investigation Looks Into Electrocution Of Workers; Police Find Men Dead In Lift Bucket
MERIDEN, Conn. — Federal investigators are trying to determine how two men were electrocuted while working on a utility vehicle at a city building. Meriden police said the two men were power-washing bricks on the Stoddard Municipal Building on Miller Street Wednesday. They were in a bucket that rises from the truck. “They were power washing with water, and we’re not sure if the bucket hit the line or water arched and hit the line,” said Sgt. Leonard Caponigro. The bucket was not touching any wires when rescuers arrived, fire officials said. Police identified the workers as Eugeno Torres, 47, and Hector Leon, 50, both of New Haven, who were pronounced dead at the scene. The men worked for Milestone Restoration Inc., of New Haven. The contractor had been working for about two months repairing brickwork at the city building. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating. Firefighters responded at about 4:30 p.m. to a call saying that two workers needed help, Caponigro said. The two men were the only members of the power washing crew. Rescuers could not resuscitate the workers, Caponigro said. “When we got there, the construction basket was up, the pressure washer hose was dangling, the men were down inside the basket and primary wires were probably a foot overhead,” fire Capt. Mark Graber said. An hour before the call, a passer-by saw the two men in the raised bucket and thought they were sleeping. Cathy Antonetty said one worker had his face in his hands and the other was slumped over. She said she yelled up to the bucket in Spanish to ask Torres and Leon if they were sleeping. Neither responded. “It didn’t look right, but I thought they were taking a nap,” Antonetty said. Beth Vumbaco, director of the city’s Health and Human Services Department, located in the Stoddard building, described Torres and Leon as nice men who were hard workers. Rich Hansen, manager of customer operations for Connecticut Light & Power Inc., said the lines that run through the alley produce up to 4,800 volts. The average plug in a house puts out 120 volts.
UPDATE, Contractor pays fine for Brentwood accident
By Jan Ackerman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A Castle Shannon masonry company paid a $2,800 fine to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a citation issued after a crane operator was critically injured at a job site at a Brentwood shopping center project this summer. Marsa Inc. paid the fine last month to settle a citation filed by OSHA after Dale Haslett, 29, of South Park, was critically burned and two other construction workers were slightly injured after a scaffold being moved by a crane on June 25 came in contact with a high voltage power line. OSHA assistant area director Edward Selker said the federal agency imposed a $4,000 fine, but reduced it to $2,800 after an informal settlement conference last month. The company was fined for moving a scaffold closer than 10 feet to an energized power line. At about 10:42 a.m. on June 25, workers from Marsa were moving a tower scaffold when it came close enough to a 138,000-volt power line that the line arced and sent large bolts of electricity to the ground. Haslett, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body, remained at Mercy Hospital until Aug. 3. Two other workers, Joseph Scott Taylor, 35, of Charleroi, and Christopher Guty, 22, of Uniontown, were treated and released on June 26, Mercy Hospital spokeswoman Linda Ross said.
Man in hospital after crane falls, traps him
ASHLAND CITY — A man operating a crane was flown to a Nashville hospital last night after the crane fell, trapping him in the wreckage for more than two hours. Emergency crews responded to Trinity Marine Products off Highway 12 about 5:30 p.m. The man’s name and condition were not available, and company officials had not issued a statement at press time. Information about the crane’s activity was not available. Responding were the city’s fire and police departments and Cheatham’s Emergency Management Agency and Sheriff’s Department. Staff Reports
Crane tips over at hospital, operator’s injuries minor
SALISBURY TWP. — A construction crane tipped over about noon Tuesday at the Lehigh Valley Hospital at Cedar Crest Boulevard and Interstate 78 in the township. The incident left the crane’s operator with minor injuries, but no one else was hurt. Hospital officials are still investigating what caused the crane to topple, said hospital spokesman Brian Downs. “The crane tipped. We don’t know why. The operator was pinned inside against a retaining wall,” he said. The operator suffered only minor cuts and injuries. Downs said he did not know the victim’s name, age or address. Western Salisbury Fire Chief Steve Schneider could not be reached for comment late Tuesday. Workers were using the crane to lower construction materials to the underground site where technicians would use a linear accelerator, which uses radiation to treat cancer. The hospital contracted Atomic International of Douglasville, Pa., to install protective material, such as cement block, to insulate the radiation equipment. By 1:30 p.m., yellow tape surrounded the area where the crane tipped. Hospital security personnel guarding the area referred all questions to Downs.
Crane Accident
One person is injured after a crane collapses at a construction site in Baltimore City. The accident happened in the 200 block of St. Paul Street. Roads were closed in the area as crews worked at the scene. The injured construction workers was taken to Shock Trauma. Another person was treated but didn’t go the hospital.
Country Energy worker struck by lightning
THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service yesterday transported an 18-year-old Gilgandra man to Tamworth Base Hospital after he was struck by lightning. The man and a colleague were in a cherry picker installing insulation to electrical wires for Country Energy about 30km east of Coonabarabran when lightning struck the wires at about 10am. Although the wires were not connected, a single wire was resting on the cherry picker bucket while they attached the insulation and it conducted electricity from a strike nearby. The man was not hit directly by the strike, however ambulance officers were concerned about possible internal injuries indicated by external bruising on his thighs. A Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesperson said while it was not immediately obvious, lightning strikes had the potential to damage internal organs and result in their failure. The patient arrived in Tamworth about 12.30pm in a stable condition.
Deadly Crane Accident
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a deadly accident at Portland’s Providence hospital. A crane collapsed on a construction worker this morning as it was being erected. The victim died later in the morning. The crane operator was unhurt. investigators say the two-person crew was setting up the crane to work on an elevator on the back side of the main hospital.
State inspects site of crane accident
By CHERIS HODGES, Staff Writer News & Record
HIGH POINT — The investigation into Monday’s deadly construction accident continued Tuesday as investigators from the state department of labor inspected the Pegg Road site. Juan Santos, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Labor, said it could take up to six weeks for the investigation to be completed. “We sent inspectors to the site to look at what was being used and talk to workers who were there,” Santos said. Juan Jose Mayo Uyoa, 30, of Randleman was unloading steel roofing rafters from a crane Monday afternoon at a building under construction. The crane buckled and dropped between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds of steel roofing rafters on Uyoa, an employee of Contract Erectors. The company was one of the subcontractors working on the project. Mark Stinson, operations manager for Contract Erectors, said this is the first fatal accident the company has had in its 15-year history. But in 1997, Contract Erectors was cited and fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for having improper fall protection, according to that agency’s Web site. The company was fined $2,000 because three workers didn’t have on safety harnesses as they worked on the roof of a building. In 1994, the company was cited for hand tool usage and medical and first aid equipment violations. Fines were not imposed. On Tuesday, Stinson said his company believes a mechanical malfunction in the 29-year-old crane caused Monday’s accident. He said despite the age of the crane, it had been inspected since the last time it had been used. He said in the inspection, workers check and change the oil and look for any damage to the crane. “The cranes are thoroughly inspected because of the cost to purchase them,” he said. Stinson said the company had been using the crane involved in Monday’s accident for about eight years. He also said Uyoa had been trained to do his job in accordance with new OSHA rules. Uyoa was an iron worker, Stinson said. His job included welding, putting together brackets and other aspects of steel erection, said Stinson. “This man was doing what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t standing under a suspended load; he was where he was supposed to be,” Stinson said. As a precautionary measure, Stinson said he was stressing to site foreman that no one should stand underneath a suspended load. “What we’re doing is reiterating job site safety,” he said. The accident occurred at a building being constructed by Samet Corp. for Deep River West Co., according to police. Contract Erectors is a subcontractor for Samet Corp. Uyoa’s body was recovered from under the crane about 7:15 p.m. Monday. Officials said Uyoa’s family was in Mexico, but there was an unnamed cousin who lived in the area.
Worker Crushed, Killed At Plant
A worker at a Greenville County plant was killed Wednesday morning when he was crushed by a piece of equipment he was attempting to move. The accident happened at Magna Drive Automotive, located just south of the Southern Connector in the Moonville area. Greenville County deputy coroner Mike Ellis told News 4 that the man was using an overhead crane to move a 75,000-pound piece of machinery that had multiple parts. While it was being lifted by the crane about 7 a.m., one of the pieces shifted, trapping the man between two parts of the machine, Ellis told News 4. The man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead just before 8 a.m.
Steel beams crush man
By Kelly Kramp, STAFF WRITER
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a crane accident in north High Point that killed one man Monday. High Point police said Juan Jose Mayo Uyoa, 30, of Randleman, was killed when a crane carrying 8,000 to 10,000 pounds (4 to 5 tons) of steel roofing rafters collapsed. Police said Uyoa was working for Contractor Erectors of Randleman at a building that’s under construction on Pegg Road, off Gallimore Dairy Road. The 600 block of Pegg Road was closed most of the day. The building is being constructed by Samet Construction Co. for Deep River West Co. and is intended for warehouse/office space, police said. Representatives from Samet could not be reached Monday. Crews were using a mobile crane that can lift up to 90 tons to move the rafters inside the building shell about 1 p.m. The roofing rafters were to be installed later this week, police said. High Point police Lt. Jim Tate said the boom on the crane snapped and the boom and rafters fell inside the building, where Uyoa was unloading materials. “We don’t know at this point if this was mechanical failure or weight. What caused it to do that, I’m not sure,” said Denita Davis, spokeswoman for the High Point Fire Department. When the boom snapped, an unsecured section of wall was knocked loose and was held up only by the portion of the crane that remained standing outside the building. Additional cranes, Tate said, were brought in late Monday afternoon to secure the walls and allow rescue workers to remove debris. Davis said as many as 30 High Point firefighters with the department’s Technical Response Team and the Deep River Fire Department and Guilford County EMS assisted in the recovery efforts. After the building was stabilized, crews had to cut the steel beams inside the building. The body was recovered about 7:15 p.m., six hours after the accident, and sent to the N.C. Medical Examiners office. “They’ve got to be so precise on the stabilization. We’ve got to make sure anybody that goes in there would be secure,” Davis said. Uyoa is from Mexico, where most of his family still lives. Davis said officials contacted a cousin, who lives here, who was able to contact the victim’s mother and wife in Mexico. High Point police and the North Carolina Department of Labor will continue the investigation into the incident today.