11.06.2010

Mobile tower jib buckles

The jib of a what looks like a mobile self erecting tower crane, buckled and fell today on the site of the new Bunbury Cathedral in Western Australia.

The crane had returned to the site and was setting up to carry out a series of lifts when the jib gave way, no one was injured in the accident.
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The scene from the site this morning

The main contractor Perkins Builders said that there was a large exclusion zone under the crane so no one was at risk from the collapse.

The company plans to remove the crane over the weekend in order to reduce disruption to the project.

The crane which if not a mobile, is a regular self erector, was apparently supplied by a Perth company and was setting up wih the jib luffed above the horizontal.

Vertikal Comment

While this is an unfortunate accident and should not have happened, the fact is that good health & safety practices ensured that no one was injured in the incident.

It is all too easy to underestimate the importance of such exclusion zones, but when something like this occurs their importance is clear.