09.06.2017

Fatal crane incident in Korea

A crane incident at the Ssangyong Oil Refinery in Ulsan, South Korea on April 21, has just come to our attention. It seems that two gantry crane towers crashed to the ground striking an oil pipeline causing a major fire.

We understand that a 110 metre high gantry crane was being erected by Chunjo- Fagioli, the towers were placed on and bolted to fabricated mats to which additional counterweight had been added, the towers were also guyed while assembly was underway. We understand that towers were not properly aligned, so the erection team were using winches and guy rope adjustment to correct the misalignment. It seems however that during this process one or both towers were pulled too far or overstressed, causing them both to overturn, one then landed on a pipeline just outside of the lift area, sparking a fire.
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The falling tower caused a fire after landing on a pipeline

One of the towers also landed on a rest room/cabin, fatally injuring Lee Chun-bong Kim, 55, and seriously injuring four others. Fortunately the incident occurred during a lunch break, otherwise hundreds of additional construction workers would have been working in the area affected by the fire and falling towers.
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The towers also lended on a rest cabin and a mobile crane

The Ministry of Employment and Labour ordered a total stoppage of work on the site while an investigation was launched. The Ulsan Police Department also launched an investigation into the contractors, Daelim Industrial, Chunghwa Construction and Daehan Construction.

A full report of the incident is due to be published shortly. We will update this item when we learn more.