18.12.2011
Another outrigger failure
A loader crane went over in the small town of Rælingen, to the east of Oslo, Norway last week. The cause? - poor outrigger set up.
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The overturned truck
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The crane was lifting from a road above the site
The crane was standing on a small road above a residential home in the town and was lifting a pallet of blocks into the yard when the asphalt road surface punched though causing the truck/crane to lose stability. Thankfully no one was injured.
The clear cause of the incident is the lack of any outrigger mats under the jack pads, thus the loads were too concentrated for what is a weak roadside surface.
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The small jack pad was too small for the road surface
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The crane's boom and the half built structure were both damaged
The crane’s boom caused significant damage to an extension and terrace that had been constructed over the past two weeks, the blocks were required to help complete the building work.
Dear Mr Editor,
Your excellent Crane Blog publishes daily Reports of Crane Incidents ( Not Accidents, as they are NOT Accidental ), all of which have the potential to be Fatal, yet all of which are preventable : If only the Crane Owner had trained his staff in ‘Safe Systems of Work’, the Common Law obligation in the UK.
For the avoidance of doubt and as your Excellent Blog shows daily reports of Cranes overturning. All Crane Operators Worldwide should be trained to Rig his or her crane for a Lift with the following as an absolute minimum.
1. All Outrigger beams should be fully extended outwards.
That is, No Short Rigging of Outriggers for any reason.
2. Crane Outrigger Legs should take 100% of the cranes ULW off the tyres.
3. Outrigger Legs or Pads should be supported by the insertion of extra timber mats underneath the pads themselves, to increase the Contact area of the Pad .
These Timber Mats are especially important when planning a Lift on Tarmac or soft ground of any kind. With Grass, Gravel and warm Tarmac being the most dangerous of all materials to extend the Outriggers onto.
A proper Risk Assessment and Method Statement In line with The LOLER Regs 1998 and BS.7121 before the event would identify all of the control measures necessary for Safe Lifting Operations to take place : This will then generate the Safe System of Work required for that particular lift, expressly in that particular Lift environment.
Fortunately no-one was killed on this occasion unlike Friday 15th January 1988 when my Father In Law David Stanford was killed on-site by a Crane Driver.
Finally and in closing as Mr J. J. Curran of Detroit would confirm, Luck has got nothing whatsoever to do with safe Lifting Operations as this potentially fatal incident was caused by lack of ‘Know How’ : Expressly the knowledge that putting down ones Outriggers on Tarmac, places an in-ordinatley high pound per square inch loading (PSI Loading) on the surface of the Tarmac itself ( Or Kg per Sq CM for EC readers) . Which in turn is likely to fail under pressure, especially when lifting at Maximum SWL or Radii or lifting over the side, as this creates inequality in the vertical loading on outrigger.
I look forward to reading the HSE Inspectors report on this potentially fatal incident ?
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby BA
Dear Mr Editor,
Your excellent Crane Blog publishes daily Reports of Crane Incidents ( Not Accidents, as they are NOT Accidental ), all of which have the potential to be Fatal, yet all of which are preventable : If only the Crane Owner had trained his staff in ‘Safe Systems of Work’, the Common Law obligation in the UK.
For the avoidance of doubt and as your Excellent Blog shows daily reports of Cranes overturning. All Crane Operators Worldwide should be trained to Rig his or her crane for a Lift with the following as an absolute minimum.
1. All Outrigger beams should be fully extended outwards.
That is, No Short Rigging of Outriggers for any reason.
2. Crane Outrigger Legs should take 100% of the cranes ULW off the tyres.
3. Outrigger Legs or Pads should be supported by the insertion of extra timber mats underneath the pads themselves, to increase the Contact area of the Pad .
These Timber Mats are especially important when planning a Lift on Tarmac or soft ground of any kind. With Grass, Gravel and warm Tarmac being the most dangerous of all materials to extend the Outriggers onto.
A proper Risk Assessment and Method Statement In line with The LOLER Regs 1998 and BS.7121 before the event would identify all of the control measures necessary for Safe Lifting Operations to take place : This will then generate the Safe System of Work required for that particular lift, expressly in that particular Lift environment.
Fortunately no-one was killed on this occasion unlike Friday 15th January 1988 when my Father In Law David Stanford was killed on-site by a Crane Driver.
Finally and in closing as Mr J. J. Curran of Detroit would confirm, Luck has got nothing whatsoever to do with safe Lifting Operations as this potentially fatal incident was caused by lack of ‘Know How’ : Expressly the knowledge that putting down ones Outriggers on Tarmac, places an in-ordinatley high pound per square inch loading (PSI Loading) on the surface of the Tarmac itself ( Or Kg per Sq CM for EC readers) . Which in turn is likely to fail under pressure, especially when lifting at Maximum SWL or Radii or lifting over the side, as this creates inequality in the vertical loading on outrigger.
I look forward to reading the HSE Inspectors report on this potentially fatal incident ?
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby BA