02.04.2013

Harness proves its worth

A man escaped serious injury earlier today after the wheel of a boom lift he was using dropped into an underground electrical culvert after breaking an access cover in Perth, Western Australia.

The man said to be in his late 30s was using a Genie Z135/70, rented from Access Hire, to paint the outside of a beachfront hotel in the Scarborough suburb of Perth. He was driving the stowed machine down the street to a new work area, he had the jib fully raised and axles retracted when he drove over an electrical culvert cover which collapsed under the weight of the machine, causing it to suddenly tip to one side.
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The machine's lower boom/riser helped prevent a complete overturn

Fortunately the lower boom struck the ground and helped stop it completely overturning, although a substantial catapult effect would have been created. We understand that the man was wearing a harness and apart from lacerations caused by being thrown against the platform he was unhurt.

He was working as a subcontractor for Professional Paint Works and refurbishment company Northerly Interiors on the Rendezvous Hotel.
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The machine tipped but did not go over

The local fire service rescued him from the platform using a rescue platform and basket to basket transfer at a height of around four metres.
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The fire department carried out a basket to basket rescue

Vertikal Comment

This could have been a far more harrowing report had the man not managed to remain in the platform. The danger of driving over culverts such as this cannot be stressed enough. The Genie Z135 weighs well over 20 tonnes, meaning that the wheel would have had a loading of at least five tonnes, and given that it is under the counterweight – possibly a good deal more.

Add this to the fact that the tyres were portably poly filled which will increase the point loading and it is obvious that a street culvert cover is at risk of giving way. It looks as though the man was also heading over or coming from the pavement which is always a risk given the they are rarely designed to take road traffic, let along point loadings that a 135ft self-propelled boom can inflict.

This incident should never have happened and could have so easily involved passing motorists if the machine had completely flipped or the man had been thrown from the platform.