06.10.2006

Another two die for lack of a harness!

Two men died tragically in the port of Le Harve, France on Wednesday evening after being catapulted from the cage of a boom lift.

The two men were working on the assembly of a large coal conveyer in the Centre Multivrac in the Port of Le Harve, close to the Pont de Normandie.
As the two were installing a part, the gantry type structure gave way hitting the Grove AMZ86 in which the two were working.

The collision caused the boom to fall over backwards, but it came to a sudden halt, when the base boom section came to rest against a large structure on the ground. The sudden stop catapulted the two to their deaths roughly 30 metres from the lift.
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The scene of the accident in Le Harve

They had been working at a height of around 15 metres. Neither wore a harness, if they had, it is quite likely that they would be alive today as the lift remained in the air.

The fire department and police services arrived on the scene and impounded the lift a criminal investigation was opened. The site manager and another employee were questioned but one of them was in such a state of shock that he was taken to Psychiatric hospital.

No details have been released about the two men who died, but that are both thought to have been from Morbihan in the Loire Atlantique region of western France.

Vertikal Comment

This has been an exceptionally bad year for such incidents and as is often the case the cause of the accident was outside the control of the operators. More than half of the incidents this year have been the result of the lift being hit by either another vehicle or as in this case another structure.

In almost every case the basket has remained in the air and if the operators had been attached with a short lanyard, they are likely to have lived.

When will they learn?

It always happens to someone else!

It is not just the operator that is affected…. In some ways no in most ways …it is far worst for those left behind, the family, the colleagues, and the company that owns the platform.

Look at it this way... not wearing a harness in a boom lift is a selfish act. If you will not think of yourself at least think of others who have to deal with the mess.