11.09.2018

WorkSafe statement on fatal Melbourne crane incident

The health and safety regulator WorkSafe Victoria has released a statement concerning the fatal tower crane incident in Melbourne last week See fatal crane incident in Melbourne which includes the suspension of Raimondi cranes until a detailed inspection has been conducted.

The full statement is as follows:

“By now I'm sure most of you are aware of the tragic incident that occurred on a construction site in Box Hill last Thursday (06/09) in which one worker lost his life, another sustained life threatening injuries, and a third worker also sustained injury. The incident occurred when a kibble containing concrete fell from a Raimondi hammerhead tower crane and struck the workers.”

“Preliminary investigations lead WorkSafe to suspect that failure/malfunction of the hoist rope termination assembly (located at the boom tip) is likely to be a causative/contributory factor.”

“WorkSafe has discussed this with the supplier of the crane, whom have instructed their clients to cease use of Raimondi tower cranes pending inspection and verification of the integrity/installation of each crane's hoist rope termination assembly. This process is currently underway and service crews are recording the completion of the inspections in the crane log books. WorkSafe will be verifying this activity has been completed.”

“Marnie Williams (Chief, Business Operations) has communicated these matters across all State & Territory regulators via HWSA, and WorkSafe's investigation is ongoing; the outcomes and any key learnings will be communicated to broader industry as soon as possible.”

“At this time, WorkSafe wishes to remind all employers of their duty under the OHS Regulations 2017 to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable no loads are suspended or travelled over a person. If your activities involve lifting operations please review your systems of work (in consultation with employees/HSR's) seeking first to eliminate the risks, or if that is not possible, then reducing them as far as is practicable.”

CICA - the Crane Industry Council of Australia has also issue a statement :

"This was a tragedy. The thoughts of everyone at CICA go to the families and loved ones of those impacted by this tragedy. Crane safety for operators, construction workers and the general public is our first and foremost priority. CICA is doing everything possible to assist in any inquiries and investigation process. We must balance urgency with due diligence in determining root cause to ensure industry learns and improves after this tragic event."

UPDATE

Clark Cranes took all of its Raimondi cranes out of service while a thorough inspection of each was conducted. We understand that all were found to be in good working order and have been returned to service with a clean bill of health. We also understand that the cause of the failure was due to a missing locking pin on the hoist rope termination point.