18.03.2021

Mast climber fatalities

Two men died when a mast climber went into freefall while they were working on a tower block in Zaragoza, Spain on Tuesday.

Our initial reports indicate that the mast climber, an Ahler PM200 from Noreste, had been experiencing some issues since the start of the week. A technician from Noreste was in the platform with a construction worker at the 7th floor of the new Torre Zaragoza building - the highest block in the city - when it dropped some 25 metres to the base, without the brakes or safety mechanisms working.

Both men, a 43 year old from Romania and a 39 year old from the local area, were wearing harnesses and did not have time to disconnect them in order to jump clear. One died at the scene from injuries sustained by the impact, while the other passed away in the ambulance on the way to hospital having suffered a cardiac arrest.
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The general contractor on the projects is Dragados. The local fire and rescue service said: "What has happened is something very strange which might be related to a failure in the platform's security system. An investigation will look into the cause.”

We understand that ISSLA (Aragonese Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) along with the labour inspection authorities will be involved in the investigation.

We will update this item when we learn more.