15.06.2007

One we missed

Our report on an accident last weekend caused by poor slinging on a tower crane dismantle, caused several of you to point out that we missed a similar but fatal accident that occurred in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 24th.

In that accident at Pacific Place, Jakarta, the top of the crane was being removed when a sling broke causing the jib and part of the tower to fall 40 metres to the ground, killing a passing motorcyclist and hitting two cars, seriously injuring three motorists.
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A broken sling casued part of the crane tower to crash down onto passing traffic

Police named the crane operator, Dedi Supriyanto, as a suspect, he is an employee of PT Gasurindo Bahterajaya, the owner of the tower crane and is said to have been responsible for the lift and could be charged for negligence under the Criminal Code.

Chief detective Sr. Comr. Carlo Brix Tewu said police had questioned nine people and would carry out further investigations to find out who was responsible for the accident.
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Innocent passers by were tragically caught up in the accident

"We're here to find out more about the accident, how it happened and who was most responsible for it," he told reporters at the construction site.

He said police had not yet made any preliminary conclusions about the accident. "It's a crime, so we won't speculate about it. It would be better to wait and see the results of the investigation,"

Crane owner PT Gasurindo Bahterajaya, has ruled any possibility of an equipment malfunction playing a role in the accident. A company spokesman said that the crane was inspected before being rented to
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The Kato truck crane was lifting the top of the tower

PT Astec, the developer of the apartment complex, refused to comment and said that work would continue in order to reach the project's July 7 deadline.
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The recovery begins

It said that the date was believed to be lucky because it contained the number seven three times


Vertikal Comment

We have mentioned in the past that the continual reporting of crane and lift accidents can become quite depressing. It can also project the wrong impression, -that cranes are falling over all the time.

Clearly they are not, and most lifts are completed in complete safety, but saying that there are way too many accidents with cranes and they are not restricted to countries with weak safety regulations.

The vast majority are from Western Europe and North America and most of them are completely avoidable if good practices are followed. All too often they result from sloppy work practices.

We do hope that by reporting on the tragic effects that can result from such accidents, including the personal repercussions for innocent passers-by, we might just raise awareness and play a small role in reducing such accidents.

Please let us know what you think.. Send us your thoughts or join our discussion forum and let others know what you think.