04.07.2007

Boom lifts and wood decking don't go

An electrical contractor and hotel employee were hospitalised last week after the electric powered articulated boom lift they were working from toppled into a hole at the Americana Resort’s waterpark in Niagara, Canada.

The men were doing maintenance work before the hotel’s waterpark opened for the day, one of the injured men was a hotel employee. The other was an electrical contractor hired by the resort. According to the resort he contractor was trained and certified to operate aerial lifts

The two men were using the boom lift from the deck around the pool one of the machines wheels was parked on a wood cover over an access hole to the pool machinery.

“The cover collapsed and the machine went over dropping the two men around 13 metres one man was landed badly and was unconscious he was taken by helicopter to a Toronto hospital. The other was less badly injured and was taken by ambulance to the local hospital.

The boom was rented from Select Total Services of St.Catharines “It’s a devastating event,” said Peter Boivin, co-owner of Select said “We do everything we possibly can and in this case, obviously, it’s a bad turn of events,”

Boivin said the lift had an annual inspection in April and that it was inspected before delivery. “They simply drove one wheel of the unit into a maintenance pit of some nature. Why they were even near that vent is beyond me. I have no idea,” Boivin added.

Select

Select runs Snorkel booms and Skyjack scissors as well as some JLG lifts and telehandlers. The company offers operator training and prides itself of the service it offers.