27.08.2007

Crane collapse kills 3

An 800 tonne crane at the Kawasaki Ship building yard in Kobe collapsed on Saturday while undergoing repairs killing three employees and injuring four others.

The accident occurred at around 9:45 a.m when around 10 people were in the area. The seven casualties were on the 50 metre high crane around 15 metres up when the accident happened. The three fatalities were named as Yuzo Akase 55, Takeshi Shinohara 40, and Kazuo Yamamoto 55.
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The collapsed shipyard crane in Kobe

Workers were trying to replace a shaft on the crane, but when the old shaft would not shift they increased the hydraulic pressure of the jacks, which broke the shaft, causing the cranes superstructure to collapse.

Police have started an investigation and questioned employees on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in deaths and injuries in connection with a collapse.

It has been reported locally that the firm had not worked out a plan for the operation beforehand. The police suspect that the company may have made an error in the way they operated the four jacks used in the work or the jacks may have been defective.