A man died in Hong Kong last week when an excavator lifting steel tubes overturned.
The incident occurred last Monday, on an excavated job site in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon.
The Hitachi 360 degree excavator was lifting large bundles of steel pipe into a corner of the site when the ground gave way under its tracks, and the machine overturned.
The load and possibly part of the excavator struck a man, 41, working on the site, possibly guiding the load.
He was rushed to hospital when he was declared dead shortly after arrival. The operator was also injured, but not seriously. Police declared the incident as an industrial accident, and the Labour Department has launched an investigation into the causes.
The local news report below provides a great deal more detail.
Vertikal Comment
Lifting suspended loads with excavators is rarely a good idea and is usually a cost saving measure. Telehandlers and cranes are designed specifically for this type of work and can often stand clear of the load, avoiding the need to go right up to the edge of a trench, for example.
But no matter what type of machine is used, a quick look at this scenario would have screamed danger, with an exceptionally high chance of such an incident occurring.
This is just another sad example of why it is better to use the right tool for the job.
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