08.09.2008

Another fatality for the want of a harness

A 40 year old man died after he was catapulted out of a boom lift in an accident in Rana, northern Norway today. A 30 year colleague managed to remain in the platform and was reported to be unhurt.

The boom was tipped over by an overhead travelling crane in the stockyard of an industrial plant owned by Ruukki Profiler.
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The boom lift is in the background, near the crane

The man who died was not wearing a harness while his younger colleague managed to remain in the platform, either because he was wearing a harness or because he somehow managed to hold on?
Employees at the plant have been told not to speak of the accident while the investigation continues.

Vertikal Comment

We do not yet know the details of this sad accident, but we do know that by whatever means one man managed to remain in the platform and was not even injured! This yet again demonstrates that when in a boom lift that tips, for whatever reason, the chances are that the platform will not touch the ground, so if you can simply remain in it, your survival chances are high.

A boom can tip or whiplash for reason outside of the control of the users, such as a vehicle crashing into it, or a crane striking it so no matter how firm the ground, or how familiar you are with a machine a harness and short lanyard can help protect against the unexpected.