03.02.2004

Tower collapses at Dublin job-site

More than 60 residents have been evacuated from their homes following the partial collapse of the jib of a Wolff tower crane at a Dublin construction site on Sunday. The site was unoccupied at the time of collapse and nobody was injured during the incident, but residents were removed from surrounding homes and a nearby railway line was closed for two hours as a safety precaution.

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It is beleived that high winds caused the jib of this Wolff tower crane to partially collapse.

It is believed that high winds caused the tower crane’s jib to bend and snap, almost completely crushing the operator’s cab as it fell towards the ground. A single pendant connected both to the tower’s main mast and jib did, however, remain in tact preventing the entire jib length from crashing down onto the job-site.

A UK representative for Wolff visiting the site yesterday did stress, however, that no predictions to the cause of collapse would be made until the crane was dismantled and a full inspection had been carried out.

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A single pendant prevents the entire jib section from crashing to the ground.

Ireland-based crane hire companies McNally’s Crane Hire and Meade Crane Hire were subsequently called in to commence recovery operations yesterday, but despite efforts to secure the damaged crane, prevailing high winds deemed the process too dangerous, causing Ireland's Health & Safety Authority (HSA) to postpone all activity.

The two companies were forced to evacuate the site and remove several mobile cranes brought in to assist in the recovery operation amidst fears that the tower crane could collapse entirely.

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Fortunatley the site was unoccupied at the time of collapse. Pictured is the crane's operator cab following the incident.

Initial reaction as to why the crane collapsed focuses on the cranes slew brake. Typically, such cranes are left with free slew to allow the jib to rotate away form the prevailing wind and thus not catch its full force. Unconfirmed reports yesterday claimed that the brake had either been left on, or had somehow applied itself or jammed, thus preventing free slew and subjecting the jib to extreme side winds.

At the time of writing, Vertikal.net is unsure whether a second recovery operation has taken place, but calmer weather is expected over the next few days.