02.07.2009

Scissor accident claims three

Three people have been died in Kraków, Poland, after the scissor lift they were in tipped over during a regulatory safety inspection.
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Three died when the scissor lift fell

The lift, a JLG rough terrain scissor lift was fully extended at the rear of the premises of Sawtrak, a Toyota forklift dealer and rental company.

One of the men who died was a Kraków area technical inspector aged 31, while the other two, aged 56 and 63, were employed by the company.
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Police are investigating along with the Labour inspectorate

The three went down with the platform from a height of between 10 and 12 metres, landing in a ploughed field adjoining the premises. All three are reported to have died instantly.

The accident is being investigated by the National Labour Inspectorate along with the local police.
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The ground does appear to slope

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The lift crashed through a fence

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The Platform

Vertikal Comment

This is a highly unusual occurrence, big scissors such as this are very safe and forgiving, only a few occurrences can generally cause such a tip.

1. Elevating on a slope, which is not possible on most modern scissor lifts.
2. Elevating in extreme winds, particularly with materials that act as a sail.
3. Driving off of a substantial kerb or into a large hole at height.
4. A failure under the levelling outriggers when they are fully extended
5. A structural failure – although these tend to occur in the almost stowed position, rather than at height.

In this case the ground does appear to fall away slightly, although not enough to case a tip, the levelling outriggers were not extended, the lift did not drive into a void and there does not appear to have been any structural failure.

Local reports suggest that high winds might have been the cause as the platform raised above the protection of the building and was hit by strong side winds on the platform. That and a slight slope might have caused the fall, although once again such a tip is very rare.