Learning & Sharing both good and bad practice....

1. VICTORIA: FIRM PLEADS GUILTY OVER UNLICENSED DOGMAN’S FALL
22 March 2010
A sheet metal engineering company and its director have pleaded guilty in the Indus-
trial Magistrates Court on Wednesday for failing to provide a safe working environment
- plant & systems of work, and information, instruction, training & supervision.
The case stemmed from a 2 February 2009 incident, where an unlicensed dogman fell
from height.
The Wodonga company’s employee acted as a dogman on a platform being raised by a
mobile tractor crane at an excessive height when he fell to the ground.
He was later transported to a hospital by ambulance, where he underwent surgery to
LIFTING MATTERS
pin his right leg which was extensively damaged. He also suffered injury to his ribs and
wounds to his right thigh and left elbow.
It was later found the crane did not have a safety hook, and was not maintained prop-
erly.
Published in the interest of promoting safety in the crane industry
Aside from the dogman, it was also found that the operator of the crane at the time of
the incident did not have a licence to undertake the work.
The company and its director knew crane operators need to be licensed, and that their
employees did not possess such licence. They had decided to get employees trained
after the job was complete as it would then be able to afford it. Sharing an d Learnin g
Magistrate John Martin Murphy did not impose a fine when he determined the case on
March 3. However, he ordered the firm and its director costs of $1,354.52 and
$865.96, respectively. http://www. Safetyculture.com.au/news/index.php/page/6/
GOOD AUSTRALIAN HUMOUR
An Aussie truckie walks into an outback cafe' with a full-grown emu behind him. The waitress asks
them for their orders.
The truckie says, 'A hamburger, chips and a coke,' and turns to the emu, 'What's yours?' 'I'll have
the same,' says the emu.
A short time later the waitress returns with the order 'That will be $9.40 please,' and he reaches into
his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment..
The next day, the man and the emu come again and he says, 'A hamburger, chips and a coke.' The
emu says, 'I'll have the same.' Again the truckie reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.
This becomes routine until the two enter again. 'The usual?' asks the waitress. 'No, it's Friday night,
so I'll have a steak, baked potato and a salad,' says the man. 'Same,' says the emu. Shortly the
waitress brings the order and says, 'That will be $32.62.'
Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table. The waitress
cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. 'Excuse me, mate, how do you manage to always come
up with the exact change in your pocket every time?'
'Well, love' says the truckie, 'a few years ago, I was cleaning out the back shed, and found an old
lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered
me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to
pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket
and the right amount of money would always be there.'
'That's brilliant!' says the waitress. 'Most people would
ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always
be as rich as you want for as long as you live!'
'That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls
Royce, the exact money is always there,' says the man.
The waitress asks, 'What's with the bloody emu?'
The truckie sighs, pauses, and answers, 'My second APRIL 2010
wish was for a tall bird with a big arse and long legs,
who agrees with everything I say.'
12 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 1

2. EDITORIAL WORKING AT HEIGHTS INNOVATIONS
Safety is everybody‟s business in the construction world because the consequences of failure can
This photo was taken in London last year show-
be catastrophic, as demonstrated by the major crane accidents that kill dozens of people every year. ing a specially constructed tower bolted to one of
In this light, it is critically important to study near-misses—accidents that never happen because the vertical pillars of the building. A single ladder-
trained and concerned persons are on the scene, a serious safety program is in place or just, plain beam mounted on top served as a jib/gantry for
dumb luck saved the day. use as a fall arrest system for the riggers to
Safety experts say the relationship between the number of accidents and incidents is shaped like a unload steel from delivery trucks.
pyramid, with major accidents at the top, minor accidents in the widening middle and incidents, ob- An inertia reel of sorts was attached to the end of
servations and near-misses at the broad bottom. The incidents at the bottom, like the crane crack the ladder-beam and hooked onto the workers
that caused no injuries or damage, are a good opportunity to study the safety program of a company harnesses to prevent them hitting the ground
or project to see if it has all the elements and processes needed to prevent a major accident. should they fall from the back of the truck.
All near-misses have the potential for much more serious consequences, and, as a result, compa- A concern would be if the worker was to fall from
nies should have an effective program of managing near-misses. Construction is a diverse industry, the far end of the trailer. The pendulum effect of
so programs will vary with the kind of work performed, but risk experts suggest there are eight ele- the arc of the „swing‟ would not arrest his fall in
ments in an effective near-miss process: 1) identifying an incident as a near-miss; 2) having a re- time unless of course the trailer was to
move as required. RDP
porting and disclosure structure; 3) prioritizing incidents according to potential severity; 4) distribut-
ing the information to those people analysing the causes; 5) identifying the direct and root causes of
the near-miss; 6) finding solutions for each identified cause; 7) disseminating the solutions to those BOGGED—110 TONNE TADANO
who will execute them; and 8) tracking solutions to make sure they are executed. 15 March 2010
A 110T Tadano mobile crane became bogged in saturated
Few firms are happy to air details about the kinds and causes of near-misses on their projects, but
sand in Darwin, NT after heavy rain over the weekend.
there is a greater public good in doing so. Just as companies learn from the best practices of others,
there is an even greater learning experience in hearing about and understanding the causes of After leaving the site on the way back to the depot, the
events that could have been catastrophic. Measuring and analysing such events can pay great divi- operator unfortunately strayed just a little too far off the
dends and are the main building block of a zero-accident safety culture. very narrow bitumen road, with the undesired result of
becoming bogged in what looked to all intense and
Your opinion and any queries or wishes you may have are extremely important to us! Let us know purposes to be a fairly stable road surface.
what's on your mind. Please send your contributions to ricky@universalcranes.com or contact us
Crane drivers should always be aware that during severe
by phone on +61 7 3907 5800. (RDP) weather conditions, the shoulders of secondary roads
will become unstable due to the run-off from the fin-
IN THIS ISSUE ON THE COVER ished road surface.
RDP
Editorial 02
Emergency action plans 03
LIGHTNING STRIKE ON TOWER
Crane collapses onto traffic 03 CRANE IN PERTH
Safe loading of EWP’s on tilt tray trucks 04 23 March 2010
CFME report on Worsley crane collapse 04 A dramatic photo taken recently during an
Safety Alert: Mobile crane stability 05 electrical storm in Perth, WA where a tower
crane on the North side of the Swan River
Who trained him then? 06
received a direct hit from a bolt of lightning.
100T Crawler crane tip-over 07
Crane backstop fell during erection 08 Photo submitted by geoff.beaton@kjv.com.au RDP
Light vehicle under rear dumper 09
Ketchikan boom truck tips over with worker 09 WORKING UNDER LOADS
Safety Alert: Fatality by unsecured truck load 10 A photo taken in Brisbane recently showing workers attaching a
Working at heights innovations 11 A Universal Cranes VOLVO FH16 with an prop to a precast concrete element while being directly under a
8 line trailer transporting one of our suspended load. This is unfortunately seen on sites around Aus-
Bogged 110T Tadano 11
Liebherr LTM 1300 (300t All Terrain tralia all to often.
Lightning strike on tower crane in Perth 11
Crane) from the Wind Farms in South The National Code of Practise for pre-cast, tilt-up and concrete
Working under loads 11
Australia back to the Brisbane depot. elements in Building Construction 2008 clearly discourages the
Victoria: firms pleads guilty 12 fixing of props to smaller concrete elements, unless the element
Good Australian humour 12 is in an almost vertical position and resting on the ground.
RDP
2 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 11

3. Emergency Action Plans
“Should construction workers be faced with an accident that results in a need to call for help from
the emergency services, then the following is an easy to follow Emergency Action Plan;
Without placing yourself or others in harm‟s way, check for any further Danger.
Remove the danger from the casualty or remove the casualty from the danger.
Alert the emergency services personnel by ringing Triple Zero and asking for ambulance attendance
and advice;
 The ambulance service will ask for specific details such as the incident‟s exact location and
what happened. Leave the telephone line open for the emergency services personnel to con-
tact you for updates;
 Do a head count, have someone in authority cross check the sign in/attendance book with the
physical count of each worker;
 Any crisis needs leadership. Gently, but confidently, delegate important tasks to those willing
to help. Give people a key job. Ask someone to direct the emergency vehicles; ask another to
alert the first aid officer and another to help carry vital equipment;
 Have another person accurately write down the casualty‟s name, the times that the emergency
happened and roughly what happened. Keep a record for your company and hand a copy to
the paramedics;
 A job debrief is an important learning tool. If you think that someone isn‟t coping well after an
emergency, let your supervisor know so that additional counselling can be offered if needed.
Look at your Emergency Action Plans and practice them regularly.
Practice makes perfect.
Remember, Stay Healthy, Stay Safe…!”
Yours sincerely,
Baf Kuka.
(baf.kuka@firstaidsafetytraining.com.au)
CRANE COLLAPSES ONTO TRAFFIC
26 March 2010
A construction crane has collapsed in the
Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, smashing into
nearby traffic. Six people were hurt in the
accident, two of whom sustained serious
injuries.
The accident occurred in the late after-
noon. The high-rise crane snapped at its
foundation and fell onto the adjacent high-
way, burying nine passenger cars and stall-
ing all traffic. The plunging crane landed
only a meter away from a nearby bus stop.
Rescuers worked at the site through the
night to remove the metal debris and un-
block traffic.
http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-03-26/krasnoyarsk-crane-collpases-traffic.html
http://www.buildsafeuae.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=4269&tabid=3053
10 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 3

4. www.worksafe.qld.gov.au LIGHT VEHICLE UNDER REAR DUMPER
SAFETY ALERT The parking of cars on
mining sites in Australia
needs to be done with
extreme care when
there are monster
trucks like this running
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland around.
Safe loading of elevated work Of note is that the
dumper is also licensed
platforms on tilt tray trucks to travel on the road.
Purpose
The purpose of this alert is to inform persons of http://www.miningmayhem.com/2010/04/light-vehicle-under-rear-dumper.html
the risk of injury when loading and unloading ele-
vating work platforms (EWPs) onto and off tilt tray Ronald Reagan
trucks. How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an
anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
Ketchikan boom truck tips over with worker in bucket
Photograph 2: EWP in travel position as specified by
28 March 2010
Actions required to minimise the risk of injury
For the safe loading of EWP‟s, the following is to The worker was in a bucket at the end of
be ensured: a truck's extended boom when the truck
• The EWP is loaded and unloaded according to tipped over Friday. The worker suffered a
the EWP manufacturer‟s instructions. bloody nose and sore ribs.
• Always winch the unmanned EWP on/off the tilt
tray unless the manufacturer‟s instructions allow it The worker and another utility employee
to be driven. were on Tongass Avenue, the street that
• Use the winch if the tray surface or EWP’s tyres runs along Ketchikan's waterfront, with the
are slippery or if the slope of the tray is too steep truck parked on the ocean side. The
for the EWP. boom was stretched above the road to
Photograph 1: Loading an EWP onto a tilt tray truck. • Truck must be on firm level ground with no side work on power lines across the street. The
Background slope. The winch may not stop the EWP from second employee was on the ground.
A recent incident occurred in Queensland when falling off the tray if loading with a side slope in
Ketchikan Police Department Officer
an EWP slipped down the tray of a tilt tray truck. slippery conditions.
Charlie Johnson witnessed the accident as he drove slowly north with traffic.
The operator was located in the basket and drove • The truck is suitable to transport the EWP in the
the EWP up the tilted tray to load it onto the truck travel (stowed) position as determined by the "I saw the tires on the left side start coming up off the ground, so I just stopped because I
for transportation. Photograph 1 shows an EWP EWP manufacturer. The tray or trailer should be knew that didn't look right," Johnson said. "He didn't have his downriggers out on the truck
being loaded onto a tilt tray. The truck tray used long enough for the boom and basket in the travel for the lateral support. I guess it put too much of a load on the suspension and took the
for transporting the EWP was too short to enable (stowed) position. The mass of the EWP is to be whole truck over."
the EWP to be placed in the transport (stowed) within the capacity of the winch, truck and/or
trailer. The bucket struck about six feet from the base of a utility pole. The truck fell toward its pas-
position without the basket overhanging the tray.
Photograph 2 shows a view of the EWP with the • The operators of EWP’s are provided with oper- senger-side wheels with its bottom at a 45-degree angle. The boom remained stretched
basket overhanging the tray. To prevent overhang ating instructions and must be adequately trained above the street.
the basket was rotated under the boom for its operation. This is especially critical in rela- The worker in the bucket stood up right away, Johnson said, and told the officer he was
(“crowded” position) as shown in Photograph 3. tion to loading and unloading EWP‟s onto and off fine. "He had a bloody nose and some banged-up ribs," Johnson said. "He was attended to
When the basket was placed in the crowded posi- tilt trays. by EMS."
tion and lowered onto the tilted tray, the braked • The EWP is transported in compliance with De-
wheels nearer to the basket lifted off the tray. The partment of Transport and Main Roads require- Portions of the bottom of the bucket were broken but the rest of bucket appeared to be
remaining wheels in contact with the tray were not ments. intact. "It was really slow and it just slowly tipped over," Johnson said. "There was force, but it
fitted with brakes. The winch cable was not at- In addition the following factors should be wasn't really fast."
tached to the EWP, thus allowing it to roll down considered: Mike Kline, manger of the utility electric division, told the Ketchikan Daily News he was hesi-
the slope of the tray. This movement caused the • Transport EWP’s on a drop deck trailer (low tant to comment on any details and that the position of the downriggers was a detail in-
basket of the EWP to strike the ground. The op- loader) rather than a tilt tray truck. vestigators will review. He would not identify the workers.
erator was crushed between the basket‟s handrail • Use of the winch by another person at the same
and the ground, inflicting serious bodily injuries. time that the EWP is driven up or down the slope The incident shut down Tongass Avenue for two hours.
of the tray, (see Photograph 4). http://www.adn.com/2010/03/28/1203019/ketchikan-boom-truck-tips-over.html
4 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 9

5. Photograph 4: EWP being driven up tilt tray with winch
cable attached and operated simultaneously.
Photograph 3: EWP in crowded position on levelled tilt Legislative requirements
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995
• If placing the basket onto the tray is recom- imposes health and safety obligations on all per-
mended by the manufacturer, level the tilt tray sons conducting a business or undertaking
prior to placing the basket onto the tray. whether as employer, self-employed person, de-
• Use the ground controls when placing the bas- signers, manufacturers, suppliers, installers and
ket onto the tray. owners of plant and workers.
Routine maintenance The information contained in this alert is designed
A competent person should be engaged to carry to help persons meet their obligations regarding
out inspections of all critical components at least the management of risks associated with loading
annually or as prescribed by the manufacturer. and unloading EWPs for transportation purposes.
This includes but not limited to the inspection of More information
the winch, winch cable, chains, tie down points Further information is available from
and EWP brakes. A record of the above activities www.worksafe.qld.gov.au or by calling the
should be maintained to provide a history of the Workplace Health and Safety Infoline on
plant. 1300 369 915.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of ac-
cepted success.
David Russell
The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.
Robert Orben
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.
CFMEU says the Worsley crane collapse was due
to mechanical failure
15 January 2010
THE CONSTRUCTION, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
have reported the tower crane collapse at BHP’s Worsley Alumina
Refinery project, WA, was due to mechanical failure.
According to CFMEU, mechanical failure in the jib during commission-
ing caused the boom structure of the tower crane to collapse on 13
January, damaging a number of amenities sheds and another crane.
Some workers escaped harm narrowly and without injury.
The incident is said to have occurred during load testing on the John
Holland construction project, with the crane subcontracted from NSW-
based, Marrs Crane Hire.
http://www.constructioncontractor.com.au/article/A-spate-of-crane-collapses-in-WA/509383.aspx
8 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 5

6. SAFETY ALERT NO. 11 crane can be sustained by the ground or any other means of support. AS2550.1—2002 Cranes,
hoists and winches — Safe use — General requirements, Section 4.2 deals specifically with this re-
WORKPLACE STANDARDS TASMANIA quirement
MOBILE CRANE GROUND STABILITY
 operators of mobile cranes must be trained and aware of the requirement to ensure that ground
stability has been deemed to be satisfactory prior to commencing to set up the crane
Details  the set up area and any installed or prepared pads must be clearly marked and identifiable
On 9 November 2009 a serious near miss involving a 100 tonne mobile crane occurred on a busy con-  clear communication channels between all parties engaged to erect precast concrete panels is para-
struction site. There was potential for multiple fatalities. The crane was being used to lift and position
mount.
precast concrete panels. The ground beneath one of the crane outriggers collapsed while the crane
When using cranes to lift precast concrete panels, a detailed erection procedure and checklist that
was lifting a 4 ton panel. The loss of ground stability resulted in the crane outrigger sinking approxi-
mately half a metre. Fortunately, the quick placement of extra timbers under the outrigger arm pre- conforms or surpasses AS3850—2003 Tilt up concrete construction must be in place. A free checklist is
vented further ground collapse and the panel was able to be lowered without further incident. available from the Work Safe Victoria Website. Go to www.worksafe.vic.gov.au and search for
“checklist for onsite erection of concrete panels”.
Contributing Factors
If you would like further information contact Workplace
The larger timbers that An investigation into this incident
Marking paint later Standards Tasmania on:
were used for the bottom used to identify pads revealed a number of factors which
layer of the packing have contributed to the cause: Telephone: 1300 366 322 (inside Tasmania) or (03)
Note the outrigger is 6233 7657 (outside Tasmania)
shown set up on the • Change of cranes: Cranes which
correct pad location had previously been used at the site
were not available for use. This re- Who trained him then?
sulted in a different crane company
These two were spotted with their truck mounted
being engaged by a sub contractor.
alloy tower, almost breaking every rule of safe working
Importantly the replacement crane
had a different size outrigger foot- in the book.
http://www.vertikal.net/fileadmin/journals/
print. ca/2010/ca_2010_3_p56-57.pdf
• Suitability of the ground and
prepared outrigger pads: An as- 100T CRAWLER CRANE TIP-OVER
Area of previous
ground collapse sessment of the ground stability
19th April 2010
Soft fill was obscured (hard stand capability) had taken
by surface soil place and pads had been prepared for Summary of Incident
the previous cranes. However the An operator was instructed to refuel a 100 tonne
pads did not fit the footprint for the Manitowoc crawler crane in preparation for mobili-
replacement crane. sation to a site.
• Communication of the suitability of the ground: The crane driver was told that the ground The crane had recently been demobilised from
was suitable and based his assessment on being told that previously same size cranes had set up in another site and had been parked in a corner of
the same area. The sub contracting company communicated to the replacement crane company that the yard awaiting remobilisation, facing away from
other large cranes had been in use in the area but did not communicate that pads had been installed. the exit route.
• Identification of outrigger pads: The installed pads were not easily identifiable and were ob- The tracks were retracted and there was 29 tonne
scured by surface dirt and loose gravel. As per the photograph, they were later identified with ground of counter weight attached.
marking paint.
While attempting to manoeuvre the crane into a
• Inadequate outrigger support timbers: The timbers used by the crane set up crew under the
position to be able to track toward the fuel bowser,
out riggers were inadequate in spreading the load. Subsequently larger timbers were used as shown in the operator not being able to see where he
the photograph. wanted to go, disengaged the slew ring lock pin
• Failure to adequately reassess risk: No new risk assessment took place after new plant was and began to slew around. The crane immediately
introduced to the worksite as required by the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998. Post tipped over backwards onto the counterweights.
the incident, a resubmitted Job Safety Analysis was provided by the cranage company. This document There were no injuries and very minor damage. The recovery was done immediately using a 50
included the need to check ground stability. tonne Kobelco crawler crane.
Recommendations
Actions taken to prevent reoccurrence
In order to reduce the risk of possible injury or death from a crane rollover as a result of ground col-
lapse: 1. Toolbox talks with all employees
 a risk assessment must be conducted prior to the use of any mobile crane which includes a formal 2. All crane operators have been reminded of the standing rule in the yard that no movement of any
assessment of the ground stability. Importantly a new risk assessment must coincide with any high risk plant is to be undertaken without the guidance of a spotter.
change in the plant (crane) Stability is one of the most important factors relating to any crane. Failure to maintain stability is one
 from the risk assessment process, a competent person must ensure that the loads imposed by the of the key factors associated with serious crane incidents.
RDP
6 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 LIFTING MATTERS April 2010 7