Boom lift fatality yesterday.

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Worker killed in 100ft crane snap

Tragedy ... the snapped crane in Glasgow
By DAVID WYNN

A WORKER was killed yesterday in a horror 100ft plunge when a crane SNAPPED.




He is understood to have been thrown from the cherrypicker and was battered by scaffolding as he fell to the ground.

A colleague below is thought to have been hit by the toppled section of crane — and was rushed from the the towering office block with serious head wounds.

Parts of the building were also evacuated as emergency crews raced to the scene.

Last night, one worker at a nearby site said: “It’s an absolute tragedy. I heard the cherrypicker collapsed and this poor guy was thrown to the ground.

“Apparently, because of the height the guy was up, he didn’t stand a chance.”

Workmates had watched in horror as the accident happened at around 12.25pm during renovation work at Buchanan House in Cowcaddens, Glasgow.

The two casualties were part of a team of contractors working on the site, which houses Network Rail, Transport Scotland and Glasgow Caledonian University.


Shock ... office staff and 999 crews at scene
Buchanan House worker Cheryl McDermott, a mum-of-one, tweeted after the incident: “Horrible day at Buchanan house. Really puts life into perspective.”
Police and fire crews remained at the scene for most of the day as investigators spoke to witnesses and examined the site.

David Walker, 33, who lives close to the scene, said: “Police and fire crews have been here all day. It’s terrible that someone has died in such a tragic way. I just really feel for his family.”

Shop owner Brett Morris, 38, who runs the La Sandwicherie shop opposite the building, said: “The guys that are working in Buchanan House come in on Saturdays quite a lot.”

A police spokeswoman said last night: “We can confirm one man has died and another has been taken to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary following an accident at Buchanan House.”

A spokesman for One Stop Safety Systems, the main contractor on the site is, refused to comment last night.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1yPdueQen

[willie59]

Not likely a worker would live through that, that boom would have fell rapidly. Doesn't look like the boom sections were at full extension either, which makes the failure even more curious.

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Fatal work platform had buckled before
Grant Prior | Fri 22nd June

A 43m cherrypicker which collapsed and killed a worker in Scotland this week had problems with the boom a year ago.

An investigation is currently underway into the tragedy which killed Gary Currie and seriously injured another man after they were sent crashing to the floor.

The Daily Record said workers were rescued from the same Bizzochi machine on June 17 last year when the boom broke.

The machine is owned by Craig Services and Access which operates from a farm outside Hamilton.

When confronted with the allegation, owner Donald Craig told the Daily Record: “It’s not the same place.

“There was a fault in boom number three – but that was boom number two.

“It was all safely done the last time. There were new booms, so it was nothing to do with that.

“I really can’t say anything, it’s under investigation. We are so sorry about the man’s fatality.

“But until it is investigated, we can’t comment on anything. We are not qualified to say anything.

“We are all devastated about that metal failure. It all has to be examined by experts now.”

Craig bought the crane in 2009 after previous owners, Newcastle- based ES Access, went into administration.

It was supposed to be in the process of being repaired in Italy after ES Access owner Paul Hunwick discovered metal fatigue in the boom.

Hunwick said: “The boom had a crease in it. You have to have them inspected every six months and we found this problem.

“We contacted the manufacturers and sent it to Italy to have two new boom sections put in.

“We paid a £12,000 deposit to have them built but our company went into administration shortly after that and administrators took over the assets.

“I believe Donald Craig bought the truck after that. I didn’t think any more of it until I saw the news yesterday.”

Currie worked for Glasgow-based One Stop Safety Systems, who rented the cherrypicker from Craig Services.

A spokesman said: “Our sympathies are extended to the family of our employee, Gary Currie, who was killed in the industrial accident on Wednesday afternoon. Our sympathies are also extended to the injured crane operator from Craig Services and Access Limited. Our thoughts are with him, his family and work colleagues, and we hope he makes a full recovery from his injuries.

“Everyone involved with our company has been greatly affected and saddened by the tragic events of yesterday afternoon. The directors of the company will do everything in our power to make sure both families are given every possible assistance and support in the days ahead.

“In addition to carrying out our own internal investigation, One Stop Safety Systems will co-operate with the owners of the crane and the Health and Safety Executive in their investigations. We aim to provide the safest possible working environment for our workers and everyone connected with the company.”

[digger242j]

When confronted with the allegation, owner Donald Craig told the Daily Record: “It’s not the same place.

“There was a fault in boom number three – but that was boom number two.

“It was all safely done the last time. There were new booms, so it was nothing to do with that.

“I really can’t say anything, it’s under investigation. We are so sorry about the man’s fatality.

“But until it is investigated, we can’t comment on anything. We are not qualified to say anything.

“We are all devastated about that metal failure. It all has to be examined by experts now.”

Craig bought the crane in 2009 after previous owners, Newcastle- based ES Access, went into administration.

It was supposed to be in the process of being repaired in Italy after ES Access owner Paul Hunwick discovered metal fatigue in the boom.

Hunwick said: “The boom had a crease in it. You have to have them inspected every six months and we found this problem.

“We contacted the manufacturers and sent it to Italy to have two new boom sections put in.

“We paid a £12,000 deposit to have them built but our company went into administration shortly after that and administrators took over the assets.

How much do you want to bet that only one section was replaced?

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UPDATE

We can now confirm that the aerial lift involveed was one previously owned by ES Access which was liquidated last year. Craig Services & Access acquired the machine and been running it since.

The unit was subjected to a serious overload a couple of years ago and was repaired in the factory just before ES Access went into administration.
The lift was eventually returned to the UK and sold by the administrator through a third party to Craig Services.

The lift then incurred more recent boom damage when the second section buckled. The unit was fully inspected under the manufacturer's supervision. A repair was, we understand quoted for, but was eventually carried out elsewhere. We have not been able to ascertain who did that repair, or of course if it had any relevance to the current incident.

This is a tragic and almost certainly avoidable incident and warrants a full and in depth investigation that will truly get to the bottom of exactly what happened so that the industry can learn from it- and sooner rather than later.

[willie59]

Given the reported propensity for that particular machine to have repeated problems/failures, after the inspection is completed, that unit should be cut up for scrap. That machine should not be allowed another opportunity to deny another worker from going home to supper in the eve. JMHO.

[Nige]

I have a question. How can you overload a cherry picker .......??

[SeaMac]

Nige,

Maybe they had over capacity weight on the platform or were using it as a crane to hoist. Really sad that the someone had to lose their life because a machine wasn't inspected or properly maintained. Hopefully it's not an issue of substandard steel which would and should ground the entire fleet. My thoughts go out to the family of the victims for this terrible tragedy...

I have a question. How can you overload a cherry picker .......??

[willie59]

I have a question. How can you overload a cherry picker .......??

I can't answer your question in specific Nige, as I know absolutely nothing about a Bizzochi machine, but I can tell you what I know about other aerial lift machines. The answer is two fold; 1) you can't, and 2) you can. Again, don't know this applies to Bizzochi, but on other long reach aerial lifts they have devices that prevent you from overloading the machine to the point of either tipping or structural failure from overload, that would be the "you can't". However, if these safety devices were not operating properly, there is the possibility that one could overload one to the point of tipping or structural failure, that would be the "you can".

It's curious to me that, from viewing the pic, the boom that failed was not at full extension, which would be the maximum load on the telescoping boom. Something went terribly wrong for that boom to fail at what appears to be a mid point of extension of that telescoping section.

[Dualie]

I wounder of the lift could have been previously slewed into something causing a dent or crease in the side of the boom that gave a good place for fatigue to set in?