Many job-site accidents are the result of a lack of training and equipment failure. Don’t let that happen to you and your employees. Sign up for training or schedule your next inspection with Cranes101. But first, read the February 2024 accidents.
Crane pull over
This article was originally published on February 23,2024 on Vertikal.net. Click the link for more pictures and a TikTok video on the incident.
A crawler crane travelling down a canal on board a barge in Belgium was pulled over yesterday when its boom caught up in overhead high tension power lines.
The barge was travelling south on the N9 road just north of Ghent, when its fully raised lattice boom caught in the wires, the crane tipped over backwards with the boom landing on the barge’s cabin. Damage appeared light and fortunately the crane remained on board.
Damage appeared light and the crane remained on board. The power lines however were pulled down, landing on the road and in the water, forcing the road and the canal to be closed. Surprisingly the local power was restored relatively swiftly, and no one was hurt in the incident.
The wires are difficult to spot, especially against the sun, however it is normal for cranes like this to have the boom either fully lowered or at least lowered to around 45 degrees. The barge, the Dongestroom, and crane are part of the Herbosch-Kiere fleet.
The wires are not that easy to spot.
Crane collapse between 2 NE Miami-Dade buildings causes diesel spill, power outage; no injuries reported
This article is reprinted from 7 News Miami, published on February 7, 2024. There is a video of the incident at the original link.
NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – A crane fell down between two buildings in Northeast Miami-Dade, causing a diesel spill and a power outage in the area.
Service workers from Florida Power and Light and Miami-Dade Police units responded to Northeast 111th Street and 14th Avenue, near Biscayne Boulevard, Wednesday afternoon.
7Skyforce captured the crane on its side between the two buildings.
Part of the crane fell on top of power lines, shutting down power for the entire area. As of 8 p.m., 100 customers were without electricity.
No injuries were reported.
The crane was in the neighborhood because crews were going to install concrete power poles. It remains unclear how the crane fell on its side.
Neighbors said they heard a big sound, which made them come outside.
“That is just scary. It sounded like a bunch of things falling to the ground,” said Saint, a resident in the area. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It’s, like, I know they were installing street poles around where I stay.”
Others said they first believed the smashing sound was the result of a police search.
“I heard a big boom, and my neighbor and I saw helicopters and things like that, so I thought they were after a criminal or something,” said Tyra Sanders.
Sanders said she heard the sound in the middle of grilling.
“Actually, I got my potato on the grill,” said Sanders. “It was kind of surprising.”
Saint said he walked outside wondering one thing.
“That was my first question, like, ‘Did anyone get hurt?’” he said. “It’s kinda scary, you know, knowing that could have happened to anybody, could have been on our end when they were working by our house and, like, you know, somebody could’ve been at home, and they got lucky that nobody was in the area when it hit the house.”
Crews may have to disassemble the crane in pieces to transport it away from the scene.
FPL and MDPD vehicles blocked 111th Street for hours.
The landlord who owns the four-unit apartment building near where the collapse took place told 7News that he’s making accommodations for his tenants.
On Thursday morning, crews continued working restore power in the area. Meanwhile, it remains unclear how many people are displaced as a result of this incident.
Calls for more tower crane safety after death of Vancouver worker
This article is reprinted from CBC News originally published on February 24, 2024.
The union representing crane operators in B.C. is asking for stricter safety regulations after a Vancouver construction worker was killed when a crane’s load fell on her.
Yuridia Flores, a mother of two from Mexico, was confirmed as the worker killed when the tower crane at the Oakridge redevelopment site dropped its load onto a building, which subsequently fell onto her.
Flores’s family has confirmed her identity to CBC News. Her death is being looked into by the provincial workplace regulator, WorkSafeBC, as well as the police and coroners service.
Her death has sparked calls for better regulations and training for tower crane operators in the province, especially given it was the third incident in the last month involving a tower crane in Metro Vancouver that is being investigated by WorkSafeBC.
The Oakridge crane incident came just a day after criminal charges were recommended in a fatal crane collapse in Kelowna in 2021.
“Clearly, the safety regime isn’t what it should be, and we lack the regulations to keep our construction sites safe,” said Josh Towsley, assistant business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115.
Towsley said that, currently, crane operators in the province can work even when on a provisional licence, and the only requirement to gain a provisional licence is to pass an online exam.
He also reiterated calls for the government to implement mandatory licensing for those who assemble and disassemble tower cranes.
“What I’m calling for is [B.C.] to be a leader in tower crane safety. Unfortunately, we seem to be leading [in] tower crane incidents,” Towsley said.
“We fall short of some of the other provinces when it comes to making sure that people are safe on construction sites, and that needs to change.”
Labour minister promises changes
Harry Bains, the provincial labour minister, told CBC On The Coast guest host Amy Bell that the Oakridge crane incident was a stark reminder of the importance of workplace safety.
“Obviously there must be something missing here because we’ve seen three crane incidents … this year in B.C.,” he said. “That’s not acceptable.
“The preliminary investigations show that there might not be very many similarities [in] all three incidences. But I don’t want to leave any stone unturned, because workers’ health and safety is a number 1 priority.”
Bains said he would be working with unions, including the IUOE, on further regulatory changes regarding tower crane operators.
He added that WorkSafeBC is already working on some changes to its regulations, including making it so employers have to submit notices of tower crane assembly ahead of time.
The provincial workplace regulator had previously told CBC News that an incoming requirement will make operating a crane in B.C. a “compulsory trade,” which means all crane operators will be mandated to undergo an apprenticeship before beginning their job.
WorkSafeBC has issued a stop-use order on the tower crane involved in the Oakridge death, and also issued a larger stop-work order for the whole construction site.
If you see an accident report you’d like us to feature in the blog, like the ones shown here in the February 2024 Accidents Reports, let us know. Contact heather@cranes101.com with the information.