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 on for the November 2023 accidents.
Dropping the boat
This article was originally published on November 20, 2023 on Vertikal.net. Click the link for more pictures and a video about the accident.
A five axle All Terrain nearly ended up in the dock on Thursday when it dropped a classic Amsterdam sightseeing boat in the Netherlands.
The crane – a 100 tonne Liebherr LTM 1100-5.2 owned and operated by C&P Kraanverhuur – was lifting the boat, the Eveline, out of the water at a quay in Amsterdam-Noord for dry dock maintenance over winter. The crane was lifting the boat over one of the rear outriggers when it punched through the concrete dock surface revealing a large underground void.
The crane tilted but remained upright as the back end of the boat initially rested in the water, while the front hung up on the dock, with some weight still held by the crane. As everyone recovered from the shock, the web sling at the rear of the boat shifted along the boat relieving the crane of its load almost causing it to flip over rearwards. Once again however, it did manage to remain upright on the dockside.
There were several issues with this incident, but the most critical was the assumption that the surface and construction of the old dock was sufficiently strong enough to support the crane without the need for outrigger mats of any kind. Why anyone would ever set outriggers on a machine of this size without at least putting down the usual on-board mats, in order to at least spread the outrigger loads a little, is hard to fathom. Thankfully no on was seriously hurt and even the boat is repairable.
An overnight salvage operation using two other cranes managed to extract the boat from the water, when its drained and loaded onto the waiting trailer.
Edinburgh crane collapses on building site as roads closed off
This article is reprinted from The Edinburgh Live article published on November 28, 2023. More updates and videos are at the link.
A huge crane has collapsed on a major building site as emergency services race to the scene in Leith on Tuesday morning.
Police and firefighters were scrambled to Stead’s Place, off Leith Walk, at around 9.30am. Images from the site show the massive yellow steel structure toppled onto the roof of the construction site.
Pictures and video circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, appears to show the long arm of a large yellow crane having collapsed onto the partially built block of flats.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service vehicle is visible in a clip shared online and around a dozen workers in high-vis jackets and hard hats can be seen looking onto the scene from a safe distance. Roads including Leith Walk have been closed off.
The incident is understood to have taken place at around 9.30am on Tuesday November 28 at Drum Property Group’s 2.9-acre development site.
The metal arm of the crane looks to be mangled in images shared by Dave Armstrong, who is a director at Edinburgh City FC, with elements of the equipment also visibly snapped. Another image shows the collapsed arm on top of the flats that are under construction in the Leith area.
A spokesperson for the SFRS said: ” SFRS are in attendance at Leith Walk.” A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Emergencies services are in attendance at Stead’s Place in Edinburgh after a crane collapsed at a building site. There are road closures in place at Leith Walk and Pilrig Street. Motorists and pedestrians are asked to avoid the area.”
Construction worker killed from overturned excavator in Delray Beach
This article is reprinted from CBS12 News originally published on November 9, 2023. There is a video on the accident at the link.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — While clearing debris from a demolished home in Delray Beach Thursday morning, an excavator overturned, striking and killing a man.
A heavy first responder presence was seen in the area of the home off Lewis Cove. The Delray Beach Police Department said the man was taken to the hospital by fire rescue where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
Video shows the worker on a stretcher being wheeled to the back of an ambulance.
If you see an accident report you’d like us to feature in the blog, like the ones shown here in the October 2023 Accidents Reports, let us know. Contact heather@cranes101.com with the information.