One of the country’s largest plant hire companies have been fined £100,000 after admitting flouting health and safety rules which left a crane driver with crippling injuries. At NAHETS Safety is our primary concern.
John Young suffered severe spinal injuries after the cab of the crane fell through the air and crashed onto the roof of the Croydon Park Hotel on June 2, 2007.
He has been left unable to return to work more than two years after the tragedy.
Passers-by reported watching the crane’s arm topple backwards 200 feet in the air and break free from its base before crashing onto the roof of the neighbouring hotel.
Firefighters who helped rescue the injured driver from the wreckage described it as “one of the biggest disasters in Croydon since the Second World War.”
The crane was building the Altitude 25 apartment block for Howard Holdings when the accident happened at around 2.20pm.
Three other workers were left stranded on the top of the crane’s base for five hours as firefighters from Croydon fire station launched a massive rescue operation.
Select Plant Hire Company Ltd, based in Dartford, Kent, admitted breaching regulation 9(2) (b) and 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998; regulation 9(2) of the Provision and use of work Equipment Regulations 1998 and; section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
As well as the fine, the company was ordered £15 victim surcharge and the costs were £33,196.
Judge Anthony Morris said: “The defendant company created a very significant risk of an accident occurring. In addition when part of a crane falls to the ground, the possibility of death or serious injury is extremely high.”
A large crane lies in the middle of a large New York City intersection.
Ramadan Kurtaj was remembered yesterday at the spot where a construction accident took his life. His parents, Uke and Reyve Kurtaj, were granted a visa from Kosovo, and traveled to New York for the anniversary of their sons death. A picture of Ramadan was placed in honor of him at the construction site.
“It’s a big loss for me, it’s hard for me. I lost my son, 27 years old, it’s very hard,” said Uke Kurtaj through a translator. Ramadan wished to bring his parents to New York, but not because of his own death.
“They would never believe that they’d be coming to the United States under these circumstances,” said Xhevahire Sinanaj, Kurtaj’s cousin. “Their dream was different way, to be with their son. And now that they’re here and he is gone, it’s very hard for them. They’re very sad.”
Uke and Reyve Kurtaj mourn their sons death
Construction workers Ramadan Kurtaj (27) and Donald Leo (30) were killed last May 30 when the top part of a 200-foot crane crashed down on a Manhattan residential neighborhood. Their deaths followed an similar crash on May 15, 2008, where seven died in a crane accident.
Investigators have said a bad weld failed in the collapse. The workers’ families have sued the crane makers and prosecutors have launched a criminal probe. Their lawyers say the crane was put into service despite a history of poor maintenance and botched repairs.
The world’s largest land crane was recently built in Tri-Cities, WA. The crane was built by Lampson Crane, an international leader in the Heavy Lift and Transport Industry. It took one year to build and has a lift/move capacity of over 2600 tons–that is over 5 million pounds! It also stretches almost the length of a football field. The crane is going to be shipped to China in order to help build several nuclear power plants near Beijing. Click below for a video and complete story…
For the first time since 1971 the federal government is updating crane regulations. Triggered by various lethal crane accidents around the country this past year, the U.S. Department of Labor is set to release drafts of the new regulations, which focus mainly on crane operator standards.
New Standards
The new regulations will require crane operators to pass both written and practical tests in all 50 states and complete more training. Currently only 15 states and 6 cities require tests. Crane operators will have various options to become certified/qualified under the new rules:
Certification through accredited third-party testing organizations
Qualification through audited employer testing programs
U.S. military-issued qualification
Qualification by state/local licensing authorities
In addition to the certification and training of crane operators the new rules also hone in on inspecting ground conditions, crane assembly and disassembly, operating near power lines, and the use of safety devices and crane inspections.
It is expected that the final approval of all of the regulations will “likely take more than a year.”
Member schools of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) across the country offer mobile crane operator training and certification programs. Each of the member schools are authorized to administer the NCCCO Mobile Crane Certification tests. They also offer training from instructors, all holding NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Certifications, to prepare for the tests. Visit the NAHETS Crane Site for more information.
Save on Construction Equipment just announced the launch of its new website, saveonheavyequipment.com. The new site, powered by Ebay, is to offer “pre-owned heavy equipment, available online for discount prices.” Users can bid on heavy equipment regularly (Backhoe Loaders, Crawler Dozers & Loaders, Trailers, Asphalt & Concrete Pavers, Lifts, Graders, Cranes, Excavators, Wheel Loaders, Stump Grinders, Wood Chippers, etc.). In addition, there are also attachments, parts, and even manuals available to buy. There is the “bid option” and also a “buy now” option for some of the products. Click here for the original press release.
Although online auctions may not appear to be the best way to sell/purchase heavy equipment and parts, some have found it efficient and had good success. The city of Cottage Grove, MN has found that they get better trade in value through selling used equipment on Ebay than through local auctions. The city management analyst, Brian Voelker, states that they can get 200-300 users from across the United States by listing items on Ebay, compared to roughly 20 users at local auctions. Click here for the full story.
With e-commerce steadily increasing across the globe, it is vital for businesses to offer products and services online, even in the heavy equipment industry. With sites such as Save on Heavy Equipment, as well as others, you might just find the equipments or attachments you are looking for–at a competitive price!
New and Used Heavy Equipment Buyers and Sellers Introduced on Industrial Classifieds
The on-line B2B marketplace Industrial Classifieds, has launched a newly designed Web site specifically for construction equipment dealers, contractors and buyers of heavy construction equipment in North America and Europe.
Westborough, MA, June 28, 2008 –(PR.com)– Industrial Classifieds, an international business-to-business marketplace for the industrial and construction communities, and a division of the Industrial Leaders Group, today announced the release of its new Heavy Equipment Classifieds website at http://industrialsaver.com/classifieds/index.php/cat/2. According to Robert Huff, spokesman for the company, the site includes offerings to buy and sell a wide range of new and used heavy equipment from companies based in or serving the North American and European marketplace.
Huff said Industrial Classifieds also provides an online heavy equipment auction hosted by IndustrialSAVER. The auction allows companies and individuals to explore, bid on and offer all kinds of heavy construction equipment such as bulldozers, skid loaders, wheel loaders, tractors, heavy trucks, excavators, forklifts, cranes, dump trucks, hauling trailers, trenchers, deep hole drilling machines, graders and other new and used earth moving equipment and allied products at http://www.industrialsaver.com/stores/construction/Construction/Heavy-Equipment-and-Trailers
“With the launch of our new heavy equipment marketplace Industrial Classifieds now provides those in the market to purchase or sell heavy equipment the opportunity to meet potential suppliers and buyers all over the world,” said Huff. He added, “Whether one is seeking to buy heavy machinery locally or just looking to liquidate their own equipment, there are numerous social networking tools and other marketing resources available on Industrial Classifieds registered users are able to access at no charge.”
According to Huff, in effort to further its global reach, Industrial Classified will soon launch a specialized trade leads program enabling companies to submit RFQ’s to heavy equipment dealers and other suppliers in domestic and international markets. Huff explained the program will be designed to help develop trading partnerships among construction buyers and sellers worldwide with emphasis on Europe and North America. Details of the program is expected to be announced by mid-July at the company’s annual cookout to celebrate the first year anniversary of the Industrial Classifieds website being launched.
About Industrial Classifieds
Industrial Classifieds connects buyers and suppliers of industrial and construction products at http://www.IndustrialSAVER.com/classifieds. Users can post and explore free ads to buy/sell all kinds of industrial and construction equipment, machinery and supplies.
DUETZ, a leading independent gas and diesel engine manufacturer, has developed a hybrid power unit for heavy equipment. DUETZ claims the new unit has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30%. The unit is not only designed to reduce fuel costs and consumption, but CO2 emissions as well.
Here are some of the main specs and functions:
Mild hybrid drive unit
DEUTZ four-cylinder diesel engine, electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack, control unit
Electrical system nominal 15kW output, peak capacity at 30kW
Start and stop: automatic engine stop during idling phases, automatic engine start in the case of continued operation, the usual starter is omitted.
Power boost: in the case the power peaks, the electric unit is cut in.
Battery charging: if the diesel engine has excess power, the electric unit can charge the battery while operating as a generator.
Recuperation: part of the braking energy is refed into the battery by the electric unit
The new hybrid drive was developed with Heinzmann, a notable manufacturer of engine control systems and long-term DEUTZ partner and supplier. DEUTZ engines are commonly used in excavators, wheel loaders, access platforms, compactors, cranes, crushers, screeners, compressors, lift trucks, tractors, ride-on mowers, chippers, shredders, gensets and other off-highway mobile plant.
For more detailed information see original sources below.
On June 9 we came across a summary list of some recent crane accidents on newsday.com. With so many accidents occurring lately, we found it easier to learn more and keep track of the events from this list. From here you can search for more detailed news on the recent accidents.
The Oklahoma College of Construction (OCC), a NAHETS institution, was published in the May issue of the American Crane & Transport Magazine. Previously Wade Vakulick, director of industry relations and safety, contacted American Crane & Transport and invited them to visit the OCC campus to gather material for their upcoming May issue, which deals with crane operator safety and training. Although the site visit ended up not working out, American Crane & Transport called Wade and held a phone interview. The content of the interview is published in the article.
The article is entitled, “How safe is safe?” and focuses on crane safety and training . . .
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