Ca 2019 7 p40 45
Ca 2019 7 p40 45
Ca 2019 7 p40 45
sinking
feeling!
Using some form of material or method to spread the
weight of heavy objects, to stop them sinking into
soft ground dates back to the earliest of times. The
principal is all too obvious and yet hardly a week goes
by that we do not receive reports of cranes and work
platforms overturning due to being set up on soft or
unsuitable ground without some method of spreading
and supporting the load.
It is now 15 years since Cranes that there is still a long, long way to
& Access first published a go before the problem is eradicated.
feature highlighting these issues, The use of outrigger mats and
following a spate of crane and spreader plates has increased
work platform incidents - some exponentially - particularly in Europe
of which were fatal - caused - and anecdotal evidence would
purely by the absence of mats or suggest that the number of incidents
spreader plates when working on resulting from outrigger setup
ground that was clearly suspect. issues has decreased, while rental
Since then awareness has grown and companies are more than happy to
an increasing number of companies supply mats with their machines. always due to operator error and causes substantial damage to the
take the issue very seriously, to the Certainly more people are aware of usually comes down to a lack of crane or platform and shuts down
point where an entire industry has the problem, and it can be argued information on what lies under the work on the site, and at worst
developed, offering a vast array that the continuing high number surface, and it has to be said, in ends in fatalities, while writing off
of products all designed to enable of incident reports, owes more to some cases laziness or a lack of the equipment and causing huge
heavy equipment to work on or drive the ease of reporting, thanks to the attention. Pressure applied on the reputational damage to all involved,
over soft or sensitive ground. But has spread of the internet and arrival of crane operator by site managers can not to mention years of legal battles
it made any difference? Looking at a camera in everyone’s pocket in also be a mitigating factor, as they which can even result in a prison
the number of incidents reported on the form of a mobile phone, than an are accused of over cautiousness or sentence.
the lifting news website Vertikal.net absence of progress. simply being difficult!
you would be forgiven for thinking We receive incident reports that
Easy to avoid All too often we receive at first glance appear to be ground
not. There are still a significant
So why are we still seeing so many photographs of machines carrying or mat related but on closer
number of crane and platform
overturns that could so easily have out a lift with cribbing that has examination are simply due to the
overturns caused by either a lack of
been avoided? clearly been made up of scrap operator inadvertently slewing the
ground preparation or the absence
of mats to spread the point loadings We are told that it is down to a wood found on an untidy and crane counterweight over short
generated by outrigger jacks, heavily need for more education. As with sloppy job site. Clearly a lack of rigged outriggers or retracted
loaded wheels or tracks. It seems most incidents overturns are almost planning has been the critical first crawler tracks with the retracted
step in such a scenario, and all boom fully elevated. Most operators
too often it becomes the critical are well aware of forward stability
factor in an incident that at best but forget that in many cases the
least stable condition is behind came under great pressure to adapt equipment required to erect the canny operator does develop ‘an
them. This also applies to self- their plan and so began rigging turbines. As a result dozens of eye’ for what is likely to support
propelled boom lifts, where the least the crane over the front. Due to cranes, platforms and trucks have their crane or not. Such experience
stable position is with the retracted visibility issues the operator lifted rolled over after the road edges have requires an operator to remain
boom fully elevated and no load in the counterweight using the crane’s given way. with the same crane rather than
the platform - a boom on a slope Bluetooth controller at a greater Beware heavy rain fall constantly moving from crane to
of more than five degrees with the radius than had the counterweight crane.
An unusual but related incident
counterweight facing down the truck been able to pull alongside as When setting up any equipment
occurred earlier this month when a
slope will invariably tip rearwards. planned. The controller failed, and the ground should be inspected and
telescopic crawler crane overturned
If anyone is in the platform at this not being in the cab he did not feel questions asked, and ideally tested,
alongside the M4 motorway near
point they become the equivalent of the rear outriggers lift off the ground. so that suitably sized mats are used,
Slough in the UK. The 45 tonne
a rock in a trebuchet type catapult. Thankfully two passing site workers this is especially important when
Marchetti was working on a bridge
Unless they are wearing a harness spotted it and alerted the crane team working near buildings, footpaths
widening project and was travelling
- ideally with a very short lanyard - which was able to take steps to and roads where the possibility of
on a prepared raised platform/
they are likely to end up hitting the avoid what might have been a highly hidden voids is most prevalent.
road. However heavy rainfall had
ground on an adjacent job site! disruptive incident. Ideally the team
reportedly washed away much of This was highlighted in another
Some overturns are caused by would have called in the Appointed
the Type 1 material, reducing the incident this month - this time in in
an operator trying to set up in an Person/lift planner but naturally tried
platform’s ability to support the Valmuevej, near Copenhagen - when
area that is plainly unsuitable, with to work out something on the spot
crane and it gave way. The crane a 64 metre Palfinger P 640 truck
insufficient flat or load bearing space with the client.
was travelling with its tracks in the mount overturned onto the roof of
to deploy the outriggers and mats In a case reported from Germany retracked position and was guided a building. It seems was the rear
correctly. It goes without saying last month a large All Terrain crane by a spotter. The space available load side outrigger punched through
that had a thorough site survey arrived on site to find that there was was less than generous, possibly the pavement into a hidden void,
been carried in advance such issues insufficient space to set up in the forcing the crane to travel closer to causing the machine to lose stability.
would have been spotted and a position required - on a raised track - the edge than was ideal, given the Outrigger mats had been used but
solution found before the machine without a good deal of cribbing. The week or more of heavy rain. they were hardly any larger than
arrives. Although in some cases the operator had insufficient cribbing on the machine’s jack pads. Thankfully
As the incident highlights, even
site was checked, a job plan drawn board to cope but appears to have the boom and basket came to rest
when a specific platform has been
up only for the operator to discover found enough scraps of wood on on the roof a substantial height
built for the job, its condition needs
a last minute change of plan when site to set three of the outriggers, above the ground on the back side
to be monitored, and possibly
he arrives on site. All too often we but not the fourth. Under pressure of the building. The two men in the
tested on a regular basis. The crane
hear “We had planned the lift based to carry out the lift and get out of platform - the operator and a stone
operator can play a part in this and
on the facts discussed and agreed the way someone clearly suggested mason - managed to remain in the
ought to walk the route in advance,
during the initial site visit, but when that an excavator be called into help, platform and were rescued by local
but to be fair, they are hardly likely
our operator arrived there was a last using its upturned bucket as a form fire and rescue service with the help
to be an expert in the ground bearing
minute change. Our operator did his of cribbing! In this case the lift was of another platform.
ability of an ‘engineered platform’,
best to oblige the customer who completed without incident thanks
although a highly experienced and Of course there is little that can be
was under significant time pressure, more to luck rather than judgement.
but he failed to spot XYZ!” The crane company has since issued
Near miss in London new instructions to its operators, in
a bid to stop this happening in the
A recent ‘near miss’ incident in
future.
London concerned the replacement
of a rail bridge under a contract Lift. The requirement for cranes or large
The lifts had been planned in great truck mounted lifts to travel on
detail and well worked through, unsuitable or poorly constructed
but the bridge and its transporter tracks highlights an issue that has
arrived on site a day early - it dogged wind turbine installation
was scheduled to arrive after the work for years with contractors
crane was rigged. This forced a under financial pressure spending
change in plan as the crane could less on access roads, resulting
in roads that are too narrow or of The operator of this 64 metre
no longer be rigged over the rear. Palfinger P 640 truck mount
With penalties of £1,000 per minute insufficient quality across their didn’t check for hidden voids
per train delayed, the crane team width to safely support the heavy
The mats are 2.4 UK based Outriggerpads has launched a new range of composite cribbing and jacking
metres square,
100mm thick and
blocks. Manufactured from heavy duty polyethylene, the new range of Ecocrib heavy duty
each weigh 560kg interlocking cribbing blocks can be used anywhere traditional wood cribbing is used,
however they have the benefit of firmly interlocking with each other and do not corrode or
splinter, while being resistant to water.
They can either be used in two blocks per layer for lighter or less concentrated loading, or three
blocks per layer for heavier loadbearing applications. The 600mm long and 150mm square profile
blocks are tested for loads of up to 100 tonnes. Each block has two integrated rope handles for
ease of lifting and stacking. The
stack can be topped by one of
three 600mm square top mats,
with weights of 20kg, 25kg and
An FM Gru 2675 TLX used for the construction
of the Morandi Bridge replacement in Genoa
30kg.
Outriggerpads has also launched
the Ecostak range of jacking
blocks - also manufactured
from heavy duty polyethylene,
the 300mm square blocks are
available with a thickness/height
of 30, 80 or 140mm. A 250mm
square, 10mm thick insert is also
available for levelling off the stack
once it has been built. Ecocrib heavy duty interlocking cribbing blocks
are 600mm long and have a 150mm square profile