Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Oregon: Worker is Thrown from Cab of Crane and is Crushed

摘要

On November 6, 2003 at approximately 1430 hrs, a carrier-mounted lattice boom crane toppled over killing the operator. The 66-year old victim had more than 30 years of experience operating heavy equipment in the logging industry. The victim had been working for several days dredging fishponds at a commercial trout farm near his home. He had been helping the farm owner, his friend, with the dredging operation intermittently over several days and they were nearly finished when the incident occurred. The victim had just moved the crane onto a slip of land between two ponds to clear a channel between them. After he finished this work he dropped the bucket into to dry pond to dredge out some additional mud and debris that he was unable to reach from a previous position on the shoreline. As he began to bring in the bucket the crane began to fall onto its right side. The victim jumped from the operator's cab and was crushed by the carriage mount of the crane. The owner believes that the victim would have survived if he had remained in the cab. The victim died before he could be extricated from under the toppled crane. Recommendations: (1) Know the proper use and limitations of the machinery you are operating. Operators of heavy equipment must have appropriate training and/or licenses before operating the equipment. (2) Proper set-up is essential to safe crane operation. Always deploy outriggers before operating the crane. Understand the center of gravity of the load being lifted and avoid side or end pulls. (3) Equipment should have appropriate and approved personal protection or restraint systems; older equipment lacking such systems should be retrofitted to current standards.