The incident occurred on the Bridgewater bridge construction project, the crane owned by Century Steel Erectors, was working in the barge loading area, while the man was standing on a docked barge, where he was heloiung rig another crawler crane.

It is not certain if the crane actually touched the overhead wires, or if it merely got close enough for the power to arc to the crane and flow down the hoist cables to earth.

The man, a Century employee, received severe burns but was breathing and responsive when he was taken to hospital, he was later airlifted to a hospital in Pittsburgh.

All work on the bridge project was stopped awaiting the clearance by the utility company that the power lines are not damaged and the arrival of OSHA and its inspection.

Author: Unknown

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14875/?cHash=2ea41ec827ed88935b761f6d8bfd54b6

It looks as though it has some sort of unofficial superlift counterweight in place in the form of a tank trailer. Other than that we assume it is fairly original.

While it has a telescopic boom it is cable, rather than hydraulically luffed.

We understand that it is sitting in a scrap yard somewhere in Texas, although this is an assumption based on the location of our correspondent. Clearly it has not been used for some time.

Author: Unknown

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14877/?cHash=8a3a8b27a9b117b348b2e61cbe7dde3e

The courses will be held at Liebherr GB’s training centre in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire during week 27 – July 2nd – 6th . They are open to all those who need to be able to determine when it is safe to lift, such as Appointed Persons and crane operators.

The course is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of the effect of wind on loads with a large sail area. There will be an emphasis on wind turbine erection, but the content will be applicable to all lift planning, involving loads with a large surface area to weight ratio and high drag co-efficient.

All those interested should contact Sonya Plosky sonya.plosky@liebherr.com or Melissa Knights Melissa.knights@liebherr.com in the Liebherr sales department.

Author: Unknown

Source:

 http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14867/?cHash=6f32b4fff2ac887fc64b8ba675fee4e0

There are no claims of anything sinister or untoward in the accident, a vehicle has simply shunted into the back of another in the morning rush hour – not an uncommon occurrence. However the fact that it was a mobile crane and it pushed the car it hit into a couple of other cars, has caused the story to go viral, with video footage and photos all over the internet.

Thankfully no one was seriously injured, although one person was treated at the road side and taken to hospital. The incident did cause traffic chaos for the rush hour, but was soon cleared, however Gillespies crane services, the owner of the city crane involved has its name all over the news. They say any publicity is good publicity!

Author: Unknown

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14870/?cHash=ae6f7f0dbf9e2a56daa1c06a2de64798

The investment complements AV Dawson’s two existing mobile harbour cranes and fills the lifting capacity gap between the current 63 tonne Gottwald and its 215 tonne capacity Heavy Lift crane, says the company.

The new arrival will mainly operate from the Dawson’s North Sea Supply Base but in future could work from any of the logistic firm’s adjacent quaysides, including the new deepwater berth when it is finished in early 2013.

Gary Dawson, managing director of AV Dawson, said: “This investment ensures the company is among the best UK ports in the country with regards to crane capacity and flexibility.

“It’s part of our commitment to investing in the future of the company and coming up with innovative solutions to improve customers’ logistics by helping them save money and improve efficiency.”

Author: Unknown

Source:

 http://www.heavyliftpfi.com/content/NewsItem.aspx?id=4234

Wake up and smell the dictionary, Sparky! It ain’t them.

Emails are to introduce, engage, ask a question, give an idea or an answer, create opportunity, make an appointment, confirm a meeting. Emails are for sending a message, a thank you, a reminder, or a brief offer. Emails are NOT a sales pitch.

But you’re the smartest guy or gal in the world, and you want to hurry up and make more sales this week and you have a list of prospects so why not blah, blah, blah… and get deleted.

NOTE WELL: Deleted emails also create negative thoughts and images in the mind of the recipient. They brand you and they create reputation. If you’re getting a 9% response, it means 91% of the people you sent the email to are somewhere between annoyed and pissed off.

I’m about to share the essence of what will get your email opened and responded to: writing. Creative writing. Engaging, creative writing that leads the recipient to read and respond.

But, before I begin, here’s why most emails fail: you know little or nothing about the recipient. And worse, you struggle to create some snappy “subject line” so your email will be opened.

Here are a few ideas on how to write an INITIAL email, a FOLLOW-UP email, a FOLLOW-THROUGH email, and all sorts of relationship building emails.

Start prepared. Before you write a word, Google the recipient and then do a complete social media search (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube). Now you’re ready with information they may pay attention to – information about THEM. Engaging them, about them, is more likely to gain response than engaging them about you.

NOTE FROM 1937: See Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and keep this still applicable quote in mind: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.”

Make it short. I’m way too busy to read your life story, or why you’re great, or why your product is great. I’ve got mother Google for that – and for information on you!

Here’s the SECRET: Word count. Copy your message into a word processing program to check the word count. 200 words is a long email. Remember: the shorter the better.

Make the message germane to your expected outcome. I usually ask a question or two, make a statement or two, and end with: Best Regards, Jeffrey. I’ll use formal capital letters and good grammar until I have established a relationship. I’m more friendly than formal in my content, and I’m always myself. Same with humor, I don’t inject it until I’m certain the recipient of my email has some (humor). And when I do, it’s HUMOR – not jokes and not cartoons.

And, did I mention, it’s an email, not a sales pitch.

If you’re writing an INITIAL email, make your name clickable to something that will build credibility like your blog, your business Facebook page, or your LinkedIn profile.

If you’re using email as a FOLLOW-UP to a promise you made (like a quote, proposal, or answering a question), attach a PDF and keep the body of the message short, sweet, and friendly.

If you’re connecting with an after the sale FOLLOW-THROUGH, ask for a coffee meeting or a brief phone call. Mention anything that you share common ground on (sports, kids, interests). I often attach a relatable photo.

There are lots of other email uses. A business message, an announcement, a service message, a casual message to stay in touch and build a relationship. Whatever the message is, make certain the content has VALUE FOR THE RECIPIENT.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include the mysterious “how to write a subject line.” My subject line on an initial email is, “from Jeffrey Gitomer.” Subject lines should be simple, but intriguing. For example: “productivity leads to profit” or “maximum production leads to maximum profit.” Or you can use one word that might impact the recipient like profit, idea, or message. It helps if you understand who you are trying to connect with. (See above under START PREPARED.)

If you’re serious about wanting to send impressive emails, www.aceofsales.com offers the only customized email alternative. Take a look. It will immediately brand you, differentiate you from all other look-alike emails, and WOW! the recipient. If you want to see a few samples, go to www.gitomer.com and enter ACE EMAILS in the GitBit box.

If you’re tired of your emails getting deleted or you’re frustrated because your emails aren’t being responded to, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Author: Jeffrey Gitomer

Source:

http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewPublicArticle.html?key=ajcdMibak3PE2lDY8Euaqg%3D%3D

The new fixed jib has 93 tonnes capacity and a maximum length of 42.7 metres. At a length of 24.4 m the fixed jib can be installed on a 72 m main boom.

The new jib reduces rigging time for jobs where a luffing jib is now required, the manufacturer said. Manitowoc envisages that the fixed jib will be used in offshore oil platform fabrication yards, on transportation and infrastructure projects, as well as in refineries and petrochemical facilities.

Author: Sarah Ann McCay

Source:

http://www.khl.com/magazines/international-cranes-and-specialized-transport/detail/item73689/Jib-option-new-for-Manitowoc-16000/

However the lift is just one of several examples of cranes or lifts over-tuning on wind farm sites in recent weeks. We understand that a 250 tonne crane rolled recently on a wind farm in the west of Ireland, with a further three big cranes said to have suffered a similar fate across Europe.

All possibly brought on by the exceptionally wet weather that many areas experienced in April and the start of May.

The truck mounted lift in Scotland was, we understand making its way into the site to carry out blade inspection work when the road began to subside on a bend, causing the lift to slide into the ditch and over-turn. Thankfully the operator was not injured.

The ground in the area is very soft, consiting largely of peat, so any recovery crane will require a substantial temporary hard standing. We understand that the recovery work will start next week.

Author: Unknown

Source:http://www.craneaccidents.com/2012/05/report/wind-farm-roll/

This is a question that had crossed my mind while trying to come up with an idea to write a presentation for the CCAA Spring Conference in San Diego. I had an idea in my mind of the answer to this question. I decided to ask as many people that I could on this subject. I started with inspectors and then moved on to managers. This is what I found in my small assesment.

What is the number one component on an overhead crane that gets missed the most during an inspection?

1.Wire Rope
2. Pattern Sheave Wear
3. Coupling Lubrication
4. Brake Adjustments
5. Load Hook Wear
6. Load Block Cracks and Wear
7. Wire Rope Terminology
8. Sheave Wear Under and on Sides of Wire Rope
9. Wire Rope Wraps on the Drum
10. Load Chain Wear
11. Regulations

In the crane industry, how do we limit the amount of missed discrepancies during an inspection? I believe it can be done in three ways.

1. Continual Training

To keep inspectors up with the latest regulations that tend to change every year, inspectors need refresher training on the codes at least once a year. They should also be getting training on various equipment direct from the manufacturer. There are many hoist manufacturers that provide technical training on their equipment and components on your site or at the factory. Contact your hoist manufacturer or a crane training company to help you with this.

2. Culture

Culture is something that takes a long time to develop. So if you don’t have it in your company now then NOW is a good time to make that change. To create a culture of safety awareness, and inspection mindedness it needs to start at the top. Like everything, it will trickle down to affect everyone. Don’t just relay information and tell people to take inspections seriously. You take it seriously. Talk about inspections at every safety meeting. Discuss why it is important to you and them. Explain the consequences of missing components on inspections. Pick a component during the safety meeting to discuss the proper inspection procedure. Don’t just relay the information but get everyone involved and ask their opinion on it. Make it an ongoing discussion.

3. Senior Field Personnel

Another key to producing good inspection results is having the right inspectors out there. Only use inspectors who have demonstrated an excellent knowledge in the field. They should have a high amount of field hours. I would say 4,000 hours is a good amount of time to have under your belt before you become an inspector. Those hours should consist mostly of troubleshooting and installing crane components. This will help them greatly when it comes to narrowing something down on a crane inspection.

When training your personnel you should refresh them on certain component requirements. Especially on the components listed above. It is key to keep inspectors up to date on the updated regulation requirements.

Load Hook

Discard Load Hook if…

- Throat Opening is stretched 5% or not over 1/4 inch
- No Degree of twist
- Saddle Wear of 10% or more

Wire Rope

- A minimum of two wraps must be on the drum at its lowest point.

- The three parts of the wire rope from largest to smallest is the Core (D), Strand (F), and Wire (E). Always remember that a wire rope with one bad wire is acceptable but a wire rope with one bad strand is not. The wire is the smallest component of the wire rope and it is what makes up the strand.

- Depending on what state you live in you are only allowed a certain number of failed wire rope parts. By OSHA standards you are required to change the wire rope once you have 12 randomly distributed broken wires in one lay or 6 broken wires in one strand of one lay.

- What is a wire rope lay? A lay is the distance it takes for the wire rope to make a complete revolution around the core of the wire rope. In California by CALOSHA standards you are only allowed 6 randomly distributed broken wires in one lay or 3 broken wires in one strand of one lay.

There is no point doing an overhead crane inspection if it is not going to be accurate. To ensure you’re getting an accurate inspection you need to ensure that you are creating a culture that takes inspections to a higher level, you need to continually provide training for all personnel who will be inspecting the overhead cranes. Start with something during all your safety meetings about one overhead crane component. This will help create a culture of mindful inspectors. At the same time if your information is new and pertinent then it will also keep your inspectors up to date on all the new codes and regulations.

What do you feel gets missed the most on overhead crane inspections?

What is a good way to keep your inspector from preventing these mistakes?

As a crane owner what do you expect from your inspection company and how do you know your getting a good inspection?

Written by:

http://overheadmaterialhandlingregulation.blogspot.ca/

Structural engineer Bingham Davis, which has since ceased trading, was also found culpable and fined a nominal £1,000.

Inadequate foundations was determined as the cause.

A 79m-high Wolff 500B luffing jib tower crane toppled on 6 July 2009 while making a lift during construction of an apartment block and hotel on the Kings Dock Mill site in Liverpool’s Chandlers Wharf. Operator Iain Gillham, a 53-year-old father of four, fell from his cab onto the roof of the apartments and was left paralysed from the waist down.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the site’s principal contractor, Bowmer & Kirkland, and Bingham Davis following an investigation into the incident.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the crane fell onto a partially constructed apartment block, across a road and came to rest on the Chandlers Wharf apartments. Eight counterweights on the crane, weighing a total of 56t, broke free and crashed through the roof and six floors of the building.

Mr Gillham suffered multiple injuries including a brain haemorrhage, fractured skull, broken right shoulder, broken ribs, crush injuries to his left side, and major spinal injuries which resulted in his legs being paralysed.

No one inside the building was injured but residents had to be evacuated from the 64 apartments, and some were rescued from their balconies. The damage to the building was extensive and residents were unable to return to their homes for nearly two years while major reconstruction work took place.

The HSE investigation into the incident found that the crane’s foundation could not cope with the forces generated by the crane. During the construction of the foundation, both Bowmer & Kirkland and Bingham Davis agreed to cut away essential steel reinforcement bars from the four concrete foundation piles, so that the crane’s feet could sit on top on them. These were replaced with four steel rods in each pile.

Summing up in court, Judge Gilmour said he was satisfied that it was the removal of the reinforcing steel and the inadequate replacement of the steel rods that led to the foundation being unable to cope with the forces of the crane. This subsequently led to the foundation being overloaded and the crane collapsing.

Both companies were found guilty of breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court by failing to ensure the safety of workers or residents.

Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd, of Church Street in Heage, Derbyshire, was fined £280,000. A decision on prosecution costs will be made separately.

Bingham Davis Ltd, formerly of Temple Street in Liverpool, has ceased trading since the crane collapse after going into voluntary liquidation. The company was fined a nominal £1,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE investigating inspector Warren Pennington said: “Serious failings on the parts of both Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd and Bingham Davis Ltd were uncovered by the Health & Safety Executive during an extensive and complex investigation into the crane collapse.

“Whilst it is bad enough that Iain Gillman will be unable to walk for the rest of his life as a result of the failings of both parties, it is no exaggeration to say it was only by pure chance that this catastrophic event did not result in multiple fatalities and significantly more damage to property.

“The circumstances leading to the collapse were a mess. Bingham Davis employees had no previous experience of designing the type of crane foundation used at Kings Dock Mill. Likewise, Bowmer & Kirkland’s employees at Kings Dock Mill had no experience of building one. Both parties made disastrous errors that were entirely preventable.

“The original error was made by Bingham Davis Ltd, which failed to spot a basic mistake in its calculations for the loadings imposed by the crane. This created a material risk which had the potential to have led to a crane foundation being constructed that was not strong enough to hold the crane up.

“During construction of the foundation, Bingham Davis advised Bowmer & Kirkland to cut away essential steel reinforcing bars in the foundation piles and replace such with steel rods. The removal of such reinforcing steel resulted in the foundation being too weak to support the crane. The foundation was further weakened when Bowmer & Kirkland failed to ensure the adequate insertion of the replacement steel rods.

“Neither company did enough to check what the result would be of cutting away this essential steel reinforcement and replacing such with steel rods.”

Mr Pennington added: “HSE hopes this case sends a clear message to the construction industry in relation to tower cranes foundations. Designers of such should be familiar with industry accepted guidance and follow it, unless they have extremely well thought-out reasons for not doing so. The role of the principal contractor is also crucial in managing the design process. Both principal contractors and designers should ensure that robust systems for design checking are actioned at all times.

“We will continue to engage with the industry to ensure that lessons are learned.”

Over the past decade, nine people have been killed and there have been 25 serious injuries as a result of incidents involving tower cranes, the HSE said.

Author: Unknown

Source:

http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/contractor-fined-280k-for-liverpool-crane-collapse