Zaren Baldacchino, 59, was visiting his son on a Sliema construction site yesterday morning when the steel wire of a tower crane snapped and its metal hook fell on him, killing him on the spot.  Mr Baldacchino, from Siġġiewi, was standing in Sir Arthur Mercieca Street where the large crane was set up.

The wire supporting the pulley block snapped and the metal hook attached to it struck Mr Baldacchino “in the chest area”, sources said.  He was already dead when the ambulance arrived. 

Sources said Mr Baldacchino had gone to visit his son, the owner of Emanuel Baldacchino and Co. Limited, the contractors working at the site. The victim was not involved in the construction work.  The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) said it inspected the site and found that, at the time of the accident, the crane was not loaded.

“The crane was not being used to lift any object, so overload has been ruled out as the cause of the accident,” the authority said.

It will be carrying out further investigations to understand what caused the wire to give way.  The police cordoned off the area until court-appointed experts and OHSA officers carried out two separate inquiries.  A man who works in the area said he heard a very loud crashing sound immediately followed by “loud crying”.

Passersby commented on the general lack of safety in the area, where tower cranes have become part of the landscape.  In fact, there are at least four other building sites around the block. Another tower crane has been set up in a parallel road.

In the statement, the OHSA reminded construction workers to follow regulations regarding the operation of cranes and large lifting machinery. Not making specific reference to this incident, the authority said regulations spoke of inspecting the equipment each time it was assembled on a new site.

Source:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120203/local/Fatal-visit-to-building-site.405097

We have new information about the company operating the crane that tipped over Wednesday at Deaconess Hospital. The crane was removing a cooling tower from the hospital roof when it tipped and slammed into some cars. It came to rest in a backyard after missing power lines and crashing through a fence. No one was hit or hurt in the process.

After reviewing safety records, it turns out this is not the first accident involving the company operating this crane.  Rent-A-Crane was involved in a fatal accident on the Chesapeake campus in 2010.  Michael Parsons, 42, was killed when something fell off a crane there.

OSHA also listed Rent-A-Crane as a company cited in a crane accident death in Dallas in 2007.  Rent A Crane released this statement Thursday afternoon:

“The incident that occurred yesterday at Deaconess Hospital is under investigation and the company is not able to comment at this time. With respect to the unfortunate accident that occurred in 2010 in Oklahoma City, the Rent-A-Crane family was deeply saddened by the loss of Michael Parsons, who was a highly qualified crane operator and valuable employee. Contrary to recent news reports, while litigation has been filed, Rent-A-Crane is not a party to that litigation and has not been sued. Rather, Mr. Parson’s estate and another injured employee claim, among other things, that the accident was caused by a defective crane design and inadequate warnings. Rent-A-Crane remains 100 percent committed to a safe working environment for its employees and customers.” – Ryan Leonard, attorney for Rent-A-Crane of Oklahoma, Inc.

More digging shows the laws about crane operations in Oklahoma are changing.  Right now the state does not require crane operators to be certified.  However that will not be the case in a few years.  We’re told the state will require all crane operators to be certified by 2014.

We do not know if the crane operator in Wednesday’s accident was certified or not, but most companies do require the certification for their employees even though the state does not yet demand it.

Source:

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-hospital-crane-accident-not-first-for-crane-company-20120202,0,7255719.story

It has also warned that Municipal inspectors would be carrying out unannounced site visits. A spokesman also confirmed that similar checks will be shortly required for scaffolding and that formal training certification for operators is likely.

If a crane is found to be operating without the new certification- issued by a government approved engineer, the companies responsible can face a fine of up to Dh 10,000. ($2,750). If the company is caught a second time, the penalty will be doubled and legal action is likely. If a crane that has been involved in an accident is found not to be certified the penalties and legal repercussions will be more serious again.

Salah Al Sarraj acting executive director of town planning at the municipality, said: “These procedures ensure a high degree of safety and establish the actual worthiness of equipment and will help prevent highly disruptive accidents.”

Click here to see crane boom blocks traffic in Abu Dhabi

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/12745/

Thankfully no one was injured in the incident, although the operator was checked out by an ambulance at the scene and the cooler is probably a write-off, while three cars were badly damaged according to local reports.

The photographs and information that we have been sent reveals little, however the ‘lie’ of the overturned crane suggests there was some form of failure with one of the front outriggers, most likely – but not necessarily ground related.

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14113/

Based in Canada, CMLabs produces simulators, under the Vortex brand name, for application across the industry, in construction, offshore, dockside and industry. Simulated machines range from mobile to tower cranes, offshore knuckle booms to platform and ship cranes, and overheads to pick and carry cranes.

High wind, blind lifts, tandem lifts with two simulators and engineered heavy lifts can all be experienced. Simulators also help build quick reactions and experience with the unexpected: a sling break, high wind gust or outrigger failure.

Euan Youdale: How has crane simulation developed over recent years and why?

Arnold Free: Crane simulators have been used for operator training since the mid-1990s. Early simulators did not have very realistic graphics and the simulation of the crane and load dynamics was poor. In addition, training content was really limited to basic control familiarisation and understanding basic operating procedures. Today there is a wide range of simulator products available, from simplistic desktop ‘crane games’ to very immersive high-fidelity simulators. Cost for crane simulator solutions varies from several thousand dollars to many hudreds of thousands.

EY: How has the technology progressed to enable this?

AF: The improvements in low-cost computing power and 3D graphics have made the technology more accessible. Simulators that cost close to US$1 million 10 to 15 years ago can be built for half or a third of that cost today. In addition, there has been considerable progress in software technology to build simulations. Tools like Vortex, a commercial software development toolkit to build equipment simulators, allow software developers to accurately simulate the dynamics of heavy equipment and hoisting systems with off-the-shelf solutions. That challenge in delivering high quality simulation-based training is moving from a technical challenge to one of a training and learning content development challenge – building effective training).

EY: How will technology allow the development of simulators in the future?

AF: The quality of the simulation – visual and fidelity of dynamics – will continue to improve as will the training content for real skills development. More integrated training is becoming available: team based training, integrated maintenance, rigger, equipment training.

EY: How will simulators’ offerings expand in the future?

AF: One area we see a growing interest is in team-training; it is simply not good enough to only train the operator. Lift operations is team work and it is essential to train the operator, signalman and rigger to work together. In the case of tandem lifts, or engineered lifts, such as wind turbine erection, not only do team members need to work together but more than one piece of equipment needs to work together as well. Building immersive simulation-based training for the entire lift team is not only possible, we have implemented it at training institutes today. Team work cannot be taught in a class room, and a simulated multi-player training environment is the ideal solution to build team work before the lift crew is on the worksite.

We also see a growing need to train operators in specific equipment with the integration of OEM control systems. In the past, simulator suppliers have tended to mimic control systems for cranes. However, cranes are becoming more-and-more complex to operate. The skills operators need is moving from basic hand-eye coordination to become systems managers as the computer systems on board cranes becomes more and more complex.

EY: How do simulators tie up with certification and training bodies?

AF: In the construction industry we have incorporated certification tests within the training exercises. Operators can practice standard tests such as the NCCCO [National Commission for the Certification of Operators] tests using different types and sizes of cranes. Procedures such as start-up tasks, pre-lift inspection and deployment of outriggers are all incorporated so students can learn safe operating procedures that reflect the current standards.

In the offshore industry we have adopted guidelines from OMHEC [Offshore Mechanical Handling Equipment Committee] for operator, signalman and rigger training in a team-based learning context. Vortex simulators are in use at many training institutes and those organisations have very much influenced the training content within the exercises.

We also see simulation being used for certification and re-certification more and more. For example, North Sea crane operators must be recertified every three years. This recertification can be done using simulators. The role and use of simulation will continue to grow – in some areas we are even building simulation-based training directly into the actual equipment so operators can perform training in the equipment seat during downtime.

EY: Are there developments in training people who work outside the cab?

AF: We see a lot of interest in the use of simulation for lift planning. There is a growing need to simulate engineered lifts in advance, by an engineer or lift specialist in a desktop application context. Essentially providing a 3D environment where an engineer can select a crane, define the load and lifting conditions and actually perform the lift virtually.

This type of tool can be used to evaluate equipment performance, site safety and even as input to training site operators on how a lift will be performed. We have been doing quite a bit of this work in the offshore industry related to subsea lift. Using simulation at the planning stage allows companies to reduce project risk, evaluate alternatives to reduce cost and improve safety. To date this has largely been driven by the offshore industry due to the complexities and high cost of operations and safety issues related to deep water subsea and heavy lifts.

Source:

http://www.khl.com/magazines/international-cranes-and-specialized-transport/detail/item70657/Arnold-Free,-CMLabs-chief-operating-officer,-talks-about-crane-simulators/

“This is a one hundred percent special design by our engineering team, specifically for this valued customer,” Mark Monteiro, VP Special Projects at Gunnebo Johnson Corporation, states.

Mark has overall responsibility for the project at Gunnebo Johnson. He says he and his team are more than happy to be working with the Asian Hercules III project.

“This is the largest order in history for the entire corporation. We’re delighted to be a part of such a large and important piece of work”, says Joe Bridgeman, Vice President, International Sales and Marketing.

Innovative Lifting Beam Design

Gunnebo started working on the Asian Hercules III project back in 2008. But the enormous investment was held off due to the world economic crisis at the time. In February of 2011 the owner of Asian Hercules III, Asian Lift Pte., finally brought the project back to the table. Joe Bridgeman, Vice President, International Sales and Marketing, and Ken Sellers, Vice President of Engineering at Gunnebo Johnson, were the ones who concluded the deal in China.

“Asian Lift Pte. is a long-time and loyal customer. The key to our satisfied customers is the innovative lifting beam design that we’ve created. It’s lighter and stronger compared to traditional lifting beam systems”, Ken Sellers, VP of Engineering says.

A Big Sister

Mark Monteiro worked for Gunnebo Johnson for over twenty years and has a unique experience and knowledge. He was also involved in the Asian Hercules II project, initiated in 1996. Even though he was in retirement by 2010, Gunnebo Johnson asked him to come back in May 2011, to lead the Asian Hercules III program forward and to assure the Gunnebo Johnson tackle system was completed and delivered on schedule.

“The similarities between the two projects are very strong – apart from the fact that everything is much bigger this time around. Asian Hercules III is like a big sister, with greater reach and much higher lifting capacity. It’s a spectacular piece of lifting equipment.”

Assembled in China

Mark Monteiro’s role is to direct all activities and coordinate the products, regardless if they are manufactured in USA, Italy, Mexico or any other country. All will be shipped to the shipyard in Nantong, China, where the vessel and the crane itself will be built and assembled. The design of the project is modular; but due to the size of the assemblies, one of the major challenges will be to ship and handle the physical size of the enormous parts.

“Some of the parts will weigh over one hundred tons, simply because it’s impossible to make them any smaller. We need to pre-assemble them for fit, disassemble them into modules for handling, and get them to the vessel without damaging the parts or the paint.”

Source:

http://wireropeexchange.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/gunnebo-johnson-and-franklin-offshore-land-asian-hercules-iii-project/#more-2706

Most objections are either bogus, or they’re stalls, or lies, or they carry with them a hidden meaning where the customer is crying out for help, but doesn’t really want to state it in those terms.

The biggest and age-old objection is “price.” How many times have you heard, “Your price is too high,” or “I can get it cheaper someplace else,” or (the best one) “Match this price.”

When a customer objects for whatever reason, they’re actually telling you that they want to buy (they may not want to buy from you, but they want to buy). And if they’re going to buy from you, additional answers need to be provided – answers that will provide reassurance, answers that will provide peace of mind, and answers that will allow your prospect to move forward and give you some of their money.

Over the years I’ve defined objections as barriers, because there is normally something hidden way beneath the surface. And in order for the sale to take place, the barrier must be lowered. Sometimes even eliminated.

I’ve also defined the biggest objection besides price to be the unspoken risk that the customer perceives, but won’t talk about.

Let me give you a couple of examples. When the customer says price is too high, what they’re really saying is, “My perceived value in doing business with you is not high enough to meet your price.”

Salespeople and sales managers try to address the price issue with a tactic or some kind of sales talk. It doesn’t work – not, it never works, but it almost never works. And even if the salesperson is persuasive, and manipulates his or her way to the sale, the buyer will often have remorse and want to cancel the transaction.

HERE’S MY RECOMMENDATION: Rather than trying to give you some slick sales talk, I suggest you re-engage the customer with dialog that uncovers real reasons and eventually gets down to their buying motive. If I uncover the buyer’s motive, I will make a sale regardless of price. If I engage the prospective customer in a value-based and value-driven discussion, I might be able to get them to see my perspective.

CAUTION: I’m not talking about value-add or added-value. I’m talking about the value that is perceived by the customer in order to move forward – value that will differentiate and set you apart from your competition.

NOTE WELL: If the customer perceives no real difference between you and your competition, and no real value between what you offer and what they offer, than the only thing that’s left is price. Therefore, when price is an objection, you merely have to look at your ability to differentiate and your ability to create value in the mind of the customer.

But let me return to the central issue. Objections occur in sales presentations. So if you want to eliminate all sales objections, eliminate the sales pitch. Concentrate on gaining and building rapport. Concentrate on meaningful dialog where the customer feels they benefit. Concentrate on preventing common objections that occur by putting them into your conversation. And concentrate on your ability to engage and connect with the customer emotionally.

Sales are made emotionally and justified logically.

I’ve just given you a difficult sales lesson because it flies in the face of everything you’ve been using for the past decade, maybe more. But I promise you it’s the best way of creating relationship – not just gaining an order. Gaining an engaged customer who likes you and respects you, a customer who will likely purchase again (and again).

HERE’S MY CHALLENGE TO YOU: Call your top 10 customers and invite them, either individually or as a group, to a breakfast or a lunch where you talk to them about building relationships. Ask them what they consider important and ask them how much of a role value plays in their decision making versus price. Then ask them why they buy from you. Those 10 customers combined with the strategies that I’ve given you above will not alleviate all of your objections, but they will alleviate most of them.

Some customers will always just buy lowest price. I recommend you give those customers to your competitor, in order that they may make no profit.

Source:

http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewPublicArticle.html?key=ajcdMibak3MuGpV5JKGYFg%3D%3D

Harris Calnan Construction was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £66,244, while its director Neil Harris was fined £7,500 with £25,000 of costs.

The two were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

Carpenter Craig Page, 26, was working on the building site in Denning Road, Hampstead when a mini-crawler crane overturned while attempting to lift a skip full of concrete, that was well beyond its capacity. The boom of the crane struck Page, causing crush injuries to his upper body. He died at the scene.

The HSE investigation showed the company failed to properly plan or supervise lifting operations on the site. The Central Criminal Court heard the construction site was poorly managed by the company who failed to ensure the lifting operation was carried out safely.

Click here to see the original accident report

HSE inspector, Dominic Ellis, said: “From the start of this project the defendants failed to control even the most basic of risks on the construction site. These failings ultimately resulted in the tragic and entirely avoidable death of Mr Page. The defendant’s failure to appropriately plan, manage and supervise lifting operations on site led to this incident. The attempted lift of a liquid concrete load at a distance far in excess of the crane’s safe working parameters was wholly inappropriate. The potential for overturn in these circumstances is well known, entirely foreseeable and could have been simply prevented.”

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14091/

Liebherr to deliver 100th crane to African continent,  LHM 550 mobile harbour crane to be delivered to APM Terminals Apapa, Nigeria.

Liebherr will celebrate a major milestone this year with the delivery of their one hundredth mobile harbour crane to the African continent.

In March, Liebherr will deliver a type LHM 550 mobile harbour crane to APM Terminals Apapa, Nigeria.

APM Terminal’s African fleet will then comprise of nine heavy-duty machines operating at terminals in Benin, Luanda and Apapa.

In 1976, just two years after entering the mobile harbour crane business, Liebherr supplied their first two LHMs to Africa, with both mobile harbour cranes were destined for Libya.

In the next two decades business was poor due to serious stability issues, quests for independence as well as low economic development in various African countries.

However, two deliveries to ports in South Africa and Namibia marked the significant turnaround in 1996. These machines represent the first LHMs suitable for bulk handling in Africa. From that point on business has been back on track, claims Liebherr.

Since 2007, more than 70 Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes have started operation in Africa.

Nigeria accounts for almost one quarter of all Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes in Africa with a total of 24. Algeria follows closely with 21 LHMs in operation.

Moreover, Algeria plus its neighbour countries Libya and Tunisia represent Africa’s most populated region with altogether 43 machines.

However, recent development shows that the southern and western regions of the continent are catching-up, mainly driven by Nigeria and South Africa respectively.

Regarding Liebherr’s competitive product range, so far LHM 400 and LHM 250 represent the most important models in Africa, each with 19 machines in operation.

Liebherr’s most recent market launch, the LHM 550 in 2010, has potential, according to Liebherr, to become the best selling mobile harbour crane in Africa, with eight already in operation and several orders in the backlog.

Source:

http://www.porttechnology.org/news/liebherr_reaches_milestone_with_supply_of_100th_mobile_harbour_crane_to_afr/

The men were walking along the crane’s jib when one of them fell. The emergency services were called to the site in Bower Street, following a report that a man had been injured on the site.

Police established a crime scene and the area was examined by forensic specialists. The man’s next of kin have been informed. Detectives have been interviewing a number of witnesses to the incident but said that there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.

Vertikal Comment

Over the years there have been numerous reports of people climbing tower cranes at night for a lark. The majority of the time they get away with it and in many cases the site workers are unaware that anyone has even been there. The only clues being photos or video clips posted on web sites that cater for that sort of thing.

The risk of falling is always there though, especially if drink is involved. The sad thing is that the site and the contractor are likely to face some disruption, regarding questions on site and crane security.

Source:

http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/14060/