"Crane operator dies in freak accident ...."

We should all agree on the importance of properly installing lifting devices. Failure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations can lead to an incident. Here is a recent incident highlighting the importance of properly securing lifting devices:

A crane operator died in a freak accident at an aluminum factory in an industrial area in Southern India one night during the week of November 10, 2019.A worker was operating the crane when a rope tied to the roof snapped from the bolt. It fell down and the machine collapsed on his head. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead. The (deceased worker) had been working at the company for the past four years. Fellow workers held a brief protest and said this was not the first such incident. They demanded action against the company. A company executive said they learnt about the incident on Thursday morning but added it was too early to share any details. An officer from the local police station said a complaint had been filed against the management.

We offer our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers.

We assume that this crane was attached to a non-wire rope which was attached to a roof joist. We have seen this done on our plant visits throughout the industry. We recommend that overhead cranes, no matter their lifting capacity be attached as per manufactures recommendations. Ropes of any kind should not be used to /support any lifting device.

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