"his chest was crushed by an overhead crane..."

Safety under a suspended load results in countless numbers of injures and deaths annually. Many times this hazard is taken for granted by workers. It is one of our most common observations on our plant tours. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard.

 

A 37-year-old worker has been seriously injured in a workplace accident that occurred at an aluminum company in (town name omitted).

 

According to the emergency service of (town name omitted), the incident occurred at 10:09 p.m. in a company located on (name omitted) street in the industrial estate of this (name omitted) town.

 

The 37-year-old man has been crushed by an overhead crane at chest height. After an initial assessment at the scene, a mobile ICU has transferred him to the (local hospital).

 

We pray that the worker recovers fully from his injuries.

 

Looking at all of the news media articles we assume that the worker was moving a suspended load. During that procedure the worker was pinned against an immovable object (e.g., truck, wall, etc.).

 

We have observed at countless workplaces that workers fail to follow their training when lifting and/or moving a suspended load. All too often workers stand in the wrong location when lifting or moving a suspended load.

 

Please comment.