Crane contact with pipelay tower resulting in dropped object
- Safety Flash
- Published on 19 August 2021
- Generated on 14 February 2026
- IMCA SF 23/21
- 2 minute read
A crane made contact with a pipelay tower handrail during a routine lifting operation, resulting in a serious dropped object event; there were no injuries.
What happened?
The incident occurred during repositioning of a chain link clump weight on the main deck using a 250T crane whip line.
The boom rest landing section on the boom knuckle came into contact with the top gutter walkway guardrails on the pipelay tower. A section of the rail (approx. 1.2 m and 5.5 kg) broke off and fell approximately 22 m to a walkway below.
What went wrong?
This incident is currently under investigation - however, the following preliminary findings were identified:
- There was a lapse in concentration due to distractions during the operation.
- The banksman was primarily focused on the load and its travel path rather than on the crane itself.
- The crane operator’s view was obstructed by the knuckle boom.
- The crew were new to the vessel:
- There was a lack of awareness of possible clash points and were not highlighted in the deck induction.
- The crew were not familiar with the vessel set-up when working in close proximity to tower.
- There was a lack of awareness of possible clash points and were not highlighted in the deck induction.
- There was an unidentified hazard (i.e. deck structure clash points).
- There were no engineering controls to warn the crane operator of close proximity to a structure.
Our member notes that further actions will be communicated on conclusion of the investigation.
Actions
- Are we out of the line of fire? Discuss what key controls you have in place to remove yourself and your team members from the potential line of fire.
- Ensure drop zones are identified for any potential clash points when performing lifting operations in close proximity to other structures or equipment.
- Ensure there is a robust and effective barrier management process used to manage all drop zones.
- Ensure all potential crane collision points are identified and included in worksite inductions, toolbox talks and risk assessments.
- Where applicable, ensure additional ‘spotters’ are used to assist the banksman.
Related Safety Flashes
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IMCA SF 29/20
9 October 2020
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IMCA SF 26/20
4 September 2020
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IMCA SF 09/20
6 March 2020
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IMCA SF 07/11
19 July 2011
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