Crane incident

A member has reported a crane incident on one of its vessels. A crane hook snagged a piece of piping, which was lifted as the hook was raised. The piping subsequently fell, missing two people who were on the deck below. No-one was injured.

Investigation of the event revealed the following:

• The crane had been stowed with the hook resting within the open top of a waste skip;
• The waste skip had not been covered by a net or tarpaulin;
• The crane boom and hook had been raised before the banksman had checked that all was okay and given the crane driver clearance to lift.

The following lessons learnt were noted by the company:

• Crane operations must be properly controlled and managed according to company procedures;
• Crane hook stowage positions should be properly assessed by the worksite management team;
• Crane hook stowage positions should be properly implemented by all crane drivers. It was noted that, on occasion, crane hooks had also been tied off to a handrail and that this practice should cease;
• Waste items in a skip should be more appropriately positioned and, if necessary, the skip covered with a net or tarpaulin.