Laborer Dies After Being Struck by Overturning Crane – Virginia

On August 8, 1994, a 24-year-old male construction laborer (the victim) was fatally injured when a crane being used to lower a bucket of gravel from the shoulder of an interstate highway into a drainage ditch tipped over. The victim and co-workers were engaged in spreading a gravel base preparatory to pouring concrete in the ditch. As the crane operator was lowering the gravel bucket to the victim, the crane’s outriggers slipped off the blocking, or the blocking rolled out from under the outrigger floats, and the crane tipped toward the ditch. The end of the crane’s boom struck the victim, fracturing his skull and amputating his right arm. A local EMS responded to the site 10 minutes after notification by the co-workers and pronounced the victim dead. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• ensure that each time a crane is set up, it is level and the outrigger floats are supported by firm stable footing
• ensure that equipment manufacturer’s recommended safe operating procedures for crane set-up and lift configurations are followed
• ensure that all crane components are properly rigged while lifting operations are being conducted.