Just saw this on the news. Death has Finning International facing five Alberta OH&S charges - constructconnect.com
Had those guys never removed a counterweight before? There was a death at our local Cat dealer several years ago. They sent a trained engine man out in a field truck to do hydraulic work. He had the boom up on a wheel loader and didn't have the boom stopped. He started removing hoses on the main control valve and when he got to the boom lines, the boom dropped on him. He died in the hospital a few days later. I never heard if there was any dealer liability or not. I wonder if this is something similar...........
Horrible situation.
I would like to know more about the incident and why there were two people in the hazard zone instead of just one because all you need is one to take the bolts out. You MUST ensure the tension is taken up on the chain style counterweight system before you yank the bolts out and you should always slightly loosen the bolts before you pull them out to make sure there is no tension on them. This stuff is completely unforgiving and will kill you if you get in a hurry.
Rumour I heard around town was the removal system wasn't attached properly. Finning takes safety very seriously, almost to the point of going overboard with it.
that would definitely explain why the counterweight fell on them instead of swung a little in the case of the chain style. It rests the bottom on blocks but they aren’t enough to support the counterweight itself. The new style uses hydraulic arms and is attached with pins to the counterweight.
I agree, and would also use the word "anal" regarding their approach, especially when it came to anything regarding lifting or the potential release of stored energy. "Keep out the the line of fire" was a common mantra a toolbox talks.
From what I've heard it kicked sideways and took out both workers. Just to be clear though, this is just what I've heard from others about the incident, I've not read anything official to back this up. I guess the big takeaway is the line of fire may not always be obvious.
I can't picture a bolt not telling you that you were doing it all wrong. People get to beating on stuff rather than explore why it is still bound.
One of the things I do wish was that the Cat counterweight system be controlled by a corded remote with about a 25 ft reel. That way the guy operating the lift and lower controls could actually be back and have a very good view of what was going on instead of being view blocked by the door and relying on hand signals from the assistant
It had to have happened pretty fast.
Incidents such as this one generally happen in the blink of an eye, usually right when the last bolt comes loose. Strange that.........
Yeah, no creaking or nothing just boom! When I worked at a shop that built vessels and a 10 ton head fell off, at least it gave a lot of warning. The tacks started popping so we heard a ping then another ping and realized what was happening. I don't think anyone expected it was going to completely fall off though. A wire feeder was sacrificed but the welder on the cart underneath it rolled away without any damage. It put a big dent in the concrete floor. The head was 10ft. in dia. and 2 3/4in. thick so could easily have killed anybody in front of it. Nobody was working right there. I was working with another guy beside and a little forward of it. In another shop all the 1/4in. checker plate on a large skid came off when the skid was vertical in the process to flip it over for welding. Thankfully everybody stayed back when flipping the skid with 2 cranes. It gave notice too when the too small of tacks started letting go from the top down. It fell like a giant piece of plywood being being pushed over. It made a big swoosh and a choking cloud of dust. The guy that did most of the tacking got chewed out for cutting corners and not putting big enough tacks. It could have killed someone too. Sadly read about a kid on work experience at a large vessel fabricator was killed when a plate fell on him when removing it from the plate rack. I've seen my share of sketchy things people have done because they were either too cheap or couldn't wait to get the proper tools to do the job. It's not a surprise when you hear about accidents because of ignorance towards safely doing things. Things can go bad in a split second and by then it's too late. Take the time to do things the safe way even if someone tells you otherwise. Your life could depend on it.