Health & safety bulletin
Filling station accident in Italy
7th September 2007
Please see below the report of an incident on a filling station in Italy. This was sent to Xmo Strata by ABB. Although the incident did not involve Xmo Strata, it helps to highlight how accidents may be avoided in the future.
Incident with damage to equipment and potential serious injury to worker – Lesson learnt
Site: PVF 0287, Motta Visconti, Italy
Date: 08-06-2007
GENERAL
On 08/06/2007 a Contractor was removing a light pole as it had been wrongly installed by Construction on a third party property. After removal of the pole with a truck mounted crane and before laying it down to the ground, the pole fell down hitting first the truck cabin and then the arm of an operator.
INVESTIGATION
The incident was jointly investigated by ABB and by contractor. Partial simulations were conducted (and pictures taken) to better understand what happened and why.
WHAT’S HAPPENED?
The Contractor had first isolated the activity area, with posters and signaling cones. Then the pole was electrically disconnected, and the crane truck positioned beside the pole. Initially they proceeded using a harness but it slipped and didn't apply sufficient traction to pull out the pole from its foundation.
The crane operator then decided to fasten the hook of the crane to the bee on the top of the pole.
In both cases, the hook was connected to the crane with a chain.
The connection between the hook and the bee was correctly done by the worker.
After having hooked the pole the operator moved the truck with a mechanical platform, out of the action of the crane.
After the pole had been removed, the crane proceeded to move it toward the stocking area.
In this phase, when the pole was still in a vertical position, the crane operator helper was at the base of the pole and controlling the action of the crane. He realized that the hook was not in a correct position and launched an alarm which allowed people staying around to run away from the area. A few seconds after the alarm the pole jumped away, and fell on the roof of the crane truck, then to the ground, hitting one of the crane operator assistants on the arm. This worker was slightly scratched by the base of the pole.
There was no needed of medical care and the worker declined to consult any medical aid.
SIMULATION PICTURES
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| Pole as it was before removal (shot taken on a similar pole on the same site) | Pole was hooked to the crane with a chain |
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Pole’s bee |
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Pole begins to be laid down to earth but there is only one person that controls it |
The final pull of the crane caused loss of tension of chain and the complete torsion of the hook |
This situation was simulated with the pole to earth, shaking the chain to simulate the action of the crane.
POTENTIAL LOSS
Serious injury to the crane operator assistant and/or to other people looking at the activity
WHY?
The possible cause of this incident is, very likely, in the fact that, with the final pull of the crane, the pole was definitely pulled out from its base, but this caused to the pole a fast ascensional movement.
This movement caused loss of tension of the chain, and the complete torsion of the hook.
In one of these torsions the hook did a complete turn around itself and the safety device squeezed against the bee opening itself.
In this situation, with the hook open, a light torsion was sufficient to cause fall of the pole. The fall was due partly to the movement of the crane and partly to the light swinging of the pole itself.
In addition at the base of pole, there was only one person attending instead of two persons.
Two people, at the base of crane, would have been able, with the aid of a rope, to limit the swinging of the pole.
ROOT CAUSES
Personal factor, it had never happened before.
The crane operator was alone, because his scope was only to provide the crane, for the pulling operation.
The maintenance worker assisting him was alone, a second operator would have been necessary.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
- The Contractor should prepare and issue a detailed JSA regarding this activity
- The Safety Alert arising from this incident should be distributed as a minimum to all Contractors involved in similar activities