Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125435214 - Smc Concrete Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Manassas (Regional Office)- Safety 0355114

Investigation Summary

Between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. on August 28, 1997, Employees #1 and #2 were making some maintenance adjustments to a tower crane at a luxury suites hotel construction site near the Dulles toll road in Herndon, VA. The 160-ft-high crane, which had 136 ft of jib in front of the turntable, had been erected on August 25 and August 26, 1997, and had been certified for operation on the afternoon of August 26, 1997. Employee #2, a service technician, was out on the four-section jib adjusting the trolley limit switch; and Employee #1, the crane operator, was also on the crane. An eyewitness stated that he heard the trolley motor start up. The trolley appeared to jump slightly; a connecting pin popped out of the jib between the second and third sections; and the jib began to buckle. The end of the jib then swung clockwise and wrapped around the tower before the crane and tower collapsed with all the weight on the rear of the crane. Both employees sustained multiple fractures. Employee #2 died at the scene. Employee #1 was flown to Fairfax Hospital, where he later died. At the time of the event there was no load on the crane, and it had not been used on that date before the adjustments were made.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, COLLAPSE, TOWER CRANE, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, MECH MALFUNCTION