Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1505115.015 - Wilkerson Crane Rental, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on December 5, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that rented or leased construction cranes. He worked as a crane and tower operator. He was at a wind farm. He was dismantling a Liebherr LTM 1400 crane. He was removing a button head single-tapered pin from the crane's jib. He was working under the jib while removing the pin. The jib was not adequately rigged or supported during disassembly. As the employee removed the single-tapered pin from the jib, the jib fell onto the employee. He suffered fractured vertebrae and a fractured clavicle. He was hospitalized. The manufacturer recommended that a double-tapered pin be used, so that the pin could be safely removed by an employee standing on the outside of jib during disassembly. During this crane's assembly, workers had used a single-tapered button pin. The use of the single-tapered button pin resulted in the employee's being in an unsafe position during disassembly. This condition resulted in a struck-by hazard, as noted during an inspection two days later, on December 7, 2020.

Keywords: Clavicle, Construction, Crane, Disassemble, Falling Object, Fracture, Jib Crane, Lack of Work Procedures, Pin, Struck By, Utility, Vertebra, Wind Farm, Wind Tower