UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314671298 - Trinity Structural Towers, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:00 a.m. on June 17, 2010, Employee #1 and a coworker, both gantry crane operators, were engaged in a tandem lift involving a cylinder shaped wind tower structure base unit that measured approximately 14 ft wide by 75 ft long with a weight of approximately 60 tons. Employee #1 was operating, in reverse motion, a MI-Jack, Model Number MJ50, Serial Number 4848, Travelift rubber tired gantry crane, while the coworker was operating, in a forward motion, a MI-Jack, Model Number MJ50, Serial Number 4849, Travelift rubber tired gantry crane. While moving the load, the rubber tired wheel of Employee #1 crane became buried up to the wheel guard which caused his crane to stop. The coworker was not able to stop his crane in time causing the load's momentum to buckle the rear vertical support of Employee #1 crane. The crane tipped over, the cab door opened, but Employee #1 remained in the cab. Employee #1 was taken to a hospital for observation and was released. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the lift was taking place in an area formerly used as a parking lot made of dirt and gravel. The weight of the load created ruts, holes and depressions in the travel path area. There was a lack of area lighting and the lights on the cranes were inoperable. The cab of the crane operated by Employee #1 was not equipped with a seat belt.

Keywords:wheel, tandem lift, inadequate maint, stuck, gantry crane, lighting, unstable surface, crane operator, overturn, poor visibility