Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311690333 - Marine Technologies, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On January 23, 2008, Employee #1, a crane rigger, and five coworkers were unloading and staging equipment along the shoulder and wooded hillside of eastbound I-70 (mile marker 14-1/2), in preparation for work on the culvert under the highway. The temperature was approximately 30 degrees F, with a 10-12 mph wind, no precipitation, and clear visibility. The hillside had a slope of approximately 3-in-1. At 9:00 a.m., the left-hand lane and shoulder were closed to traffic. A company-owned 30-ton Manitex boom truck crane, with an hydraulic telescoping boom, model 30102C, serial #134978, was set up on the left side of the roadway and shoulder, in the same direction as the flow of traffic. The traffic lane was 12 ft wide and the shoulder was 2 ft wide, with a standard guardrail. The crane operator attempted to lift 20 to 30 sandbags, each weighing 50 lb, in a rebar cage, for a total load weight of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 lb. Two 10 ft long, 2 in. wide nylon straps were used for rigging. Employee #1 was on the rear deck of the boom truck as the lift commenced. In the middle of the lift, the boom truck tipped over onto the driver's side, landing on the guardrail. The crane operator jumped and crawled in the space under the truck and Employee #1 jumped off of the deck onto the roadway. Coworkers, hearing trees snapping and seeing the boom falling over the hillside, ran for cover. Employee #1 was treated for scrapes on his elbows, and for bruised and swollen hands. He did not miss any days of work. The boom angle was 48 degrees, and the boom was fully extended to 102 ft, positioned over the driver's side, over the front outrigger, and parallel with the cab. The outriggers were used, but not pinned, and their exact position could not be determined due to extensive damage. With the outriggers fully extended, the total width needed to set up the crane was 22 ft; the crew used only approximately 14 ft of space. They used the front stabilizer bar, and placed cribbing under all the outrigger pads. The crane operator conducted a daily inspection of the crane.

Keywords: HIGHWAY, CRANE OUTRIGGER, TRUCK CRANE, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, HAND, CONTUSION, OVERTURN, UNSTABLE POSITION