Fatal Falls Prompt Cal/OSHA to Cite Bay Area Construction Firm – Man-Baskets are Inherently Unsafe

Fatal Falls Prompt Cal/OSHA to Cite Bay Area Construction Firm – Man-Baskets are Inherently Unsafe

Nov 25, 2014

The two male workers — of Disney Construction in San Francisco — were working on a new footing bridge for the Putah Creek Bridge.

Officials said a basket the pair was in fell from the crane just before 7 a.m. and landed on some wood that was covering a 30-foot hole running along the bank of the river where the bridge was being constructed.

Marcus Zane Powell, 25, Glenn Hodgson, 49, died when they fell 80 feet from a crane-hoisted platform at a bridge-construction site in Winters, Calif.

Cal/OSHA has cited Burlingame, Calif.-based Disney Construction Inc. for serious violations that allegedly contributed to the May 30 deaths of two workers.

Marcus Zane Powell, 25, and Glenn Hodgson, 49, died when they fell 80 feet from a crane-hoisted platform at a bridge-construction site in Winters, Calif.

Cal/OSHA has issued $106,110 in fines for serious safety violations.

In an investigation of the fatal accident, Cal/OSHA’s Sacramento District Office concluded that Disney Construction’s crane had not been certified or visually inspected for defects to meet current testing and examination standards.

The agency also determined that the crane operator failed to perform an unmanned trial run or have a competent person inspect the rigging and platform before usage, and that there was no qualified, trained signal person to assist with the lifting operation.

“Employers in California are required to perform regular equipment inspections to identify and prevent mechanical problems that can lead to tragedy,” said Christine Baker, director of the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA.

Disney Construction was hired to build a new concrete bridge to connect the city of Winters in Yolo County to Solano County across Putah Creek.

The men had been working out of a basket attached to a crane. It was a special kind of basket -- commonly referred to as a man basket -- that is frequently used at construction sites. The men plummeted a great distance to the ground after the basket completely crashed to the ground. According to the Fire Chief at the Winters Fire Department, fire crews arrived on scene to find the men deceased. The remains of the two victims were recovered later, the same day as the accident.

Workers were using a pile-driver crane when a cable broke near the top of a pile driver. A second crane was used to hoist a personnel platform carrying Powell and Hodgson so they could troubleshoot the cable on the pile driver. The rigging used to connect the platform to the crane dislodged, causing the platform and workers to fall some 80 feet to the ground, according to Cal/OSHA.

“Specific regulations are in place to operate cranes safely. This incident is a sobering reminder of the tragedies that can occur when safety protocols are not followed,” said Acting Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum.

Cal/OSHA also cited Disney Construction for not thoroughly surveying the conditions of the worksite for predictable employee hazards and neglecting to implement the necessary safeguards required to perform this type of operation.

Position of Metropolitan regarding Lifting Persons with Mobile Crane

Mobile cranes shall never be used for entertainment purposes, e.g. lifting of persons for shows, bungee jumping, dinner-in-the-sky or lifting of other structures with people on the structure or underneath (e.g. lifting of tents)

Mobile cranes are not intended to lift persons; they may be used to hoist and suspend personnel in man baskets only in unique work situations when it is the least hazardous way to do the job. Platforms fixed to crane booms for lifting of persons are not included herewith, as they are covered by international standards for mobile elevated work platforms.

This exceptional use is permitted only if all of the following requirements are fulfilled under the responsibility of the user:

General

• The use of mobile cranes for lifting of persons is permitted by national law in the country of current operation. Specific provisions for the use of man baskets as stipulated by national law are applied.
• The use of the crane for lifting of persons is reported to the national health and safety authority, if needed by national law (the use may need special approval).
• The possibility to rescue people in the basket in cases of emergency has been evaluated prior to the job by means of a job-specific risk assessment. Provisions for emergency rescue have to be taken if stipulated by national law.
• A pre-lift meeting has been held involving all relevant people.
• The provisions for work in the vicinity of power lines according to the job-site conditions and national law/regulations are observed.

Equipment

• With the exception of the man basket being the load, the crane is used as intended and described in the respective operating manual.
• The crane is checked and no damages are found prior to lifting persons. The man basket is fulfilling the requirements according to national law and/or standards and is used as intended.
• The man basket is checked thoroughly, no defects are found prior to lifting persons.
• Any emergency rescue device, if required by national law, has been checked and found to be operational.
• Hooks used must be of a type that uses a latch eliminating the throat opening. According to national law it is required either to close and lock manually or to use a latch automatically closing operated by a spring.

Tests Prior to Use

• Before lifting personnel, an overload test lift (proof test) with an overload of 125% of the rated capacity of the basket has been performed at each new construction site and after each modification or repair to verify the performance of basket and lifting attachment (re-location of a crane with basket on a bigger construction site does not create the need for additional overload testing).
• Before lifting personnel, a trial lift with the unoccupied basket loaded at least to the anticipated lift weight to simulate the loaded basket has been performed simulating the complete planned lifting cycle. This trial lift has to be done at each set up location on a construction site where personnel handling is to be done.

Use

• The rope pull is limited to 50% of the maximum line pull.
• The crane is used at 50% of the maximum capacity of the relevant load chart
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