it would help to know what actually happened to cause the accident as this might help prevent future accidents.

this is a recent case "Select Plant revamps after Croydon crane collapse"

we get all the details of the fines imposed, injuries sustained, training dvds and computer safety matrix - but what actually happened?

the erectors in this case made mistakes that led to the collapse of the crane - a lack of training would have contributed but is not the whole story.

did the erectors have the crane erection manual - if so did they all understand the instructions.

was the method statement good enough for the erectors to follow - not the usual bits about PPE and everyone will wear fall arrestors while unloading the climbing frame from the trailer etc - but the nitty gritty bits such as "before you undo this bolt make sure this pin is in this hole - because if you dont put this pin in this hole the crane will fall over"

did the erectors get a chat from their manager to find out how confident they where before setting off to climb the crane - (if it was their first time they would have been worried believe me)

steam boss

There's a bit more on the causes of the Croydon crane collapse here.

It seems the workers who were extending the height of the crane had not performed this operation before nor had any training in it.

Which is pretty shocking.

But you have to ask, what is considered 'adequate training'?

Is a DVD really going to prepare workers better for an operation like this?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has established the cause of the Croydon crane collapse and has served an immediate prohibition notice on Select Plant. The collapse happened because the top of the crane was not connected to the frame during the climbing operation. The prohibition prevents Select Plant from climbing tower cranes unless the work is undertaken by people who have adequate training specific to the type of frame in use. Select, which has a fleet of over 300 tower cranes, is not prevented from undertaking climbing operations under any circumstances, but it can now only do so with the use of fully trained and experienced teams.

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