On pages 20-23 of this issue (Feb 2003), engineer Felix Weinstein explains how and why tower crane accidents happen. Now this may be information that all tower crane owners and operators think they know, but I am absolutely certain that there are too many (for just one is too many) who take some of these issues for granted, or over the years have developed procedural shortcuts that perhaps are not quite as justified as they believe.
The article is foretaste of a paper that Weinstein will present at Tower Crane Safety, an international conference being held in London on Tuesday 17 June. The line up of speakers includes representatives of both leading crane users and leading manufacturers. This one-day conference is on the day after a similar event for mobile crane owners and operators – Mobile Crane Safety, London, Monday 16 June. Again, the line up of speakers is excellent. I know, because I put it together! (See page 26 for more details.) The events are sponsored by the manufacturers Terex-Demag and Liebherr Nenzing, who thus demonstrate the importance that they place on safety. On the third day, Wednesday 18 June, Select Tower Cranes is hosting a visit to one of Europe’s largest construction projects, Heathrow Airport Terminal Five, where the subject of practical safety will be explored in detail.
I understand that with the crane market sliding gently down the toilet, a conference may not be top of everyone’s agenda. However, it is in just this kind of environment – where every penny counts more than ever, where margins are eroding on all sides, where turning a profit may depend on cutting a corner, and where training budgets vanish – that accidents on site are most likely to happen. While it is of course essential to make money, or none of us has a livelihood in this industry, safety has to remain paramount. Safety is not a cost. It is an investment with the highest possible rate of return. Life itself.
