A Manitowoc 18000 crawler crane collapsed on the Kansas City Power & Light construction site. Maxim was working as a subcontractor of principal Alstom.
An Associated Press report named the victim as Terry Eugene Stimpson, and said that he was killed when the crane’s boom collapsed as it was being lowered. The report said that workers on the site had determined that it was too windy to lift safely.
In the first citation, OSHA blamed the accident on not following Manitowoc’s procedures: “On May 23, 2008, at the location of 20256 Highway 45 North, Weston, Missouri, a Manitowoc 18000 crane tipped over as a result of the operator not following the manufacture [sic] specifications and limitations as shown on the Manitowoc Operating Procedures.”
Specifically, it cited Maxim for “lowering the crane during winds exceeding 30 miles per hour with a load to include the blocks hook and weight ball.” It also cited the company for lifting the luffer out of the cradle without leaving the blocks, hook and weight ball on the ground, and for lifting the luffer with the wrong load chart.
OSHA also cited the Pennsylvania-based crane rental company for not blocking off the rear swing radius of the 750t-capacity crawler crane, which can lift 200t with luffing jib. Both violations have a proposed penalty of $7,000, making a total of $14,000.
But the case is unlikely to end there. OSHA offers every company a 15-working-day window to appeal the fine: that time limit does not run out for another week.
Maxim has hinted, but not said definitively, that it is planning to fight the citations. A spokesman said on Friday that it would be premature to comment on the case because it is not concluded as of yet.
Stimpson’s widow and parents have sued the crane’s operator and Kansas City Power & Light, alleging negligence and a wrongful death, according to the Associated Press report.
