MEDIA ReleaSE
4 OCTOBER 2011

Employee Severely Injured After Being Hit by 400kg Steel Beam

An Auckland company specialising in structural steel fabrication and installation has been fined $25,000 after an employee was injured by a 400 kilogram steel beam in June 2010.

George Grant Engineering Limited was also ordered to pay $17,500 in reparation to the employee who was left with a dislocated and fractured left ankle and a number of open wounds to his left leg.

The Auckland District Court heard how two beams were placed on an assembly jig resting on top of a trestle. The top two beams were welded together to form one 9-metre length. A gantry crane was about to be used to shift the welded beam to the floor.

A tackle hook dangling from the crane caught the assembly jig, causing the welded beam to fall off the trestle – striking the employee.

“There were a series of factors that led to this accident – all of which could have been prevented if the company had proper systems in place,” says the Department of Labour’s Manukau Service Manager, John Forrest.

“General crane safety rules were not adhered to by staff. Both the crane operator and the employee assisting him were distracted from their jobs at the time of the accident.

“The employee assisting the crane operator had dropped the tackle hooks as he spoke to another employee. These hooks should never be left dangling while the crane is in operation.

“The crane operator was also distracted talking to the Quality Controller, and didn’t see the hooks had been dropped,” says Mr Forrest.

“In terms of equipment, the trestles that the beams were on should have been fitted with guards to prevent the welded beam from falling off and they should have been heavy enough or bolted to the floor to prevent movement.

“In addition, the company should have had a procedure for safely welding the beams,” Mr Forrest says.

The Department of Labour’s Cranes Approved Code of Practice outlines the current state of knowledge on safe crane operation and is available on the Department’s website.

ENDS

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