Man trapped after crane collapses in Southampton Docks (From Daily Echo)
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Man trapped after crane collapses in Southampton Docks
6:30pm Monday 13th July 2009 in
-
- By Clare Kennedy » Health Reporter
The driver of a crane that collapsed at Southampton Docks this morning has been freed from the wreckage and taken to hospital with life threatening injuries.
All shipside operations at the container terminal have today been suspended until further notice. However landside operations will resume at midday.
Campbell Mason, the terminal's managing director said: "It is too early to determine the cause of the incident. "We will of course be working cooperatively with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and an independent investigation will be undertaken.”
Emergency services were called to Southampton Container Port at around 5.20am this morning after the crane’s boom collapsed onto a container ship while loading.
Fire services, coastguard and South Central Ambulance Service were all called to Dock Gate 20.
Ambulance crews used ladders to scale the top of the ship’s crumpled containers where the driver lay trapped inside the metal wreckage of his cab and collapsed boom.
He was eventually put on a spinal board and winched to safety by Solent Coastguard’s helicopter and transferred to the dockside where a waiting ambulance took him to Southampton General Hospital.
It is believed the container handling crane that collapsed is the dock’s number six crane.
Archive CCTV footage of a large crane falling on to the deck of a ship at Southampton Container Terminal in January 2008.
It was loading the NYK Themis container carrier when the accident happened. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.
The drama happened more than a year after another crane collapsed on to a container ship at the docks.
No one was hurt in the incident last January which saw the boom of the crane crashing down on to the Kyoto Express as stunned workers looked on.
On that occasion most of the port was shut down for weeks afterwards while health and safety checks were carried out.
Comments(51)
nosurrender
says...
7:38am Mon 13 Jul 09
geordie
says...
8:10am Mon 13 Jul 09
nosurrender wrote:If the article is accurate and the crane in question is crane 6, then no it is not one of the new Liebherr cranes.
was it a Liebherr crane ?
It is one of the old Morris Cranes, the same type that lost its boom last year.
Hope the injured man is ok.
Trumpet222
says...
8:21am Mon 13 Jul 09
How does this happen only a year after health and safety are meant to have done a full inspection?
trophyrider
says...
8:47am Mon 13 Jul 09
southy
says...
9:30am Mon 13 Jul 09
geordie wrote:take a look at the sky line.
nosurrender wrote:If the article is accurate and the crane in question is crane 6, then no it is not one of the new Liebherr cranes.
was it a Liebherr crane ?
It is one of the old Morris Cranes, the same type that lost its boom last year.
Hope the injured man is ok.
Brite Spark
says...
9:35am Mon 13 Jul 09
southy wrote:Where are you going with this Southy?
geordie wrote:take a look at the sky line.
nosurrender wrote:If the article is accurate and the crane in question is crane 6, then no it is not one of the new Liebherr cranes.
was it a Liebherr crane ?
It is one of the old Morris Cranes, the same type that lost its boom last year.
Hope the injured man is ok.
southy
says...
9:49am Mon 13 Jul 09
geordie
says...
9:54am Mon 13 Jul 09
southy wrote:Thanks Southy, unfortunately i'm knowhere near the container port so did not have that benefit. The picture on the front page now clearly shows us that this was one of the older cranes.
Brite Spark, Titchfield Haven, i not, i cant, all i saying if you want to know whitch crane, look along the sky line.
Can't imagine anyone will be getting in any of the remaining Morris cranes for quite a while....
redemption
says...
10:07am Mon 13 Jul 09
It was an older crane and the driver was trapped with serious injuries but was winched off containers by the fantastic coastguard helicopter who was awesome manouvering around the wreckage.
We are all thinking of the lad as we all play russian roulette and it can happen to anyone of us at any time.
Nearly an OAP
says...
10:12am Mon 13 Jul 09
VIVERS
says...
10:27am Mon 13 Jul 09
saint tom
says...
10:49am Mon 13 Jul 09
however i worked at that dump for 7 years and can say the maintenance of all machines is very shoddy. cranes goin 24/7 some of the straddles are unsafe. the whole berth is awful.
aliray
says...
12:11pm Mon 13 Jul 09
I suffered a broken back and neck thanks to a crane driver that fell asleep while i was in the bromer, he made the wrong call, people get hurt when others make the wrong call.
Andy Locks Heath
says...
12:47pm Mon 13 Jul 09
southy
says...
1:28pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:andy watch the film.
As an outsider I'm surprised that two cranes could collapse with apparently the same problem as the safety tolerances in the crane design plus the regular HMSI inspection allowance for metal fatigue etc are meant to ensure this couldn;t happen even once. For the same thing to happen twice seems unthinkable. I'd be interested to read informed views from crane drivers and DP staff how this could have happened.
southy
says...
1:29pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:andy watch the film.
As an outsider I'm surprised that two cranes could collapse with apparently the same problem as the safety tolerances in the crane design plus the regular HMSI inspection allowance for metal fatigue etc are meant to ensure this couldn;t happen even once. For the same thing to happen twice seems unthinkable. I'd be interested to read informed views from crane drivers and DP staff how this could have happened.
hi ray t
jdog
says...
2:07pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Nearly an OAP
says...
2:08pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Redhat
says...
3:50pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath
says...
4:48pm Mon 13 Jul 09
southy
says...
5:21pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Dazzz
says...
6:05pm Mon 13 Jul 09
I hope the guy involved has a speedy recovery
bex1984
says...
6:07pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Do we know who the bloke was? his name. anyone?
WoolstonSaint
says...
6:31pm Mon 13 Jul 09
WoolstonSaint
says...
6:32pm Mon 13 Jul 09
bex1984
says...
6:38pm Mon 13 Jul 09
woolstongirl
says...
6:51pm Mon 13 Jul 09
wife of a docker
says...
7:08pm Mon 13 Jul 09
OSPREYSAINT
says...
7:18pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Tripod
says...
8:40pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Racer79
says...
8:41pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Stacker1
says...
9:36pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Henry's world
says...
10:06pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Dan and all my family.x
North country
says...
10:36pm Mon 13 Jul 09
As you keep saying "its in the film" is it the LHS backstay to the boom hoist frame that has failed as it is still straight
cosmicmadge
says...
10:41pm Mon 13 Jul 09
Saintsteve
says...
11:27pm Mon 13 Jul 09
cosmicmadge
says...
11:31pm Mon 13 Jul 09
saint tom
says...
11:33pm Mon 13 Jul 09
if he does he may have saved a life.
the maintenance at s.c.t was at times very poor. this lies at the managers door TARGETS must do 25 moves an hour.
bu***hit.
these morris cranes were commisioned 1991-1992 and have been flat out ever since without many probs.
however in 2004-2005 this type of crane was made 5 meters higher and the booms extended by 4 meters with swl increase from 36 tonnes to 41 tonnes.
is it just a coinsidence that 2 have since collapsed ?
i do hope this is brought to the attention of the hsa and not brushed under the carpet like so many things were when i was down there.
get well soon mate
southy
says...
11:59pm Mon 13 Jul 09
North country wrote:get a ruler out north.
Southy
As you keep saying "its in the film" is it the LHS backstay to the boom hoist frame that has failed as it is still straight
but i cant say to much. but if you look hard enough you will spot it.
wife of a docker
says...
1:20am Tue 14 Jul 09
cosmicmadge
says...
2:41am Tue 14 Jul 09
just reread my post not sure it comes over well, You do not need to appologise for your anger, the guys on the quayside have a right to feel safe and if the alterations to these old cranes has compromised them in any way the company has a moral obligation to take them out of service permenantly. We both know that they will only do this is the hse force them to as the financial implications are greater than it would cost to compensate injured staff.
Nearly an OAP
says...
8:58am Tue 14 Jul 09
wife of a docker
says...
10:32am Tue 14 Jul 09
2:41am Tue 14 Jul 09
wife of a docker,
just reread my post not sure it comes over well, You do not need to appologise for your anger, the guys on the quayside have a right to feel safe and if the alterations to these old cranes has compromised them in any way the company has a moral obligation to take them out of service permenantly. We both know that they will only do this is the hse force them to as the financial implications are greater than it would cost to compensate injured staff
i must say i asked my husband if he knew your husband and he did he worked with him and im gratefule for your words regarding all the dockers i wish i could speak out for more wifes and help support the families that go through these bad times, as you know in the end ther forgotton by managment. as life goes on but not for the families that have to try and cope with the disibilities that lay a head again our thoughts and prays go our to jay and his family x
Long in the tooth
says...
10:55am Tue 14 Jul 09
number 1
says...
11:14am Tue 14 Jul 09
originalsfc
says...
11:32am Tue 14 Jul 09
It is now very worrying for all crane drivers, leading hands and lashers who work under the boom.
2 x booms lost
cranes failing with boxes crashing down to quayside
Lets have a bit more investment in the maintenance side of things and it theres a cash issue then lets evaluate if we really need so many managers and managers assistants?
The Terminal have let a wealth of dock experience go without taking steps to ensure the knowledge is passed on.
DP H&S Dept need to spend more time on important issues rather than port security and petty minor issues.
North-South-West
says...
3:32pm Tue 14 Jul 09
Moses
says...
6:59pm Tue 14 Jul 09
security word - kind-rely
Ex Docker
says...
9:22am Wed 15 Jul 09
CompassPressureGroup
says...
2:41pm Wed 15 Jul 09
he should not be in this situation.
There have been some very informed and interesting posts relating to this incident. Some questions that
hopefully those people (e.g. Andy Locks Heath, saint tom, Nearly an OAP) or others can answer:
"less than a day after crane six collapsed on to the NYK Themis, six gantry cranes and a mobile harbour
crane are being used again."
1. Are the cranes that have resumed operations the same type of cranes and the same age, with potential metal fatigue, as the two that have collapsed?
2. What assessments on metal fatigue and other structural weaknesses were made after the first collapse? Why did these assessments not lead to crane 6 being deemed unsafe? And are these same flawed assessments being used in assessing whether operations are "safe" to resume?
3. Are the HSE findings on the initial investigation available to the public? If not, why not? Are HSE
investigations exempt from Freedom of Information requests?
4. As costs have been cut, including via redundancies, has safety also been sacrificed due to workload targets (e.g. 25 moves an hour), loss of experienced staff and costs? I agree with "Nearly an OAP" who said: "Peoples lives should come before profit every time." That didn't seem to be the case with Railtrack, which was why it was pretty much nationalised into Network Rail.
5. "saint tom" - "however in 2004-2005 this type of crane was made 5 meters higher and the booms extended by 4 meters with swl increase from 36 tonnes to 41 tonnes". My basic understanding of physics (not a mech/civil engineer) would reason that the turning effect on the holding structures by increasing weights and increasing the length of the boom without reliable strengthening of the crane could explain one or both of the collapses?
Would be very interested to hear informed opinions on this.
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Brite Spark says...
7:29am Mon 13 Jul 09
If it was one of Southampton's manned 'Straddle Carriers' involved in this accident, this could pre empt full automation of the Southampton Container area, and the loss of many jobs.
Hope the guy will be okay.