Accident Involving Mobile Crane

On 17/01/2008 at about 3.00pm, a verbal report was received on a fatal accident case involving a 45 tonnes truck mounted crane (Model:Tadano; PMA 9284). The location was at the proposed Putra Square project, Kuantan, Pahang. On the day of the accident, several workers were undertaking relocation work involving two units of transformers within the building.

The crane had been positioned outside of the building for hoisting work, with all its legs extended and rested on wooden footings which were placed on the ground. But one of the four legs that was supported on the wooden footing was found to be placed on top of a drainage culvert.

During the preparatory process for the lifting of a 4,150 kgs transformer, the ground on top of the culvert suddenly gave way causing the leg and wooden footing to puncture through the culvert.

The forensic engineering investigation that was conducted, revealed that the culvert failed because it could not withstand the loading from the crane. Consequently,the sudden inclination of the crane body from the failure of the culvert caused the hook block to swing and struck the deceased who happened to be nearby.The deceased was caught in between the swinging hook block and the transformer to be hoisted and sustained serious injury.