Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa today

Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

In Cali liability issues are generally split by the rule of "comparative negligence" Was it the crane companies fault or the tree companies, or was it both? The insurance companies on both sides are going to wrestle around with that. Ultimately it will end up in the courts to decide. In the meantime the homeowner is going to have to suck it up until it's decided who's insurance company pays what.

And until then the total costs can soar. I'll bet the awards paid for distress will exceed that of actual property damage.

Just takes a Philadelphia lawyer.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

are crane operators in cali required to carry a liscense ? In the crane world who has the final say ? I'm talkin rental cranes not owner/ operators. I was curious where was the oiler ? oiler comes in handy when workin in the blind. come 1-1-10 all crane operators in washington must be liscenced, who knows might bring us another safegaurd, time will tell.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

[ QUOTE ]
... Jibs are for height not radius...

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the way I've understood it too. I don't get why that crew didn't make the decision to put on more counter weights and not to erect the jib.
bangtard.gif
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

I would like to know how the communication issue was addressed between the climber and crane operator. There should have been feedback all the way along as to the progresive weights. This way the climber knows what size he can cut and whether to shorten up on the cut. This is the only industry that the climber can customize the size of your lift for the crane operator. Green log chart!

My thoughts go out to the climber. Will he ever be in a tree again? Also too the family and crane operator!!

We need to learn by mistakes in order to do better in the future and make everyone safer!
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

That's my concern as well. It's seems like there must have been a communication break down some where. The article stated that the crane was shockloaded, and the consensus here is that the turn was too big. Was the load off balance and swung? Was the pick not vertical? Since the operator had an obstruction to see how was the communication set up? A middle person communicating with the operator and climber or radio?

So many things we wont know unless someone involved will tell us.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

Are the Cal-OHSA reports available to the public/industry? will we ever know positively what happened?
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

I was walking with my daughters through downtown Boston today. I noticed a crew breaking down a Grove GMK5240, I watched them as they were unloading the last counterweights off the superstructure onto a tractor trailer. I overheard two of the riggers talking about this very accident in Santa Rosa, CA. They were in agreement that whoever was running the crane was an idiot, and that trees are the most dagerous picks that can be made. I aksed him about his comments, he said the operator had a jib on, low boom angle, and no counterweights. I asked him about his trees comment. He said that trees are an unknown weight, its all guess work, and once its on the hook you own it. He said that scares an operator because now hes receiving an unknown weight onto his hook and is fully responsible for it.

Found it kind of odd that I overheard this comment from some riggers randomly on a Boston street at 10:45 in the morning.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

BB, that conversation certainly matches what I experienced when I used to climb and cut for a living.

The potential variation in the weight of live timber makes it very hard for the crane operator, even after the first pick, there still is no absolute certainty that either the operator or the climber will be able to guestimate the mass of the larger wood as they work down the tree.

Experience with dismantling trees for both parties brings a degree of effective prediction.

I did a few jobs where the tree was at the limit of the reach of the crane and therefore the reduction on the lift capacity had to be clearly understood...and communicated. Good quality two way communication between climber and crane operator is essential all the time but even more critical when you cannot see each other...esp when the operator cannot see the cuts being made or the movement of the piece after it comes away from the stem.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

For the last month we've had a big crawler lattice boom crane hard at work on the 200 million dollar hospital job in Pocatello, this thing has (eyeballing it) about 150 to 200 foot of main boom, with a jib that must be another 60 or so, and the jib is offset. Keep in mind the building (all structural steel) is 4 stories high. So......it would seem in this case all that stick AND the jib is for sure for reach, I think a blanket statement of jibs are for height not radius is incorrect, it depends of course on the setup, load etc. This is NOT to say the accident crane had it right, obviously not!

Speaking of accidents: I was setting some 60' girder trusses on a riding arena yesterday, and we had a carpenter step off the man lift about 14' up, he didn't slip, it just looked to me that he thought he had something there to step on, and there wasn't. A big guy too, and he hit pretty much head first and did not move, not good at all,after several ambulances etc arrived, I and the rest of the crew packed it up, and I'm waiting to hear if he lived, is crippled or what. If he is just banged up or maybe a few broken bones he is a lucky SOB. Gravity is a bitch, be careful.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
... Jibs are for height not radius...

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the way I've understood it too. I don't get why that crew didn't make the decision to put on more counter weights and not to erect the jib.
bangtard.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

[ QUOTE ]
If he didn't have the right counterweight and the jib erected he was not "perfectly and professionally set up".

Jibs shouldn't really be used for treework like they said treework is one of the most difficult things a crane operator can do and jibs can't stand the side loading involved in treework. That wasn't the case here, but he should have been on the mainboom working at that radius. Jibs are for height not radius.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was relooking thru all the posts. Im not trying to argue here. I dont think treework side loads cranes if set up correctly. Jibs are very useful to get proper angles and reach higher to be able to take a smaller piece(get a higher hook height) and avoid top heavey pics.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

[ QUOTE ]
I think a blanket statement of jibs are for height not radius is incorrect, it depends of course on the setup, load etc. This is NOT to say the accident crane had it right, obviously not!

[/ QUOTE ]

There are many different types of jibs, som of which are not jibs. The majority of jibs we see on smaller boom trucks are swing away extenions, on knuckle booms although offsetable are really just another boom, on larger cranes we also see luffing jibs so a blanket statement is not appropriate, but in most owners manuals you will see a disclaimer like: Do Not Use Jib Under 55 Degrees

In tree work most of our trees are far away from the setup area, not too high so a jib isn't really nesessary on a crane which mainly does tree work(not including K-booms their jibs work horizontly for radius), also when you lift out a pick consisting mostly of brush its like a huge sail subjecting the jib to massive sideload forces which most can't handle causing failure.
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

In a follow up article in the local newspaper Crane company co-owner of Precision crane the company called in to lift out the piece left behind in the back yard Jon Elliff said he used a 200-ton crane with a 77,ooo pounds of counterweight - something that was lacking in the first attempt. Seems obvious someone forgot something?

From another word of mouth statement it has also been noted that the piece that was rigged was rather large and awkward according to the picture in the newspaper. One source stated that the individual who chokered it rigged it wrong and the piece fell into the line wrong and shock loaded the crane.This too seems obvious since the crane tipped over. It appears that both parties have some fault in the matter.

Can't believe that they had to call in another crane company to haul the piece out of the back yard. Whatever happened to the chainsaw it smaller and haul it out the old fashion way? Boys and their toys.Buzz Buzz cut cut and get'er done what is up with these big outfits and having to always use a crane? Don't get it ? Do You?
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

Was the crane was there to remove the downed crane? why not use it? Save someone's back, knees, time!
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

[ QUOTE ]
Can't believe that they had to call in another crane company to haul the piece out of the back yard. Whatever happened to the chainsaw it smaller and haul it out the old fashion way?

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the same thing at first. But, if there is to be a thorough report of the accident, it would be best to take the piece out with a crane to mesure it's weight. (I'd think).
 
Re: Nasty tip over splits house in Santa Rosa toda

good pull ClassTruck. I was wondering what was happening out there. Wonder what kind of settlement they will get.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom