Cameras on Cranes Can Simply Save Lives

Tower crane with steel hook

Working on a construction site or other job site where cranes are involved can be extremely dangerous for both the workers and the crane operators. Often, the operators have to perform lifts which involve thousands of pounds of cargo which must be moved across the job site. In the path of such lifts can be heavy equipment, expensive machinery, and priceless lives. And yet these lifts are usually performed “blind,” meaning that the operator cannot even see the path which his load will take. Such conditions can cause accidents which not only cost millions of dollars in equipment, machinery, and lost time, but cost human lives as well. HoistCam is hoping to end the danger of these lift by adding the cameras on cranes. Cameras on cranes can simply save lives.

On June 30, 2015, two men suffered electrocution when the crane that they were using struck a few high-voltage power lines in a Columbus, Ohio industrial park. The crane was being used to move an air handler by three employees from DL Industrial. According to the report, the incident occurred at a factory known as “Rightway Fasteners.” The lift was to carry the air handler through a parking lot, with one employee driving and the other two guiding the driver, or operator. Unfortunately, the crane’s boom came in contact with the electrical wires, causing the men to be badly shocked. The two men were air-lifted to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The crane operator was forced to remain in his seat throughout the ordeal to avoid being electrocuted himself.

On July 10, 2015, a fifty-three year old iron-worker was critically injured when he fell forty feet to the ground below during a crane accident at Logan International Airport. The report shares that a 32 ton panel made of concrete fell from the crane to the third floor of a parking garage that was luckily under construction at the time. The man was trying to secure the panel when it fell, causing him to fall as well. The unnamed man was from Connecticut, and was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital. His injuries were listed as serious and he was said to be in critical condition.

This accident caused the work at the site to be halted until a review could be done by the US Occupational Safety & Health Administration, according to the state police. The injured man underwent several surgeries, lost time from work, and could be unable to work in the future if he recovers. Aside from the possible loss of life, this accident will cost Turner Construction Company, as well as any other companies whose projects were put on hold, a great deal of money. HoistCam hopes to end all of these types of accidents by adding cameras on cranes in every job site. Cameras on cranes can simply save lives by giving the crane operator a clear view of the path that the load will take, eliminating the chance of striking power lines and other obstructions. Cameras on cranes can simply save lives by allowing the crane operator to see the load as it is being secured, and making sure that there is no danger of it falling. Cameras on cranes can simple save lives.