Cameras on Cranes: Crane Accidents and Line of Vision

Mobile crane boom in the sky.

All too often, crane accidents occur because of the fact that the crane operator’s line of vision was blocked. When a crane operator cannot see where the crane is traveling, where the lift is moving, or objects which suddenly come into the path of the lift or the crane, then catastrophe can strike. By adding HoistCam’s cameras on cranes, one can lessen the chances of these types of accidents occurring.

Elderly Couple Killed When Crane Collides With a Car

A sad report from New South Wales, Australia shares the death of an elderly couple which occurred when a crane collided with their car. According to Crane Accidents, “A truck mounted platform collided with a 4×4 (Oct 19th) in Berridal, New South Wales, Australia killing the two occupants of the car – an elderly couple – and seriously injuring the driver of the platform, who was airlifted to hospital. A passenger in platform was also injured but less seriously and was taken to a local hospital. The two vehicles collided at a four way intersection. Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash prior to preparing a report for the Coroner.”

Crane Accident Cleared in The Netherlands

Another report from Crane Accidents tells of  crane accident that occurred when two cranes overturned in The Netherlands. That accident was cleared this week, as the report explains, “A large floating crane was brought in, along with three large telescopic All Terrains from Mammoet. The two stricken cranes were then cut into sections and lifted on to barges by the floating crane.

Then on Friday the dropped bridge deck – the load that the two cranes had dropped – was also raised from the flattened buildings, using a combination of the floating crane and the two larger mobiles, both of which were working with boom suspension systems in place. The deck was then placed back into the barge mounted cradle that it had been delivered on.

The building rubble will now be moved and the road and underground services checked out before the bridge is finally repaired. We hope to learn more on how the recovery was planned and executed, but are posting this preliminary report following a large number of requests for information on the recovery, which was clearly a challenging proposition, given the access to the area, etc.”

Preventing Accidents With Cameras On Cranes

Although adding cameras on cranes will not prevent every accident, it is sure to cut down dramatically on the chance of having one. The first accident occurred when a crane struck a car, and resulted in the loss of two lives. It is likely that, had the crane operator had a better line of sight, the collision may have been avoided. In the second accident, the cranes overturned, possibly due to poor ground. This accident resulted in a large amount of lost time and money, since it occurred in August and is just now being cleared. This is another time that cameras on cranes could have helped the crane operator to see the conditions of the lift. By adding HoistCam’s cameras on cranes, one can cut down the chances of an accident drastically.