Loadstar
Platinum Member
Putting equipment on roof today. Crane was in front of building reaching to back. There were lines above the roofline directly behind building. Last unit was set and operator was signaled to begin retrieving boom. I was guiding the chains away from the equipment and they started going towards the line. Operator was extending boom instead of retracting! I tried to keep the chains back but it began lifting me so I let go and I barely hit the roof before he sent them into the lines. When I collected my wits after the massive arc flash I quickly got up to run to the roof edge to make sure nobody on the ground was dead. Operator stayed in cab, stayed calm, and got it out. Luckily ground crew was 20ft from crane. Nobody was hurt, just a lot of blank stares.
Just remember to watch those lines and stay away from equipment that could potentially engage them. If someone was touching an outrigger they would have died. Electricity had no issue passing through that crane, through 8" thick timbers under the outrigger, and into the concrete to complete the circuit. Attached is a picture of the burn mark in the new concrete where one of the timbers was.
Just remember to watch those lines and stay away from equipment that could potentially engage them. If someone was touching an outrigger they would have died. Electricity had no issue passing through that crane, through 8" thick timbers under the outrigger, and into the concrete to complete the circuit. Attached is a picture of the burn mark in the new concrete where one of the timbers was.
I saw the aftermath of a gravel truck hitting a line with the raised box, it blew the rear tires out and the air blast blew gravel on the road with such force that a van parked close by was peppered by the small rocks so badly it looked like somebody had shot it hundreds of times with a fairly high powered pellet gun. It took out all the windows that were in the "line of fire"!