This document discusses 10 cases of crane accidents that occurred between 1998-2003 at various sites. It summarizes the key details of each accident such as date, location, description of the accident, and determined cause. Common causes of the accidents included mechanical failures, overloading, improper inspection/maintenance, and unsafe operation. The document concludes with recommendations to prevent future accidents such as increased auditing and training of crane operators, restricting work under suspended loads, and improving communication between crane operators and signalmen.

2. Major Causes of Crane Accidents
 Contact with power lines
 Overturns
 Falls
 Mechanical failures

3. How Do Accidents Occur?
Instability – unsecured load, load
capacity exceeded, or ground not level
or too soft
Lack of communication - the point of
operation is at a distance from the crane
operator or not in full view of the
operator
Lack of training
Inadequate maintenance or inspection

4. 1.Crane boom failure during
operation
 Name of the contractor : M/s L & T
 Location / Area: FCC Pipe rack
 Date: 17/08/1998
 Crane type : TATA TFC 280 of M/s Sanghvi
 Accident Category: Serious injury / FATAL

5. Brief Description
A Welder and Grinder were engaged in
welding and grinding job on the pipe rack
beam joint at about 20 M using man hoisting
cage by a crane of 75 t capacity. While
raising the boom to bring the personnel
down,the boom collapsed backward along
with the cage.
Crane configuration was as under :
Boom length : 130 Feet
Radius : Approx 6.5 Mtr.
Cause:Boom over hoist limit switch
was not functioning

6. 2.Toppling of OMEGA V40 Crane
 Date: 20.01.2002
 Time: 0945 hrs
 Site Location: Lo-Lo JETTY
 Brief Description:
 The above crane was being utilized to lift
and shift steel plates at Lo-Lo Jetty.While lifting the plates,
the crane toppled
 No injury
 Cause-Unsafe operation & Overloading

7. 3.Hydra Hook Failure
 Date: 19-06-2001
 Time: 1330 Hrs
 Site Location: CRUDE-1 (311)
 Brief Description:
 During lifting of 10” pipe spool connection between
S09 and S08 to facilitate placing of a pad, hydra hook
failed. Hook slipped from lock nut and fell down on a
Rigger of MS Plus Tech causing abrasion on back
 Cause: Improper Inspection and Maintenance

8. 4. FAILURE OF HOISTING
ROPE OF HUSKY CRANE-20 T
 Site Location: RTF between Sphere # 57 & 67
 Brief Description:
 Date: 08-02-2001 Time: 1130 hrs
While positioning cranes boom near truck for
unloading pipe from it ,Crane’s hoist rope
got snapped resulting into dropping of hook
block on the ground.
 Improper inspectionMaintenance
 Pulley wheel chaffed damaged

9. 5.Hydra caused lost time injury
 Date: 01-06-2001 Time: 1645 hrs
 Site Location: Out side SFS
 Brief Description:
Mr. Shiv Shankar Chaudhary was guiding hydra
operator for shifting of structural material .He was
walking very close to front right side of wheels.
During marching, the load got swung and while trying
to manage the load Mr. Shiv Shankar was struck by
the hydra and the front wheel ran over his legs
causing fracture on right thigh and CLW on left leg.
Cause- Unsafe position/posture of workman.
- Lack of alertness on the part of operator.
- Marching long distance with suspended load
instead of using safer methods.

10. 6.Crane’s Ball hook damaged inst. Line
and actuated deluge System
 Date: 05-11-2001 Time: 1545 hrs
 Site Location: Aromatics Tankage piping, Area 201
 Brief Description:
Tata TFC –280, RO-1055 was used for dismantling
and lowering a 6” valve from pipe rack of about 2 Mt.
high. The ball hook of the crane inadvertently hit
against the adjacent inst. airline resulting damage of
line, leakage and pressure drop in inst. airline
connected to deluge system and subsequent
actuation of T-03 sprinkler system.
Cause -Congested work area.
-Improper risk assessment.
-Operator/Signalman did not notice the
instrument line & possibility of damage.

11. 7.Failure of winch drum of Coles
Crane and dropping of 3 T Motor
 Date: 18-11-2002 Time: 1730 Hrs
 Site Location: Coker near hopper
 Brief Description:
While lowering motor of around 3 t weight
using hired Coles Crane, winch drum break
got failed and motor fallen down.
 Potential to cause fatalities
 Property Damage
 Cause-Mechanical Failure.

12. 8.Jib Crane failure and dropping of
cradle and falling of ball Hook into the
cradle
 Date: 26-11-2002 Time: 1150 Hrs
 Site Location: Crude-1, 311, Near C-05 stripper
 Brief Description:
While lifting cradle with four RCC personnel, the fly jib
of TATA-TFC-280 crane collapsed forward when the
cradle was 1 M high dropping the cradle along with
the ball hook. Even though it fell in the center of the
cage, caused FAC to two personnel
 Potential to cause fatalities
 Potential to cause damage to plant equipment and
subsequent emergency
 Improper Operation (Free Fall) Mechanical failure

13. 9.Crane boom hit against pipe-Fall of
pipe resulted into one fatal accident
 Date: 3/10/98 Time 04:00 PM,
 Site Location: Avenue-J, street-1, near Sphere Tank area
 Brief Description:
Pipe having 36-meter length, 24-inch dia, 8-mm thickness was
erected at 10 meters height on flare trestle structure and
provided with stoppers .Erected portion of the pipe was
projecting around 5 meter towards road, when a crane was
marching on the road,boom of the crane struck projecting
portion of the pipe.Pipe became wobbly on structure, broke the
stopper plates and fell down injuring two persons.One
sustained minor injury on head and the other sustained serious
injury on head and was succumbed to the injuries.
 Causes of incident:
Crane operator did not look for clearance of the boom while
marching the crane
Lack of alertness during driving of crane.

14. 10.Crane caused
Electrocution
 Date-23-01-1998 Time: 10 pm
 Site Location:Avenue –A ,Street-1 Near MSO
 Brief Description: A crane was used to lift a
load.A person was engaged in guiding the
load ( flood light post),it touched the 11 kv HT
line and the fellow got electrical shock and
succumbed to the injuries
 Cause: Contact with HT line
 Operating crane without maintaining safe
clearance from O/H electric line.

15. Other Incidents
 Toppling of Hydra at unit 311 – Crude
(17/2/2002)
 Hydra wire rope slipped out-Crude –
311(4/11/2002)
 Damage to boom – 450 T DEMAG Crane
while assembling- (07/11/2002)
 Outrigger of a crane sank into paving area
PRU (13/11/2002).
 The wire rope of Hydra broke at Coker
( 22/11/2002).

16. Recent crane audit observations during
Aromatics Shut down on 25-04-2003
• Operator was not aware of capacity
• Oil was leaking from all four outriggers.
• Limit switch on boom was not provided or
not working.
• Load chart provided along with crane is not
readable, as well as operator could
not answer the question on load chart.
• SWL not painted on crane hook
• Overload indicator/alarm not available.
• Inadequate compactness of ground Stability
(TFC-280)- positioning on fire hydrant valve
chambers.

17. General Recommendations
 Internal Audit:
Rep from CES, Tech services, P&M shall do
thorough auditing of all lifting machinery at least once
in six months to go into the details of crane
inspection, replacement of worn-out parts and overall
fitness. This is in addition to third party statutory
inspection.
 Operators and Crew training:
All crane operators, signalman, riggers shall be
trained as per OSHA and they shall be certified after
validation (operators’ competency and skill)
 identify selected cranes, crane operators & dedicated
crew for man hoisting-

18.  Restricting working under suspended load
 Communication and co-ordination between crane operator and
signalmen –use of walkie-talkie
 Supervision
 Identification of signalmen – use of fluorescent jacket.
 Overcrowding of cranes and machinery- around 30 cranes were
stationed in crude (311) during shut down.Proper co-ordination
for deployment of cranes is required to avoid over crowding.
 To check feasibility to erect a lift with interconnectivity to all tall
structure by way of catwalks and platforms at Cr I & II .
General Recommendations