Serious crane incident
- Safety Flash
- Published on 1 April 2003
- Generated on 23 January 2026
- IMCA SF 03/03
- 1 minute read
IMCA has received a report of a roustabout being crushed during a lifting operation.
What happened?
The incident occurred on a rig which was in the vicinity of a platform. During a lifting operation, a tank had been lifted from deck in such a manner that it swung towards the roustabout, who had been stationed as flagman. The crane operator did not have eye contact with the flagman.
The flagman was struck, receiving a crush injury to the hip.
Our member drew the following conclusions:
The company involved noted that the roustabout had not been in the correct position, but that the lift should not have commenced until the clear signal had been communicated by the flagman, who had been out of the line of sight of the crane operator when the incident occurred. It has re-emphasised to its personnel the importance of following procedures and being safety-aware at all times, especially so during potentially hazardous operations such as this.
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