Crane contact with pipelay tower resulting in dropped object

  • Safety Flash
  • Published on 19 August 2021
  • Generated on 31 March 2025
  • IMCA SF 23/21
  • 2 minute read

A crane made contact with a pipelay tower handrail during a routine lifting operation, resulting in a serious dropped object event; there were no injuries.

What happened?

The incident occurred during repositioning of a chain link clump weight on the main deck using a 250T crane whip line.

The boom rest landing section on the boom knuckle came into contact with the top gutter walkway guardrails on the pipelay tower. A section of the rail (approx. 1.2 m and 5.5 kg) broke off and fell approximately 22 m to a walkway below.

What went wrong?

This incident is currently under investigation - however, the following preliminary findings were identified:

  • There was a lapse in concentration due to distractions during the operation.

  • The banksman was primarily focused on the load and its travel path rather than on the crane itself.

  • The crane operator’s view was obstructed by the knuckle boom.

  • The crew were new to the vessel:

    • There was a lack of awareness of possible clash points and were not highlighted in the deck induction.

    • The crew were not familiar with the vessel set-up when working in close proximity to tower.

  • There was an unidentified hazard (i.e. deck structure clash points).

  • There were no engineering controls to warn the crane operator of close proximity to a structure.

Our member notes that further actions will be communicated on conclusion of the investigation.

A crane made contact with a pipelay tower handrail during a routine lifting operation, resulting in a serious dropped object event

Actions

  • Are we out of the line of fire? Discuss what key controls you have in place to remove yourself and your team members from the potential line of fire.

  • Ensure drop zones are identified for any potential clash points when performing lifting operations in close proximity to other structures or equipment.

  • Ensure there is a robust and effective barrier management process used to manage all drop zones.

  • Ensure all potential crane collision points are identified and included in worksite inductions, toolbox talks and risk assessments.

  • Where applicable, ensure additional ‘spotters’ are used to assist the banksman.

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