Employee #1 was involved in material handling operations to unload river silt and mud from the deck of a flattop barge. During the operations, he was performing the duties of an oiler when he was crushed between the crane’s counterweight and a six-inch diameter railing.
There was no barrier in place to prevent employees from being caught between the body of the crane and any fixed structure.
What went wrong?
Safety practices are critical when operating a crane on a barge, for many reasons. One is the tight space; the crane is moving multiple directions, and its operator can’t pay attention to actions occurring in all directions at once.
Proper safety procedures—that don’t appear to have been followed, according to the report of this incident—include having a signal man to guide the crane and any workers who are within the range of the crane or its boom, as well as carefully marking the area that anyone on the deck of the barge should avoid.
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine Issue III, 2023.
