Additionally, we must not compare a crane operator to the guy behind the wheel of a family saloon.
Cars travel in an environment where much is beyond the control of the driver. Other vehicles, pedestrians, road-works, traffic lights and roundabouts are just a few examples of this. Cranes, on the other hand, operate with comparatively few external influences.
As LEEA chief executive Derrick Bailes says: “I have often made the point that a properly set up and serviceable crane of whatever type is operating in a very controlled environment.”
And yet comparisons are constantly made.
“A car can be a murder weapon even if equipped with 20 separate brakes, but it is the driver that must decide to actually push down the pedal, or steer the wheel,” said Rinus Bakker, of Rhino Rigs BV, The Netherlands, in response to the rigging advice column in Hoist November, entitled ‘Stage fright’, regarding a fatal accident.
Antonio Silvestri, product development manager at Italian remote control firm Autec, adds: “The safety features of a radio control system should be thought of as similar to those of a car. You may drive your car for years without needing the anti-lock brakes. In fact, you may not even know whether the car you bought has anti-lock brakes or not. They will only truly be appreciated on the day you need them.”
I see what people are trying to do, but it is far too generous a comparison when discussing the accidents and fatalities that our industry endures.
As Bailes says, or implies, there is no excuse for a crane not to operate in a controlled, safe environment. Comparing operators to car drivers suggests that accidents will always be commonplace and there’s nothing we can do about it. That is not true.
Yes, accidents happen, but they should not be treated as they are on our roads as inevitable occurrences of every day life.
Richard Howes, Editor
