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Posted By Tommy Cooper
Sorry if this story is very upsetting for people involved, but would people like to comment on why the cherry picker did not use visible markers such as cones to clearly restrict traffic from approaching.
"A WORKER was killed this morning after a double decker bus knocked him off a cherry-picker crane and then ran over him.
The UK North bus was travelling along Wilmslow Road in Rusholme when it is believed to have swerved to avoid something in the road and hit a lamppost.
It then collided with a cherry-picker crane at the side of the road and a man working in the crane replacing windows on a nearby building fell into the path of the vehicle."
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Posted By Lee Mac
Tommy,
Sad news and devastating for all associated parties most importantly the family and work colleagues.
But I feel these types of incidents should be highlighted on this forum as it reinforces the message that a risk assessment being adhered to would have avoided this fatality.
The following is sad to say but it is true- it takes something like this to awaken certain managers that a risk assessment is much more than a paperwork exercise.
Lee
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Posted By Phillipe
Would a risk assessment really have avoided this accident? You could argue that if it was done properly it may have avoided it, but it will depend on the level of competence of the person undertaking the assessment and their perception of risk.
The problem with risk assessment and risk perception is that it is so subjective.
Condolences to the family of the individual concerned
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Posted By Manny
Where can we read details of this tragic accident?
Manny
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
TC
Knowing this road well I suggest that the judgement on what could have been done is not as clear cut as you suggest. The bus had lost control in a situation apparently not related to its collision with the cherry picker. In these sorts of accident cones provide no barrier at all. If the job was reasonably long term, one might have expected crash blocks to prevent such incidents but these do rely on the relevant highway authority giving consent to a partial road closure. This is not readily granted on a road of this nature which is of limited capacity already and carries high vehicle volumes. The only times I know it is quiet tends to be midnight to 5am and Sunday am up to about 1100am.
The only real way of avoiding these situations is planning, planning and planning with a good measure of risk assessment thrown in. Vehicles swerving and colliding with other vehicles is not that uncommon on this road but I wonder if anyone informed the contractor?
Bob
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Posted By Tommy Cooper
Upon further reading of news articles it appears that this may have simply been a very tragic accident which could not have been foreseen. Numerous incidents came together to cause the bus to swerve, and inavertently collide with the cherry picker.
It seems a very sad and possibly unavoidable accident.
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Posted By David Bannister
It seems to me that this thread has started from the premise that all that appears in the press must be the truth, the whole truth etc.
The accident investigation results will hopefully uncover the reasons why this incident occurred and for us to speculate from a position of ignorance is not (in my opinion) the way we should conduct ourselves.
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Posted By Tommy Cooper
Very good David. I suggest we continue this post when the accident investigation report has been released to avoid further compromisation of the events.
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Posted By Martin Taylor
Not wishing to draw conclusions without having all the facts I am interested that from the BBC pictures it appears that the MEWP did not in fact collapse - I would infer from this that the tragic victim of the accident had not been wearing a secured harness.
If this were the case then it should provide a graphic example to all doubting engineers and contractors of the need for harnesses when working in sherry pickers.
Thoughts?
Martin
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Posted By Tommy Cooper
Sherry pickers! Now you are talking! I know what you meant and that is a very good point. I never considered that a harness must not have been used. Is that standard practice in the industry?
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Posted By holmezy
Tommy,
in answer to your last post...
taken from HSE guidance MISC614...
If there is still a residual risk of impact or persons falling
after you have assessed the risks and put the control
measures in place, then the use of fall protection
equipment should be considered, for example:
l when working next to or in a live highway (eg
street-lighting work or tree-crown lifting) where
there is a risk of a vehicle hitting the MEWP;
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Posted By Tommy Cooper
Thanks Holmezy. You are the man!
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Holmzey
Except that the HSE advise always operatives to use a harness in a cherry picker. I have yet to find an inspector who will accept a risk assessment saying one is not needed. If the threads above are correct and a harness was not being used then we will potentially have another reg 21 debate to follow.
I will refuse to accept that the accident was not avoidable though, the cost of the job may have been higher but one person would be still alive.
Bob
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Posted By holmezy
Robert,
I agree, its almost impossible to justify why you would not want to a fall protection used. Again, from guidance and the depths of memory, think if you are working over water, the fall protection is replaced by a life jacket...but stand to be corrected.
Even though we are all speculating, it seems that the accident could have been avoided, however, perhaps we should wait for the report.
Its still very sad.
Commiserations to those affected.
Holmezy
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Posted By Robert Weiland
Was this one of the city centre developments ?
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
It was, according to the evening news, a window cleaner. He was 10 feet above the ground. I am still trying to work out how he ended up under the bus from the photograph. The quality is however poor but it is clear that the equipment was well upon the pavement with the basket adjacent to the building. There was no obvious sign of the back of the boom protruding over the road.
It looks like somebody had an idea of the correct method but then something was not fully followed through!
Bob
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Posted By John Borkin
my friend Martin Pilling was not the "window cleaner" which he was protrayed as, but a kind, thoughtfull friend and an brilliant glass bender and neon specialist which i am poud associating myself with. He was a neon speciallist who had a great sense of humor and who was deticated to his job.I would and many other people would very much appreciate it if you do not refer to him as an simple window cleaner but as an thoughtfull friend, and neon speciallist.
Martin was a great friend and deep down i can not belive he has gone, he was the kind who would go high and low to get a job done, and that it was my pleasure and i am honor'd of meeting him. He has touched his friends, familys and clients life in a very special way. Martin did not have a care in the world, he did not like all the fuss of everyday life, he was happy if he had money for a bag of sweets, pack of lambert and butler and half a tank of petrol. He was the kind of person who will be happy to stay in bed all weekend.
He allways made sure he kissed his mum every morning on the way to work.
xxMartinxPillingxx13/11/1978-1/11/2006xx
I would also like to just add, that the [expletive deleted] of a bus driver did NOT have a driving licence. He was also an immigrant.
The bus shouldnt have been on the road in the first place.
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Posted By David Bannister
I do not understand how the driver's status as an immigrant had anything to do with this accident.
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Posted By John Murgatroyd
It was just a reference.
Apart from that, he was driving the bus illegally (allegedly) without insurance (no licence)(allegedly) so if he hadn't been driving the guy would still be alive (allegedly)(simple)
Probably the guy on the cherry picker hadn't done a risk assessment for the job, if he had done he could have allowed for illegal bus drivers swerving into him and killing him. He could have put out cones (made out of 10 tonne blocks of concrete to stop a bus).
Health and safety all over, don't blame the bus driver, look for faults in the guy that was killed.
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Posted By Arran Linton - Smith
The last three messages have been hidden until other moderators have had an opportunity to review these.
Arran Linton - Smith
IOSH Moderator
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Posted By Merv Newman
I'm not sure why we have lost the last three posts. Maybe inappropriate legal opinions.
No comment.
However, it could be appropriate, where a MEWP is in a situation exposed to traffic, to place another vehicle in a protective position. Should a car/bus/HGV slew off the road then it could hit the unmanned protective vehicle and not the MEWP.
Merv
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Posted By Ralph Baqar
Looking at the photo, it would seem that the cherry-picker (MEWP) did not turn over. Given the weight of some of these machines I would have been very surprised, but not shocked because I have encountered them turning over.
I’m going to be a bit discrete on this one however, numerous points from the photo (all based on theory, given the information supplied):-
Was this hired machine from a well known company?
A fall restraint harness is required for this type of cherry-picker. This is because even a small bounce/bump at ground level can and has thrown (from past evidence/incidents) an operator out of the basket. Fall restraints must not be used as these machines are not designed to incorporate shock absorbing loads from fall arrest lanyards. At that height, it would not have worked anyway.
IPAF is the industry training standard for this equipment. I have to wonder if the operator had the correct training? If he did he would have known about suitable chapter 8 barriers, signage and even a banksman to assist? If not trained to industry standards, how was he able to get one of these machines…?
Was a street license applied for this work to be carried out on a public highway?
From my point of view, I see people using this type of equipment without suitable PPE, signage, barriers etc every week of the year. You see them climbing out of the basket and onto the mid and even top guardrail to undertake work, this of course is not possible if wearing the correct type of harness.
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Posted By Ralph Baqar
Sorry, last response should say 'fall arrest harnesses should not be used'
still a very tragic loss of life.....!
Off to bed, goodnight all ;-)
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