A review of crane deaths in Jefferson County, Alabama

Cranes are machines used to move heavy objects. Cranes are operated by cran e operators, usually working in conjunction with an assistant guiding the m ovements of the crane from his vantage point outside the crane. Few jurisdi ctions require that crane operators be either licensed or certified. We con ducted a retrospective study of those dying of crane-related injuries in ou r jurisdiction during the 16 years from 1981 to 1996. All ten decedents wer e male, and the manner of each death was accidental. Neither ethanol nor dr ugs of abuse were detected in any case. Eight of the ten decedents died due to blunt force injuries, one due to mechanical asphyxia, and one due to th ermal bums. Investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administrat ion (OSHA) led to fines ranging from $80 to $2700 in six of the ten cases. Nationwide, electrocution is the most common cause of crane-related death, but no crane-related death in Jefferson County was caused by electrocution in our study. The absence of electrocutions was due to the planned, routine suspension of power to electrical lines in the vicinity of a crane during the crane's operation, a practice saving an estimated seven lives. Neverthe less, human error or lack of planning was still responsible for most of the deaths in our study, in addition to careful planning and adherence to safe ty standards established by planning, we recommend the mandatory licensure and certification of professional crane operators and the assessment of lar ger fines by OSHA for safety standard violations.