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Old Hazards that Continue to Maim and Kill

HIFI is looking for additional information concerning jib booms that fall from their stowage attachments on the side of telescoping hydraulic boom cranes. This has been a recurring hazard for over ten years.

Loss of a jib boom being stowed in the side of a telescoping hydraulic boom occurs when the pin connection system appears to be error provocative and is not a fail safe attachment system. Flat bed mounted pedestal hydraulic boom cranes are particularly vulnerable, as the boom attachment procedures create a number of circumstances where the pin was improperly placed and the jib fell, causing destruction of life and property.

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           After the jib boom has been rotated for securing to the main boom, there is no automatic latching system to attach the jib to the main boom.

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           The system of retracing the telescoping main boom to slide the jib boom catchments into a retaining slot provides no visual marking to indicate that the catchments is fully engaged.

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      The use of a pin to lock the boom catchments and slot into place has an unsafe access from the top of the crane’s telescoping boom that presents a serious fall hazard.

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        To view from the ground or the bed or the truck to see if the pin is properly sealed is obscured by the jib boom and thus provides unreliable verification that the jib is safely secured.

The following complaints have been recently compiled for this recurring hazard:    

bulletInjured: Gomez, June 21, 1985, 1st Judicial District, Potter County, TX # 689113
bulletInjured: Manor: July 23, 1985, U. S. District Court System of Michigan, Southern Division # 88-CV-72677-DT
bulletKilled: Heard, September 22, 2001, US District Court, South Carolina, Aiken D.V., Columbia #1 04-21943-27
bulletLangley, September 9, 1998, Jefferson City Court, Div 8, Louisville, KY #99-CI-07293

In each of the above cases the stow pin was properly installed. The ability of the stowing bracket to not be locked in place allows the jib to come free and fall. In each of the occurrences the falling jib struck someone, either killing or seriously maiming them.

If you know of other similar occurrences of a jib boom falling from the stowage position, please contact HIFI. Thank you.