Monday, July 5, 2010

March 26th, 2010




Krasnoyarsk Russia - A QTZ-125B Chinese tower crane collapsed during the construction of a residence building. The crane collapsed falling into traffic on a busy road (video). The report notes six people "affected" which may be part of the dry factual nature of some of the Russian culture. On the informative side, the government is releasing details about the cause of the accident.

The following is a quote from the story and is noted as a quote from the investigation. "The gap of defective high-bolts holding the crane foundation was due to the presence of nonmetallic inclusions in the metal high-strength bolts and inconsistencies in the mechanical properties of the requirements in the production of works in accordance with passport data, which led to the fall of a crane" The inclusions reminds me of a story from Cranes Today where Felix Weinstein warned about poor quality steel in tower cranes. I have in fact found poor quality steel in a mast section myself, delamination. The Chinese are not known for taking the extra steps to ensure safety and quality and I would never recommend a Chinese crane at any price. Even if you have some that are reputable, how do you vet one over the other?

I wish that we could get more of these stories on the actual cause of accidents. Bolts for towers could be replaced, behaviors could change, and 6 people wouldn't be "affected".

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