Have you considered the weight?
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 3:12 pm
I have in the past been somewhat outspoken, in regards to weights, capacity, and weight distribution. Some people have considered me to be needlessly pedantic about the topic.
I tend to be much the same in my work place, and though not to the same degree, I used to get a similar response from some of my co-workers. That changed abruptly on July the 1st, last year. As I was returning from a break, to drive a ship to shore crane, I witnessed the following accident, as it happened. The scale won't be apparent in the photos, so I will give some stats.
The machine is a Kalmar ESC450 straddle carrier. The drivers cab is at the top of the machine.
The height of the machine is about 14.5 metres (around 45 feet) It's tare weight is 70 tonne (154,000 lbs) and maximum operating gross weight is 120 tonne (264,000 lbs).
The driver, who was experienced, inadvertently turned a little faster than the designed stability curve allowed for; here is the result.
On the day of the accident I was driving the crane at the forward end of the ship. it weighs 1200 tonne (2,640,000 lbs)
It is rare for anyone to survive this type of accident, and for at least the following few days the driver in this accident was very very close to not making it, but by some miracle he did survive, and has even made it back to work now.
In the following photo, I am the person on the right, walking back towards th camera, having just worked at containing the fuel spill, then chaperoning the police, to keep them from entering high risk areas, while they did their scene examination.
The group on the left of the photo, are returning, to finish the cargo exchange, so the ship can depart. While the group on the right, are trying to come to terms, with what has just happened to one of our work mates, and considering the fact that it could have been any one of us, operating that machine.
I tend to be much the same in my work place, and though not to the same degree, I used to get a similar response from some of my co-workers. That changed abruptly on July the 1st, last year. As I was returning from a break, to drive a ship to shore crane, I witnessed the following accident, as it happened. The scale won't be apparent in the photos, so I will give some stats.
The machine is a Kalmar ESC450 straddle carrier. The drivers cab is at the top of the machine.
The height of the machine is about 14.5 metres (around 45 feet) It's tare weight is 70 tonne (154,000 lbs) and maximum operating gross weight is 120 tonne (264,000 lbs).
The driver, who was experienced, inadvertently turned a little faster than the designed stability curve allowed for; here is the result.
On the day of the accident I was driving the crane at the forward end of the ship. it weighs 1200 tonne (2,640,000 lbs)
It is rare for anyone to survive this type of accident, and for at least the following few days the driver in this accident was very very close to not making it, but by some miracle he did survive, and has even made it back to work now.
In the following photo, I am the person on the right, walking back towards th camera, having just worked at containing the fuel spill, then chaperoning the police, to keep them from entering high risk areas, while they did their scene examination.
The group on the left of the photo, are returning, to finish the cargo exchange, so the ship can depart. While the group on the right, are trying to come to terms, with what has just happened to one of our work mates, and considering the fact that it could have been any one of us, operating that machine.