Incident alert
ACTIVITY:
MAINTENANCE & HOUSEKEEPING
TITLE
Overhead Hoist Incident
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United Kingdom
ACCIDENT / INCIDENT DETAILS
A contract fitter on night shift received lacerations to his left thigh and left forearm when he was struck by the chain box that had fallen from an overhead hoist that he was in the process of using.
He and his colleague were inspecting screen cloths in a screen house and had changed a mat when they were in the process of removing the damaged item.
The IP had started to raise the mat when he heard a bang and was then struck by the metal box that collects the chain as it is fed through the hoist.
Investigations showed that the journals that attached the box to the hoist had failed.
Both the injured fitter and his colleague were authorised and competent to use the overhead hoist
The hoist had been subject to an annual statutory inspection in April 2013 and no defects were recorded
The hoist had also been subject to a service by the suppliers in November 2013 and no defects observed.
In previous inspections and services damage to the chain box had been noted and this had been rectified
When using the hoist to move items in the screen room previously there is limited head room when moving over conveyors in the vicinity
Repeated impact over time had weakened the journals on the chain box that eventually failed
ACCIDENT / INCIDENT IMAGES
Click image to enlarge
Broken journals on the chain box
Click image to enlarge
LEARNING POINTS / ACTIONS TAKEN
All overhead hoists to be serviced by a competent engineer and a schedule of services to be arranged at least twice a year.
Develop a means of tracking the outcome of inspections and services over time.
Fit safety chains supplied by the providers to all chain boxes on overhead hoists.
Review the operations of all overhead hoists to ensure that lifted items are not striking the bottom of chain boxes routinely.
Where the head room between the chain hook and the bottom of the chain box is less than 1.0m, review fitting an ultimate limit switch to the hoist chain.
Use site briefings to remind all operatives that all incidents involving equipment e.g. striking chain boxes by the item being lifted should be reported as a near hit.
LEARNING POINTS / ACTIONS IMAGES
Click image to enlarge
Safety chain and new box fitted.
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