Tree surgery accident in Dorset involving MEWP

[Matthew Arnold]

Yep thats where i know Julian from working in Dorset Countryside. Was funny coz my first encounter with him was when i did my work experience with them in year 10. Its a small world. I used them as work placements in year 10, when i did my ND in Countryside Management i used them and when i finished the course i went back n worked with them to eventually get myself a paid job. And Tom did the same course as me at the same time.

[testcricket01]

Looks like a 19m basket similar to Dean's.

 

I have used those machines and it would appear that the boom is up and the top section well out.

 

Pure speculation' date=' obviously, but if the operator has had the revs up high and inadvertantly dropped the top section sharpish with the boom extended, it gives them a hell of a rock.

 

That coupled with frozen ground and a slope...... ?

 

Hope the guys are ok.[/quote']

 

the top section always has alot of movement when the boom is at full tilt,

 

plus them tracked ones are a hell of a job to set up especially on a slope and on a icy frozen slope even worse

 

hope the lads recover quick!

[Martyn Amos]

Yep thats where i know Julian from working in Dorset Countryside. Was funny coz my first encounter with him was when i did my work experience with them in year 10. Its a small world. I used them as work placements in year 10, when i did my ND in Countryside Management i used them and when i finished the course i went back n worked with them to eventually get myself a paid job. And Tom did the same course as me at the same time.

 

sure is a small world:001_cool:

[Dean Lofthouse]

Oh dear......that looks remarkably the same senario and exactly same machine, with exactly the same leg configuration.

 

First thing you will notice is the legs are not fully extended, they are on the middle setting. Having the legs on the middle setting, especailly with two in the baskets make the machine rely heavily on sensors to let the operator know when they are close to the "restricted" working envelope

 

I wish I could talk to the operator, because I can bet any money I can tell him exactly what he did without him telling me

[Tommy_B]

Thoughts to the guys. Hope they are alright.

[skyhuck]

Hope they are OK.

 

If this situation can have any positive side, hopefully the HSE will see that the MEWP is not a 100% safe option.

 

What we do has potential dangers and safe practice, not a single method is whats need to help prevent accidents.

[Matthew Arnold]

I am sumising again..... but i guess they though a MEWP would be the easiest option. But its the option that carries the most risk. And sometimes the ease outweighs the risks and they go for the MEWP rather than roping it.

[Pommie]

Life is Risk and Hindsite 20-20. Personally I am not a massive MEWP fan, they have their place. If the workers in this situation were to fall from this tree when climbing it the shout would be for the MEWP.

My point is we all make assessments of Risk, this process is to lessen the Risk you can never eradicate it. What we do is dangerous accidents will happen.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Here's a pic from another angle.

 

This is bringing back bad vibes for me, their accident is exactly the same as my MEWP accident. The same machine, the same leg configeration, the same boom angles, the same fall height and they landed on an area lower than where the machine so the machine would have effectively "whiplashed"

 

Compare with my mewp in 2005

Edited December 2, 2010 by Dean Lofthouse

[skyhuck]

Do you think this could help you get some redress mate???