Video: Crane overturns in Sliema

apgrech

Jan 24th 2009, 14:57

I looked up the phrase "common sense" in the dictionary and is says: "Discontinue".

Giov demartino

Jan 24th 2009, 11:21

NO, I did not try to justify the crane incident. But I HATE to hear and read that "these things" happen only in Malta. These things stands for anything evil. Accidents happen all over the world and nothing can be done to eliminate them comp[letely After all we can always blame Gonzipn!.

v deguara

Jan 24th 2009, 10:20

E.Azzopardi et al:
Take a look at craneaccidents.com and you will be amazed how accidents occur NOT ONLY IN MALTA. This does not mean that we should rest our mind that everything is ok but an accident IS an accident and can be round the corner waiting..... for me or for YOU...

David Battistino

Jan 24th 2009, 09:53

Just a short note to all those who think that these accidents happen only in Malta, just take a look at www.youtube.com and do a small search 'crane accident' . You will be amazed with the number of ‘spectacular’ accidents from all over the world which one can view. It is amazing how some armchair critics from the comfortable ‘armchairs’ of their home, jump to conclusions and try to ridicule everything done in Malta. While I fully agree that care and attention should always be given, we have to accept that ‘ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN’ (and in all professions and services provided) otherwise we may erase the word ‘accident’ from the vocabulary. By the way let’s thank the All-Mighty God that no body got hurt.

E. Azzopardi

Jan 24th 2009, 00:20

To Mr DeMartino and those who try to justify these accidents or any other accident for that matter, by saying that it does not only happen in Malta. We live in Malta and not in "other countries'!! Since when do some of us get concerned that a crane has topple in another country???? This why we have not made the progress we deserve because several of us are "complacent" What a nasty word!!!

George Xuereb

Jan 23rd 2009, 20:02

@ Giov DeMartino

To which foreign country are you comparing Malta to? Must definitely its some third world country which you are talking about. None of these kind of incidents happen in civilized european countries, where all the health and safety rules and regulations not only are in place but observed by all. Its to these countries that we should compare ourselves to, and try and work our way towards.

P. Pavia

Jan 23rd 2009, 18:30

I think the operators should not only be fined but also have their licences withheld.
As Ms Longo said, paying the fine would be a small punishment because it was worth the risk but with licences suspended, they'd be unable to work the crane elsewhere.

Giov DeMartino

Jan 23rd 2009, 17:48

All those who try to make us believe that these incidents happen only in Malta must have never watched foreign news.

Joseph Vassallo

Jan 23rd 2009, 13:20

It doesn't look (in the video) like there was ground-subsidence of any significance, so the likely cause is lifting an item that was too heavy for the angle/extension of the jib ("It will never happen to me" syndrome). Signs of inexperience and poor supervision; in fact I doubt whether (m)any operators have ever been taught the physics of the exercise. Try lifting (say) an empty gas cylinder close to your body and then try to extend your load outwards away from you to see the difference. If you can't do that, experiment a bit next time you play with your child on a see-saw.

The crane normally gives an audible warning when limits are being approached. It is unthinkable for a crane to be operated without such an alarm and without regular checks (with predetermined weights and lifts) on the efficiency of the alarm.

In more civilised countries, cranes are subject to regular structural checks and if they don't qualify, they are taken out of service and scrapped so that some Maltese dealer can go and buy them and inflict them on us, the local population.

E. Azzopardi

Jan 23rd 2009, 12:35

@Ms Lynn Zahra: I fully concur. But does anybody in authority listen????? . So when is the next crane going to topple? It is a matter of time. And next time they might not be so lucky. Period.

Odette Longo

Jan 23rd 2009, 11:58

we can complain and file reports till the cows come home.

the fact remains that contractors don't give two flying ducks about rules, regulations or safety for that matter.

they maybe get fined, they (eventually) pay it and it would have still been worth the risk for them.

Unfortunately tho, when they break roads, drain pipes and pavements (as they did in my street over and over again), or if they get a permanent disability thru negligence... it is once again the humble tax payer who suffers the consequence.

R Muscat

Jan 23rd 2009, 11:35

Yet another instance of cowboy tactics by contractors who will do anything to save a buck but not other peoples property or lives. we have seen too many cases of carelessness that have even led to innocent neighbours killed. Where are the convictions?
Sliema residents are fed up and one only needs to see the drop in votes from Sliema for George Pullicino in the last election to realise that they are not happy with the ongoing mayhem some idiots refer to as necesssary DEVELOPMENT!!
L Zahra there are many complaints done to the powers that be MEPA, Sliema Local council etc, however the truth is that often no action is taken.
Very often damage "I call it vandalism" is done to the adjacent property in a bid to get the neighbour to sell out to the contractor at a lower price.
Surely there must be EU regulations on health and safety why are they not being implemented ?
Or is the construction lobby too strong and the mainstream parties too dependent on their funds ?

Lynn Zahra

Jan 23rd 2009, 10:18

@E.Azzopardi: Don't you think that if Mepa doesn't have enough inspectors to carry out site visits for safety, it should stop issuing so many building permits? And what about the Occupational Safety department? What is it doing to guarantee public safety ? Where are its Inspectors or don't they have any?

@Wayne Vella : We rightly criticize the crane operators because this was an accident waiting to happen and it's lucky no one was injured. It was sheer carelessness on the part of whoever took responsibility for parking that crane bang over a manhole - it was only a matter of time for it to overturn, as it in fact did.

I blame the people in St.Francis street Sliema for failing to complain to the Local Council that the crane operators had placed it there dangerously, with the risk of it overturning as it did.

t that they would have taken an action. It appears that we are now so used to the indifference of the authorities, and that they only act AFTER a disaster occurs that many people in Malta simply shrugg their shoulders and hope for the best. Way to go!

E. Azzopardi

Jan 23rd 2009, 00:46

We have a crane overturning on a regular basis. Where are the MEPA inspections? Some may say that they cannot inspect everything as regards the building contruction. Of course they cannot. But these things are happening too often which means that inspections are rare, if they even exist. I am not an expert and I saw the crane. The truck was too small for the arm which was quite long. So what do you expect? And it was resting on a manhole!! Well done. We were without electricity, internet, TV for many hours. But then who cares. Definitely not the contructions "gurus". And who is proctecting the citizens????

Rafel Sammut

Jan 22nd 2009, 20:37

Probably no further actions will be taken by authorites.....because they only seem to respond when serious damages take place or in many cases when people are killed!!!

And very often its the people who make this country tal-"MICKEY MOUSE" u mhux il-Gvern!

Quintin Vella

Jan 22nd 2009, 19:22

First of all, respect to the critics. Upon seeing previous comments and the issue of common sense and the wheels resting on the manhole were mentioned a few times... if you know first and formost how a crane is made and more importantly how it works, a crane's wheels are never touching the ground while performing lifts. The crane uses four hydraulic (and thats how you spell it) cylinders called outriggers to stabilze and level the crane before any lifts. So who mentioned that the accident was caused due to the wheel resting on the manhole or due to the impact (what impact? anyways...) caused by the wheel, is incorrect.

Wayne Vella

Jan 22nd 2009, 19:03

With all due respect to all the critics....Accidents happen, there's no doubt about it...right? and yes they can be avoided but in Malta we always tend to make a huge deal of an accident....investigations, who is responsible, who should pay, what is going to be done and what have you.....What was not mentioned was how the operator manuvered the crane so to avoid injuring the other workers on the site and the hours of work done before with the crane in the same exact place. If you want to critisize a company which has more than 30 years experience go ahead. You should see their history of lifts...visit their website; www.swaey.com....and by the way not everything is listed. Well that being said, I leave the issue back in the hands of the flawless, perfect and most of all accident free critics. Keep up the good work.

michael fenech

Jan 22nd 2009, 18:46

Are these crane operators licensed in Malta? or simply if you can operate it you get the job.

Arthur Ellul

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:44

Irresponsible behaviour of irresponsible persons.

The culprits should be taught a lesson, and 1st and foremost, be held responsible for damages to 3rd party property when using their heavy vehicles.

Unless proper health and safety regulations are enforced and not left on a sheet of paper, these culprits get away with lots of damages done to property owners of adjacent building,

like damage to streets and pavements through oil & hydrolic spills emitting from lack of service and maintenance to their machinery, or worse than that.

Who is going to repair the 300 year old Barumbara next to St Philip Hospital in Sta Venera, when the crane operator hit one of its sides (during construction work less than a metre away) with his crane jib and a quarter of it fell down, a year ago.

Action please, and Heritage Malta should see that immediate repairs are carried out forthwith.

Mark Seychell

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:43

@ Mr Gatt

assuming you saw the video carefully, you would have noticed that v.deguara was right in concluding that the accident could hardly have been caused by the manhole. My personal assumption is that the manhole caved in with the impact of the upturning crane.

Anthony Camilleri

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:29

Imagine if there was a person on the other side. In Malta the safety precautions are a total disaster everyone just I don't care and they never learn even if a tragedy occurs. The funny side is that now as we are in the EU a lot was spoken about safety measurements but for me still we are the same as always. Irresponsible.......... and will always be.

Donald Borg Mizzi

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:29

Common sense is so uncommon.
Are these workers trained to do this job.
Who is accountable.--In Malta, as usual---no one

Jean Gatt

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:26

with all due respect Mr.Seychell

What investigation do you want! The cause of the incident is known - the wheel resting on the manhole.

I honestly don't think that there is such need for an investigation to take place but rather more precaution that's all

Mark Seychell

Jan 22nd 2009, 16:20

Are any investigations taking place? It is the only way to ensure that there are consequences to ensure that this does not happen ever again. Something like that could demolish a house, let alone kill a person.

M Aquilina

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:56

Will OHS officers and board of directors take action and make sure that all crane and heavy plant drivers are properly qualified by professionals..... A crane driver is the person responsible to make sure that it is in safe working position and all outriggers are properly installed and leveled.
OHSA investigate and make sure all companies have trained personnel

Dr Emmy BEZZINA,Dip.S.Th.,LL.D

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:48

Carelessness,Negligence,Non-Observance of Rules & Regulations,Arrogance & Abuse + the attitude of COULD NOT BE BOTHERED is the order of the day when it comes to most of these those taking over our roads,streets and habitats.Then we keep getting excuses when some incident occurs,luckily in this and many other cases with no injuries and better still no fatalities:not so long ago I had a chat about this with our Valletta Mayor Dr Alexei Dingli within the context of bullying contractors wreaking havoc in one of Valletta`s main squares.He was sympathetic and I know did take action,but the damage caused by these contractors is being heavily suffered by the residents in their respective residences.These contractors must have a constant supervisor with them for whom they must pay: serious clauses have to be inserted in contractual works of this kind because as things stand it is always the common citizen that has to suffer many-a-time in life-threatening situations as the irresponsible attitude of these barbarians is to be experienced to be comprehended:luckily most of us have gone through these experiences,but once the immediate danger appears to be over,most of us decide to shut up:well let your voices be heard please!

Joe Cordina

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:37

Ametuers and nothing more!!

g.camilleri

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:35

Speaking of man hole covers. There is one near the roundabout in front of HSBC in Fgura which is waiting for an accident to happen. One of these days it will cave in under the weight of some unlucky car.

v.deguara

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:22

One can conclude that the man-hole shown on the video is not on the side where the crane went over...so it was not the cause of the accident. Furhermore the video dose not show what was on the other side of the crane to which it tilted...most probably the ground gave in due to the heavy rainpour..God bless no one was injured.

Chris Borg

Jan 22nd 2009, 15:04

Only In Malta

Franco Farrugia

Jan 22nd 2009, 14:58

Will the people in charge be held responsible for this? This incident could have had very serious consequences for passers-by, for nearby residences and for the workmen themselves.

I mean .... does it take a specialist to realise that you simply don't put a wheel of a heavy vehicle over a manhole?