Training Information Promoting Safety

Weekly Safety Training

“Fly Away”

TIPS for the week of February 7, 2005

Recently, an employee was injuredwhile changing cutting edges on a scraper.

The hook came loose and flew ashort distance, striking the person

in the head.

Full recovery is expected, but we needto learn from this accident to prevent

a “Flying Hook” reoccurrence.

After careful investigationand analysis, this reenactment

demonstrates what webelieve happened.

Here you see a hookin an eyebolt,

properly tensionedand connected.

Here yousee the same

connection with thechain allowed to

go slack.

In the accident, theeyebolt was attachedto the cutting edges,and the edges were

also lowered to createthis same slack position.

In this picture, anoverhead crane is

lifting the chain, andyou see the hook

rotate.

Again, no one saw thehook rotate into this

position, but webelieve this is what

happened.

As the chain goes up,the eyebolt actually

opens the safety latch.

The latch is onlypartially open, but

that’s enough.

As more tension isapplied, the hook

slides, opening thelatch even further.

With the hookcompletely released,we believe it caught

on the side of theeyebolt.

The key lessons to be learned:

Check and recheck all riggingbefore and during each lift.

Stand well back from all lifts,and if guidance is necessary,

use a tagline.

Before making a lift, makesure the rigging is safe and the

appropriate type for the lift.

Most importantly…

When making this type oflift, as you snug up the load,

make sure the rigging isin the proper location.

Don’t ASSUME, makesure the eyebolt is properlycradled in the hook before

the lift begins!