A tower crane in Balzan, which was operating in very windy conditions last week, dropped its load of metal rods on a residential street, damaging two cars in the process, despite the fact that he Occupational Health and Safety Authority having instructed crane operators that cranes should not be used in very strong winds.

The accident took place on Triq il-Kannizzata on the morning of Friday 25 January. A woman with a pushchair was seen passing by minutes before the accident and luckily escaped unhurt.

Angry residents have complained that the tower crane was being used during what was possibly the windiest day in January, and workers had removed most of the fallen load from the street before the police arrived on the scene.

Moreover, the health and safety officer whose mobile number is written on the construction site notice said when contacted by residents said that he did not know anything about the accident, a few days after it had taken place.

“It's not enough for the contractor (or rather his insurance) to pay for the damage to the cars,” one resident said. “Someone could have been killed.”

The story follows a number of similar incidents over the past months and following which the Occupational Health and Safety Authority had issued a communication to crane operators and contractors to remind them of their duties and of the regulations that cover crane operations.

It said that random inspections of tower cranes and their documentation will be carried out and lifting operations will be stopped immediately if any cranes are found to be unsafe, considered unsafe or were not covered by proper documentation. 
One such document regarding tower crane safety had been issued on 26 July and another earlier document had been issued on 16 March.

The two documents state: “Cranes should not be operated in very strong winds and the loads have to be attached to the hook in a safe manner and well balanced. Passing with loads over persons and third party property should be avoided. A safe passage for pedestrians should be established and clearly indicated in cases where the crane is erected in the road…”
The regulations also require that after installation cranes are thoroughly examined by a competent person and a certificate of the test and examination - specifying the safe working loads - be issued and signed by the person making the test. This then has to be kept available for inspection on demand. The crane foundation must also be certified and signed off by a competent person.
The crane operator must also be able to read and interpret the load charts so that the crane is not overloaded. 
The move follows a number of lifting accidents over recent years and authorities have been attempting to tighten up on the number of unsafe operators that use very old and poorly maintained cranes and often operate them in exceptionally unsafe manners. 

Last June, a 22-year-old French woman fell unconscious on a pavement after a metal pole fell on her head while she was walking near a construction site, on The Strand in Gzira. She suffered skull fractures but luckily survived the accident.

In August, a crane toppled over near the Central Bank in Valletta as workmen were erecting scaffolding on the bastions. No one was injured as the crane operator managed to get out of his cabin in the nick of time with only slight injuries, the police said. 

The crane was left leaning on the bastion overnight and removed several hours after the incident. Structural damage to the parapet wall had occurred.