July 28, 2008

Four workers die in mobile-crane collapse at Houston oil refinery

HOUSTON

Hitting the ground with enough force to bounce a nearby worker off the ground, one of the largest mobile cranes in the United States collapsed at a Houston oil refinery July 19, killing four workers and injuring seven others.

Deep South Crane & Rigging, the Baton Rouge, La., company that owns the 90-metre-tall equipment, plans to work with the federal investigators looking into what is the latest in a series of fatal accidents involving cranes around the country.

“We will co-operate fully with all investigations that may arise from this tragic incident. We will provide information as we gather and verify it,” company spokeswoman Margaret Landry said in a statement.

The crane, capable of lifting about 450,000 kilograms, toppled at a LyondellBasell refinery in southeast Houston.

Two severely injured workers were still being treated

The crane collapsed during maintenance, LyondellBasell officials said. It had not been scheduled to be used for any work until this week, but its engine was idling after it hit the ground, said Jim Roecker, the company’s vice-president for refining.

“This is a traumatic experience for all of us. We have to focus on the safety and health of our employees,” Roecker said.

Micheal Gabriel, 22, said after the accident that he was lifted off the ground by the crane’s impact.

Gabriel, a contract worker, said he didn’t see the crane fall. “I was in shock. I was crying. It was bad.”

He told a relative that he was in a tent where workers eat lunch when he heard a loud pop and people started shouting for people to run, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Near the scene of the collapse, Mattie Graham stood with her husband, Deep South worker Horace Graham.

“I’m thinking about their families. He could have been there today,” she said of her husband.

The refinery has about 3,000 LyondellBasell workers and 1,500 contract workers, Roecker said. He said all personnel at the plant were accounted for, and the plant was operating as usual.

Crane safety has been getting extra scrutiny in recent months because of an alarming number of crane-related deaths in places such as New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

In New York City, two crane accidents since March have killed nine people, a greater number than the total deaths from cranes over the previous decade.

Associated Press

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