Articles Posted in Crane Safety

The US Department of Labor and Mass Bay Electrical Corporation have reached a settlement agreement in a case involving the deaths of two Mass Bay employees in 2014. John Loughran and Joseph Boyd III were working on a platform that was raised on a crane when the crane toppled, killing both men. The MA electrical contractor was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for multiple violations, including improper employee training. Contact a Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today.

Beyond compensating the victims’ families for their losses, the settlement seeks to prevent future injuries and fatalities by implementing corrective action and setting up a training fund in memory of the victims. In addition to improper employee training, OSHA also cited Mass Bay for failing to adhere to the crane manufacturer’s safety procedures. “The deaths of Joseph Boyd III and John Loughran should never have occurred. Effective and ongoing training of employees and adherence to the clear safety requirements set forth by the equipment’s manufacturer are critical in preventing fatalities like these from happening again. This settlement requires Mass Bay Electrical Corp. to take stringent, detailed, continual and effective corrective action,” said the New England Regional administrator for OSHA, Kim Stille.

Settlement Establishes Scholarship Fund in Victims’ Names

The settlement provides court-enforced rules that Mass Bay must follow and establishes a scholarship fund for employee training. Both of these unique stipulations aim to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future. Mass Bay is required to provide at least $3,000 in contributions to the scholarship fund, which will be set up in both victims’ names, every year for the next 10 years and $5,000 per year in the following decade. As both men were members of the Local 104 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the fund will be administered with the IBEW’s cooperation.

Mass Bay Must Provide Extensive Training Programs to Employees

As part of the settlement, Mass Bay is also required to provide thorough training and certification programs to its employees, undergo regular safety audits, establish an in-house safety committee, and notify OSHA about any work utility projects. Due to Mass Bay’s failure to comply with regulations set forth by OSHA and the crane’s manufacturer, the electrical contractor will pay OSHA a penalty of $136,000. Continue reading

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that the Bourne, Massachusetts crane accident deaths of two works last April could have been prevented if only the proper working conditions and procedures were followed. Joseph L. Boyd III from Fall River and John Loughran from Quincy died on April 12. The two of them worked for the Massachusetts Bay Electrical Corp. They were over 150 feet in the air working on electrical lines when the boom fell to the ground. They died immediately.

According to OSHA, the company’s employees did not get the proper training and were not assessed regarding their ability to work the crane. The government agency found that supervisors at the site failed to follow procedures for setting up and running the crane even though there was an operating manual available. They also failed to perform the correct prelift planning and other necessary tests to make sure the lift could be conducted safely.

Now, Massachusetts Bay has been ordered to pay a $168,000 fine for workplace violations, including the failure to use load charts to assess the minimum angle of the boom angle, failure to use an aerial lift, and allowing the crane to run at over 50% the rated capacity for its configuration.

A dramatic scene unfolded in Boston’s quaint North End neighborhood on Friday morning. Multiple media outlets are reporting that a heavy-duty crane gave way and tipped over on Commercial Street around 11:30 am. The accident caused a chaotic scene as pedestrians scattered to get out of the way of the falling crane. Photos of the scene show part of the crane resting on a now-crushed pickup truck while the long arm of the machine extends into the baseball field in Puopolo Park across the street. The end of the crane created a foot-deep hole right on the third base line.

Two people, including the crane operator, were taken to area hospitals with unspecified injuries. Pictures from the scene show one woman being taken to an ambulance on a backboard with a neck brace. There are conflicting reports in regards to her injuries. Some media outlets are reporting that she was walking near the crane at the time of the accident while others suggest she may have been hit by the crushed fence around the baseball field.
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