Construction Boss Decapitated by Boom

A construction supervisor was decapitated when he was struck by a boom from a crane.

He was handling the tagline on a crane-connected load which was being lowered into a subway construction area. The crane did not have outriggers in place for stability.

As the load was being lowered, it got caught on a ledge out of the operator’s sight. When the load stopped moving downward, the operator assumed it had reached the lower level destination. He continued to lower the load line so it could disconnected. The load then fell from the ledge. The sudden impact caused the crane to tip over, and the boom struck the victim as it fell.

If you work around cranes, be aware the proper placement of outriggers helps ensure your safety. If you are tagging a crane load, keep an eye on the positions of both the crane and the load.