Rick Marshall (ADSC Safety Man) weighs in on preventing drill-tipping.
Safety is everywhere, but especially in the construction industries. Here at IDE, we celebrate the focus we are all putting on ensuring everyone is properly trained on drill-tipping prevention. We are also focusing on ensuring the manuals from our vendors clearly define the areas of focus when preventing drill-tipping.
The following article was written by Rick Marshall (our ADSC Safety Man). Thank you, Rick, for allowing us to reprint your article in our Newsletter. It is our intention that this article inspires others to double check their manuals and ensure the proper training of everyone on the job site.
“Even in the land where the idea of the necessity of having a safe working platform was spawned, and subsequently made into a requirement, another piling rig has suffered an overturn accident. Yet, based on the limited information available within this article and the video within, it is hard to a say that a poor working platform was the cause of this overturn. So, what may have happened?
Note the long mast and kelly, along with a casing driver and a section of casing in place. While this may be an absolutely appropriate set up for this machine (and for any other manufacturer), the additional weight of the attachments, cause a difference in the machine’s center of gravity. This decreases the rig’s stability – especially when tramming. This important information regarding stability of the machine in its various configurations is found in the operator’s manual. It cannot be stressed enough that the operator must be educated and trained on this information.
From the information within the article and video, it is difficult to determine if the machine was tramming forward and it encountered a soft area of the platform causing it to nose over forward, or if the machine was tramming backwards, and the ground was slightly unlevel or it crawled over a rock or dense soil on top of the platform surface. Either of which would cause the machine to go out of level, and potentially tip forward. One of the many topics the ADSC/DFI/PDCA “Recommended Industry Practices” covers is the need for an educated and trained spotter to ensure the safe movement of the machine. So not only must you have an educated and trained operator, but also an educated and trained spotter on the ground, who can recognize unsafe conditions when the machine is tramming. Thanks to Kevin Sharp (Traxxon) for the share.”
https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2022/03/04/giant-piling-rig-topples-over-on-london-site-video/
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