A state investigation identified an overloaded crane, inadequate operator training and a lack of equipment inspections as contributing factors in the fatal lifting incident.

A 68-year-old heavy equipment mechanic in Washington state was killed in 2024 when a crane line snapped and dropped a flail mower on him, according to a state fatality report dated Oct. 10.

The Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (WA FACE) Program found the crew never worked out the total weight before the lift. The mechanic also lacked the training and experience needed to run the truck crane. Neither the crane nor the aging line had a documented inspection in five years. The report is based on preliminary data.

Rather than using a sling or other approved device, the crew attached the winch line to a drift pin that wasn't secured. The pin, 3/4 to 7/8 inch in diameter, sat in a 1.5-inch hole on the mower.

The death occurred March 7, 2024, at a heavy equipment yard. The mechanic had spent 11 years with a telecommunication contractor, serving as maintenance shop manager and lead mechanic. He and three co-workers, two of them foremen, had come to collect a mower the company had just bought.

The crew used a digger derrick truck crane to set the mower on a lowboy trailer, but its wheels hung over the deck's edges, making it too wide to haul legally. With the supervising foreman away in the restroom, the mechanic directed the others to lift the mower again and stand it upright in a gap near the middle of the deck. They chained it to the trailer chassis first to steady it.

When the mechanic operated the crane, it raised the mower together with the trailer and semi-tractor. The mower's wheels came about 2 feet off the deck before the overloaded line broke. The mower fell on the mechanic, who was running the crane from a platform on the truck's right rear corner. He died at the scene.

WA FACE investigators recommend using an overhead crane, such as a gantry crane, when possible. They also advise following the truck crane operator's manual. Employers should review a pre-trip cargo movement plan with workers that covers hazards, crane load limits, rigging, equipment inspection and each worker's role. The full report is available from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

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