Crane boom collapses while lifting turbine nacelle at Swedish wind farm

The boom of a 750 tonne Liebherr LG1750 mobile crane, reportedly owned by Polish company Viatron, collapsed while lifting the nacelle of a Vestas wind turbine at the Solberg wind farm near Åsele, in Västerbotten, Sweden. The nacelle had only been raised a short distance off the ground when the boom went over the rear of the crane, reportedly after a loud noise and a sudden recoil. The crane operator jumped clear of the cab and suffered minor leg injuries. Two other workers on the ground also sustained minor injuries; one was taken to hospital for a precautionary X-ray. The crane base itself remained stable after the collapse. The incident occurred around 10:00 am. The wind farm, which will comprise 22 turbines, is being developed with funding from Skelleftea Kraft and Fortum, with Vestas and Arise providing project management services during construction.

Not officially reported. The crane was working with main boom, regular counterweight and a suspended counterweight, but no confirmed cause such as wind speed, load weight, ballast configuration or lift radius has been published.

1. Lift plans for turbine nacelle installation should be reviewed against actual site wind conditions before each lift proceeds.
2. Counterweight and rigging configurations for heavy lifts should be independently verified prior to critical lifts.
3. Exclusion zones during large crane lifts should account for the possibility of boom failure, not only load drop, to protect personnel on the ground and in the cab.

vertikal.net/en/news/story/28651/boom-collapse-at-swedish-windfarm