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Fatal incident in Kansas highlights caution required with MEWPS
A mobile elevating work platform has overturned in Kansas City, USA leaving one workman dead and one other in a serious but stable condition.
The men are reported to have been installing steel building panels when the MEWP overturned. Workers were sent home for the day while investigators examined the site.
A spokesperson for the contractor said: ”We have an on-site safety team down there and are working with investigators, both local and any federal agencies, to determine what caused this accident”.
Comment: This is the second MEWP overturn fatality in the US in recent weeks. External factors do not appear to be involved and investigators will no doubt be focusing on (a) the vehicle e.g. tyres (b) ground conditions e.g. level changes, openings etc. and (c) how the machine was being operated.
MEWP fatalities in the UK have mainly involved operators becoming trapped between the basket and fixed structures. However, these US deaths are a reminder that MEWP instability can also be fatal.