Fall Protection on the Highest Crane of UKM’s Major Construction Site

Press release 22 January 2017

The UKM company fire brigade is exercising together with colleagues from Münster’s professional fire brigade for an emergency.

Münster (ukm/ks). The focus is on the highest workplace in Münster: in order to be able to help the crane driver as fast and as well as possible in the event of an emergency UKM’s fire brigade is conducting joint fall protection and rescue exercises on the highest crane of the UKM construction site (University Clinic of Münster) together with their colleagues from Münster’s professional fire brigade on two Sundays. The exercise is being carried out in close coordination and agreement with the responsible crane company TRINAC GmbH.
Six employees of the professional fire brigade and three employees of UKM’s fire brigade have already taken part in the exercise. In order to ensure effective first aid for the crane driver, they first of all had to climb up 307 steps. The rescue workers required almost 20 minutes to climb up to the top. Three emergency workers were able to pull up medical and technical equipment per cable to the crane jib.

The aim of the exercise conducted at a dizzy height of 96 metres was, for instance, to secure a crane mechanic who had suffered an accident on the jib. “In the case of an emergency we would then alert colleagues who have been specially trained for the high rescue. Our task is to arrange the operations as smoothly as possible until a high rescue takes place”, noted the head of UKM’s fire brigade Markus Schwienheer. “Apart from this we must estimate whether it is actually necessary to call the high rescue team or whether the crane driver, who alerts us because he is unwell or injured, is able to independently climb down with our support after receiving first aid treatment in the driver’s cabin”, added Bernd Voges from Münster’s professional fire brigade.

Altogether more than 20 fire brigade workers in Münster are to practice for an emergency.

Kai Strozyk, project manager of tower cranes at the crane company TRINAC enthused about the exercise: “For us it is important that our employees feel safe at their workplaces, especially when they are working at a height of almost 100 metres”.

Facts about the crane:

The height of the crane is 96 metres and the crane jib is 80 metres long and can carry a load of approximately 5 tons. The construction crane itself weighs 400 tons. There are 307 steps to be climbed to reach the driver’s cabin. And this takes about 20 minutes without carrying anything.