Managing Health & Safety Risks (No. 15): Using cranes

Sean Brady highlights potential similarities between the recent Sasago road tunnel collapse in Japan and the catastrophic failure of part of Boston's I-90 Connector Tunnel in 2006.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN initiative to protect workers across the globe, and a reminder and opportunity to reflect on the vital role that safety plays across the built environment — and on the responsibility structural engineers hold throughout the life cycle of structures.

At certain times, engineers will be required to visit construction sites. All sites, whether large or small, are potentially hazardous. Junior engineers need to become acquainted with the general hazards they might encounter, as well as the corresponding means of assuring personal health and safety.