A large steel beam fell from a storage crib and crushed a worker to death. The fatality happened when a crane operator was positioning the structural steel building beam on a rack for storage before it was used in building a power plant.

A second worker on the ground signaled the crane operator to pull the sling from around the beam. The victim then tried to remove the shackle from the beam.

A fitting on the sling caught, and the beam tipped off the cribbing.

Training in safe work procedures and close supervision are two important strategies for preventing incidents like this. […]