A crane mechanic was killed in an industrial accident at a Port of Oakland terminal on October 23. The mechanic was identified by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office as Mark Arnett, 51, of Oakland.
Photo by Joel Williams
BC Staff Report
Published: November, 2012
A crane mechanic was killed in an industrial accident at a Port of Oakland terminal on October 23. The mechanic was identified by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office as Mark Arnett, 51, of Oakland.
According to a report published by the San Jose Mercury News, an initial investigation determined that a maintenance issue involving the crane trolley’s wheels caused the accident. Arnett and another worker were attempting to repair the trolley so that all four of its wheels would properly travel on the rails when Arnett was trapped between the bumper of the trolley and a guard rail. Arnett suffered crushing injuries to his head and chest and was later taken to Summit Medical Center in Oakland, where he was pronounced dead.
"It wasn’t traveling smoothly or correctly," Peter Melton, a spokesman for California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said of the crane’s trolley.
The accident happened at Berth 37, part of the Ben E. Nutter Terminal, which is operated by Evergreen Marine Corporation. The terminal was closed while Cal-OSHA and police investigated the incident. The terminal opened again for operations Thursday morning.
The port voluntarily shut down the crane operation, Melton said, and Evergreen will not use the crane until work on it is done. At that point, Cal-OSHA will perform an inspection and must approve the repairs prior to the crane trolley being placed back into service.
Arnett was not employed by the Port of Oakland, but worked on cranes at the seaport for Ports America as a member of the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers union (IAM). Arnett is remembered by those who worked with him as a gracious, gentle, good man who was always willing to help with his technical expertise.
