Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Leuven area near Dirk Boutslaan and Franz Thielemanslaan has resumed access to traffic. The construction work required closing down the streets after a crane system failure occurred.
The construction site in Leuven surrounding Dirk Boutslaan and Franz Thielemanslaan reopened due to the completion of crane repairs. When the crane malfunctioned during the stone lift, its support arm collapsed, resulting in several stones dropping from a height.
It was determined that the accident caused no harm to people or possessions. Authorities took precautionary measures to close off the streets before experts dismantled and removed the crane.
Have there been similar crane incidents in Leuven or nearby regions?
The city of Leuven has recorded minimal occurrences with construction equipment in recent times, even though crane breakdowns occur infrequently. When light crane issues arose at Naamsestraat for building renovations in 2019, the equipment failure required brief traffic rerouting without causing any harm to people.
A hydraulic defect in a small lifting device at the Bondgenotenlaan construction site caused a brief stoppage in 2021, while no damage occurred to the structure.
A few important crane incidents occurred throughout the Flemish geographic area. A crane accident at port construction in Antwerp (2022) necessitated evacuations but failed to produce any human injuries. The activity at Brussels resulted in a dangerous close call in 2020 when crane equipment swung at dangerously close proximity to residential properties, making authorities step up safety inspection protocols.
Following the incidents, the regulatory bodies made EU machinery safety standards obligatory while implementing requirements for operator certification and force testing evaluations.
