Mobile cranes account for a considerable proportion of crane-related accidents in South Korea. The authors used descriptive and non-parametric statistics to analyse 245 fatal accidents in South Korea from 2007 to 2016. The results showed that human error and crane problems were the main cause of accidents; riggers accounted for the largest number of deaths. To reduce the number of mobile crane fatalities, the authors made recommendations in four areas: educational aspects, mobile crane aspects, technical aspects and other issues. Firstly, business owners need to establish a systematic education system suitable for workers in mobile crane operations. Secondly, efforts should be made to tighten the quality of safety inspections of cranes and supervision of workplaces. Thirdly, efforts should be made to develop more human error-free equipment. Lastly, it is necessary to develop a systematic accident reporting system containing more detailed information to allow a fuller understanding of accident causation.
Keywords: accident; causal factor; fatality; mobile crane; safety.