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June 10, 2008

Cities, states vary widely on rules for construction cranes

  • And some have no regulations at all, relying on federal guidelines dating back nearly 40 years.
    • By AMY WESTFELDT
    Associated Press Writer

    NEW YORK — Dan Mooney has no idea what it will take for his construction cranes to pass inspection.

    Recent crane accidents
    A look at some recent accidents across the country involving construction cranes:

    • Dec. 14, 2007, New York: A crane building a Goldman Sachs headquarters near ground zero drops seven tons of steel on a construction trailer, critically injuring an architect inside.

    • Jan. 22, Port Washington, Wis.: A crane being used to lift a concrete mixer at a parking lot hits power lines. A construction worker is killed.

    • Feb. 2, Pacific Junction, Iowa: A crane collapses at a gas pipeline construction site, trapping and killing a man.

    • March 15, New York: A 19-story crane breaks away from an apartment tower under construction. The accident demolishes a townhouse and damages several other buildings. Six construction workers, including the crane operator, are killed, along with a tourist visiting the city for St. Patrick's Day.

    • March 19, Montpelier, Iowa: A man dies after falling 60 feet from a crane at an eastern Iowa steel plant.

    • April 30, Parole, Md.: A construction worker dismantling a crane dies when he is pinned between two pieces of it at a shopping mall under construction.

    • May 20: Adair, Iowa: A crane replacing a bridge on an interstate highway topples onto railroad tracks, killing the operator.

    • May 23, Iatan, Mo.: An 800-ton crane collapses near a power plant construction site. One worker is killed and three others injured.

    • May 30, New York: A 200-foot crane building a condo project in Manhattan smashes into another apartment building and to the street, killing the operator and another construction worker.

    • May 31, Las Vegas: A crane at the site of a Las Vegas resort crushes to death a construction worker caught between the crane track and its counterweight system.

    • May 31, Wright, Wyo.: Three ironworkers are hurt when a large crane collapses as it sets a section of tubing above railroad tracks at a coal mine.

    By The Associated Press

    The crane company owner recently asked New York City officials for a list of safety hazards that inspectors look for. He was told that information wasn't public.


     
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