stepping in at the heal of the crane crisis

Buildings commissioner Robert LiMandri hosted an international conference on crane safety last week to discuss crane safety protocols around the world. More than 50 construction and public safety experts from the US, Canada, and the UK attended the meeting, which was held at the department's headquarters in Lower Manhattan. 

According to a prepared DOB statement, the conference served as "a step forward in developing an ongoing worldwide dialogue among responsible parties in the crane industry, including government regulators, crane owners, manufacturers, operators, contractors, engineers, and riggers."

Addressing the conference guests, Mr. LiMandri said, "We each represent different cities, states, and countries, but we are all facing the same challenge--how to make cranes safer,"  The buildings commissioner will also hold a safety summit with major crane manufacturers, in which he plans to discuss the safe manufacturing of cranes.

"Recent accidents in New York City and other jurisdictions around the world have made it clear that crane safety is a critical issue affecting all of us," LiMandri said. "Cranes easily move across state lines and international borders with varying degrees of oversight, and this conference will foster an international dialogue to help standardize regulations and better protect millions of New Yorkers and others around the world."

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that cranes have caused 323 fatalities across the United States between 1992 and 2006.  Just at the heal of two crane collapses in New York City this year, the Department has hired engineering experts to study crane operations, and has implemented tougher regulations, including imperative training for tower-crane workers and the submission of detailed rigging and jumping plans.

The conference enabled officials to review crane safety standards for permitting, licensing, maintaining, repairing, and operating cranes so that the underlying issues could be identified clearly, properly, and preventatively.