NYC Crane Safety Technical Working Group releases recommendations

(June 16, 2016) - On June 10, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler announced the release of the Technical Working Group’s report with 23 crane safety recommendations noting that the “Technical Working Group’s independent review provides guidance on national and international best practices and recent technological advances that can be implemented to ensure that New York City continues to have the most robust crane regulations in the nation. The Working Group consulted with stakeholders across the construction industry and workforce as it crafted its recommendations.”
 
"The Working Group heard from all stakeholders and recommended a thoughtful set of commonsense crane-safety measures. I expect that DOB will take a close look at this report, take action on provisions the agency can implement on its own, and work with the Council on items that require legislation,” said Mayor de Blasio.
 
Key recommendations include:

• Require the latest technology and phase out older cranes.
• Increase industry accountability for crane operation.
• Set site-specific wind requirements at 30 mph.
• DOB should explore more flexible staffing arrangements to deal with surges in crane application volumes.
• Reform training and licensing requirements, including more crane-specific training for operating engineers.

Additional actions taken by the Department of Buildings since a February incident include barring crawler crane configurations with an out-of-service wind threshold of 20 mph or less from city streets and an increase in the base penalty from $4,800 to $10,000 for failure to safeguard cranes.

“The Association is currently reviewing the Group’s report and recommendations.  We remain opposed to any age limitation imposed on cranes as there is no correlation between a crane’s age and crane accidents,” stated SC&RA Vice President Beth O’Quinn. “Proper inspections and maintenance are the true factors in the safety and life of a crane.”
    
Click here to review press release and the Crane Safety Technical Working Group’s recommendations.