12.02.2021

Crane drops jib

The jib of a luffing tower crane working on a high rise development in Brooklyn, New York dropped yesterday after some sort of luffing hoist or rope failure.

The crane, a Potain luffer belonging to US Crane & Rigging, was being worked on at the time when the jib dropped. Thankfully - or by design - the jib was facing away from the building and simply dropped down against the tower. No one was hurt in the incident and the three or four riggers on the crane were able to climb down in safety.

New York’s Department of Buildings issued a statement saying that its “preliminary investigation revealed that technicians were on site performing maintenance work on the tower crane when the crane's boom experienced a partial collapse. No injuries were reported, and it appears the rest of the crane is structurally sound.”
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picture courtesy NY Department of Buildings

The investigation was continuing today with the department working with the crane company and developers - Brookfield Property Partners and Park Tower Group - to assess the damage to the crane and determine what measures should be taken to make the site safe.

A spokesman for the project said: “Earlier today, a crane at One Bell Slip – an unoccupied building under construction – malfunctioned and the boom came down into the crane itself. Thankfully, no one was injured. Local authorities arrived quickly to the site, and we are following their lead. Safety is our number one priority, and we take the matter very seriously.”