15.09.2008

Over $300,000 in fines in tower crane accident

The US Occupational Safety & Health Administration has issued citations to three contractors with proposed penalties totaling $313,500 for alleged violations of safety standards in the March 15th collapse of a tower crane in midtown Manhattan that killed seven people.
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The companies cited include Rapetti Rigging Services, the crane's erector, Reliance Construction Group, the project's general contractor and Joy Contractors the project's concrete and superstructure contractor.

Rapetti has been cited for alleged problems associated with rigging the crane and lack of fall protection, while Reliance and Joy have been cited for lack of fall protection, fire protection, and other hazards unrelated to the cranes collapse.

An OSHA spokesman said: "Ultimately, the crane collapse was a failure to follow basic, but essential, construction safety processes. This case illustrates in stark terms that failure to follow required procedures can have wide-ranging and catastrophic consequences."

Rapetti Rigging has been issued three willful citations with penalties totaling $210,000 for allegedly failing to comply with the crane manufacturer's specifications and limitations when erecting and climbing the crane, failure to protect nylon rigging slings from damage and failure to inspect the slings for damage or defects before use and to remove a defective sling from service. The company also has been issued five serious citations, with $10,000 in proposed fines for fall hazards. Employees were apparently working on the crane's tower and at the edge of the 18th floor without proper fall protection.

Joy Contractors has been issued one repeat and 14 serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $74,000. The repeat citation alleges the lack of fall protection for employees working 60 metres above the ground. OSHA had previously cited Joy in March 2007 for a similar hazard on another project in New York. The serious citations allege failure to train employees in jobsite hazards, unsafe work area debris, fire hazards, fall hazards, unsafe material storage, and hazards created by the eccentric loading of concrete shoring and formwork.

Reliance Construction Group received 11 similar citations with $19,500 in proposed penalties.