Contractor warned city about crane but was blown off

[jayfish]

Source: New York Daily News

A retired contractor warned the city 12 days ago the doomed crane on E. 51st St. wasn't properly braced, but the Buildings Department blew him off after making a cursory check.

"I think the Buildings Department is grossly negligent because they had been warned. They sent an inspector and they brushed it under the rug, so to speak," said Bruce Silberblatt, an 80-year-old former contractor.

"Now, I'm sitting here and, at last count, four people are dead and a couple buildings on 50th St. are completely wrecked. ... It looks like Baghdad over there."

Silberblatt said he called the city at 3 p.m. on March 4 because he had been concerned for days about the lack of braces securing the crane at a construction site near his United Nations Plaza home.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/16/2008-03-16_contractor_warned_city_about_crane_but_w.html

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NOTE TO MODS: I'm hoping for an exception to the 12-hour rule as I have searched the site and found no mention of this story anywhere.

Jay

[LisaM]

1. Regulation of EVERYTHING has gone down the tubes

Workplace safety, the development industry, the USDA, the EPA, the banking industry.

This is a tragedy of our times. Incidents like this are a warning. It's horrible that 7 people had to die. I'm so tired of rushed building projects, greedy contractors and developers, the sweetheart deals they get with cities......

[margotb822]

5. It costs the corporations money

And we all know how that drains the economy :sarcasm:

I wonder how much money they saved by not bracing that crane. I wish the CEO would go to the families and tell them how much savings he thought their family members were worth!

[mkultra]

6. i guess the dead are free.

The should be made to pay for that.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Sure hope they get charged with criminally negligent homicide, as they should.

The almighty dollar is all that matters to so many of these people...

[Sal Minella]

3. Yeah. Why should anybody pay any attention to an old phart who don't know nothing.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. Just on the radio - now 7 dead

no link, sorry.

[Warpy]

7. The problem is the number of luxury highrises

going up in NYC and that when cranes fail, as they are statistically apt to do every once in a while, people in such a congested area are going to be killed.

As I understand it, falling steel broke through the bracing welded to the side of the building and that's what caused the whole business to fall.

If NYC wants to avoid disasters like this one, there should be a maximum height limit in congested areas like the area the crane fell into.

[ben_meyers]

8. The other problem might be

That the Buildings Department inspector probably has a financial arrangement with the contractor on that building. I've never done business in New York, but if it's anything like Chicago, or probably any other big city, payoffs to city departments and the unions are just a cost of doing business.

[Warpy]

9. Oh, you bet there are

NYC is a lot more corrupt than Chicago ever dreams of being, they've been at it longer. It's probably why the bracing wasn't redundant enough to withstand a common problem: falling objects.

It's also why this particular building didn't have even rudimentary safety structures in place, like covered walkways nearby.

[Deny and Shred]

10. It is like Chicago in that respect. I still blame Ray-Gun for this sort of failing

We can credit the Reagan Revolution. Deregulation, worker safety, union busting (though not at play in this instance) all were basic planks of his business first approach. Part of supply-side econ is to help reduce costs of suppliers, not workers, and not those in the surrounding environment.
NY does have a track record of special treatment concerning major projects, hindering those who weren't handpicked who want to push through anyway with lots of bureaucracy and violations, and streamlining through whatever regulations ought to be in place for the favored firms.
Check out the life of Robert Moses, he turned this sort of thing into an art form. Many blame him for the Dodgers leaving because he refused to allow upgrades to Ebbots filed, and demanded they move to Queens (Shea). He also had major influence in the inefficient layout of the LIE, LIRR, and bridges/underpasses and what vehicles can have access.

[Thothmes]

12. Disagree

This sort of crap was happening in New York and Chicago a long time before Reagan was President. The corruption of City government in both are legendary going back to the 30's at least.

[dysfunctional press]

14. i worked on high-rise construction in chicago for many years, and nothing like this happened...

you don't get away with flauting safety rules on constuction sites by paying off an inspector in chicago. they take things pretty seriously.

[darue]

11. only one 80- year old man knew how to do the job?

and of course no one would listen to him. classic. We have become a nation of incompetent fools?

[htuttle]

13. Short answer

Yes.

[damntexdem]

15. Woo, I thinking that this will add up to multimillion dollar litigation.

There would have been suits anyway; but with this testimony, the price tag just went into orbit.