OSHA’s Four-Year Delay on Crane Safety Standard Highlighted in Wake of N.Y. Deaths

[Omaha Steve]

This was posted in the Labor Forum last week. After the deadly crane accident today, I thought I'd post this in GD.

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/03/20/oshas-four-year-delay-on-crane-safety-standard-highlighted-in-wake-of-ny-deaths/

by Mike Hall, Mar 20, 2008

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that between 64 and 82 construction workers are killed and 263 are injured working around cranes and derricks each year.



The latest tragic evidence of the dangers construction workers face when working on and around the towering cranes that dot so many city skylines—sometime reaching several hundred feet in the air—came March 15. Six construction workers and an out-of-town visitor were killed when a 300-foot-tall crane collapsed on Manhattan’s East Side, severely damaging a 19-story apartment building and demolishing a four-story town house.


Initial reports indicate the collapse occurred as the workers were “jumping” or assembling a new section so the crane could extend higher as the project continued.


But just as OSHA has failed to issue so many vital safety standards during the Bush administration—combustible dust, personal protective gear, diacetyl (a cancer-causing chemical) and more—it has yet to issue a crane and derrick safety standard, despite the urging of both industry and unions.


Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, took to task OSHA chief Edwin Foulke for failing to protect workers and a “tragic pattern of inaction” on important safety rules. The remarks came at a recent hearing on the deadly Imperial Sugar Co. explosion that killed 13 workers in Georgia last month. (Click here to read Miller’s statement.)


The folks at OSHA Underground—a workplace safety blog run by OSHA employees who post anonymously to protect their jobs—have tracked the nearly four-year delay in issuing a crane and derrick standard.

FULL story at link.

[patrice]

1. What's the matter with you O'Steve? Don't you know it's the Workers' fault?

:sarcasm:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Video of another crane collapse, blog for this topic as well as input from

a few people who have "been there".

Docks crane collapse caught on CCTV
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/video/video/index.var.17120.0.0.php


http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/video/video/display.var.2013902.0.0.php
>>I am currently involved in the investigation of a container gantry crane collapse which occurred in Taiwan in 2005. The driver was killed and the terminal have blamed the ship by alleging that the container being hoisted became jammed in a misaligned cell guide. This is a nonsense and the terminal has done everything possible to obstruct our investigation including charging our attending crane expert with the theft of evidence (he removed a computer print out from the crane in order to prove to the presiding judge that the terminal was lying when they said that there were no print out available).

I need some help from honest and experienced people. I need to know whether it is possible for a container hangup to bring down the gantry trolley and drivers cab on to the ship below. I realize that there are safety switches to prevent overload. However, is it possible to override the switches or abuse the controls so as to cause a massive overload? I need to know these things because as matters stand, the terminal is pointing the finger at the shipowner and another driver could die because we do not know the real cause of the collapse. All comments and ideas will be gratefully received.<<


Quote | Report this post
Posted by: skip on 3:34am Sat 23 Feb 08
it is possible to override, but in most cases the driver would not be allowed . the override would be done probably by the elect dept in unison with the driver
it is possible to override, but in most cases
the driver would not be allowed . the override would be done probably by the elect dept in unison with the driver


Quote | Report this post
Posted by: carl, immingham on 11:56am Wed 19 Mar 08
it is poss what they say they could be many factors was they two cranes working the ship overriding is pos ive drove many cranes were they let you override many dangerous things happen in the port and even cover up i worked for abp for some time and seen many people injured
it is poss what they say they could be many factors was they two cranes working the ship overriding is pos ive drove many cranes were they let you override many dangerous things happen in the port and even cover up i worked for abp for some time and seen many people injured

[RockaFowler]

3. There was another accident today in Miami

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CRANE_ACCIDENT?SITE=FLPAP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-03-25-15-09-46