New York City Steps Up Safety Measures for Tower Cranes Amid Ongoing Probe into Midtown Collapse
The city's Department of Buildings is cracking down on safety protocols for tower cranes, enforcing stricter regulations after a nearly two-year investigation into a partial crane collapse that injured several people in Midtown last year. The new measures aim to prevent similar incidents by mandating fire suppression and detection systems for diesel-powered cranes.
According to the findings of the probe, the crane's boom peeled away from its base during the collapse, leaving it plummeting to the ground after a fire broke out on the deck. The blaze was allegedly sparked when flammable hydraulic fuel oil sprayed out of a disconnected hose and made contact with the hot surface on the deck.
Experts point to similar incidents involving cranes from the same manufacturer, Favelle Favco, in Australia, where two separate collapses occurred in 2012 and 2016. In response, the company recommended measures to its customers to prevent crane fires and boom failures – a precautionary measure that was allegedly ignored at the Midtown construction site.
As part of the new regulations, people in charge of operating and supervising these machines must now meet more stringent experience qualifications, including having over 3,000 hours of experience and certain industry certifications. The city is also introducing a new license class for operators of smaller hoisting machines, requiring them to have more than 3,000 hours of experience.
The move comes after the investigation into the Midtown collapse concluded that several safety protocols were not being followed by New York Crane and Equipment Corp., the company at the center of the probe. The general contractor on the project, Monadnock Construction Inc., has since received four safety violations and is contesting one of the dismissals.
The Buildings Commissioner has hailed the new regulations as a step towards improving construction safety, stating that injuries and incidents are at their lowest level in over a decade due to "rigorous enforcement of the city's safety codes" and consistent reevaluations of those rules.
The city's Department of Buildings is cracking down on safety protocols for tower cranes, enforcing stricter regulations after a nearly two-year investigation into a partial crane collapse that injured several people in Midtown last year. The new measures aim to prevent similar incidents by mandating fire suppression and detection systems for diesel-powered cranes.
According to the findings of the probe, the crane's boom peeled away from its base during the collapse, leaving it plummeting to the ground after a fire broke out on the deck. The blaze was allegedly sparked when flammable hydraulic fuel oil sprayed out of a disconnected hose and made contact with the hot surface on the deck.
Experts point to similar incidents involving cranes from the same manufacturer, Favelle Favco, in Australia, where two separate collapses occurred in 2012 and 2016. In response, the company recommended measures to its customers to prevent crane fires and boom failures – a precautionary measure that was allegedly ignored at the Midtown construction site.
As part of the new regulations, people in charge of operating and supervising these machines must now meet more stringent experience qualifications, including having over 3,000 hours of experience and certain industry certifications. The city is also introducing a new license class for operators of smaller hoisting machines, requiring them to have more than 3,000 hours of experience.
The move comes after the investigation into the Midtown collapse concluded that several safety protocols were not being followed by New York Crane and Equipment Corp., the company at the center of the probe. The general contractor on the project, Monadnock Construction Inc., has since received four safety violations and is contesting one of the dismissals.
The Buildings Commissioner has hailed the new regulations as a step towards improving construction safety, stating that injuries and incidents are at their lowest level in over a decade due to "rigorous enforcement of the city's safety codes" and consistent reevaluations of those rules.
. A fire and a crane falling to the ground is super scary, so yeah it makes sense to make changes to prevent that kind of thing from happening again. More experience for operators would definitely help reduce the risk of accidents. And I think its good that they're introducing new license classes too, just like in Australia where Favelle Favco had similar issues 
. Maybe its time to be more proactive about safety instead of reactive? 
when the world has to come together to face a disaster. The new regulations on tower cranes in NYC are a huge step forward. I mean, who needs a catastrophic crane collapse like in that documentary "Tower of Truth"? Not me, that's for sure 
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just read about the new safety measures for tower cranes in NYC and I'm kinda relieved but also worried 
it's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out... and btw, have you heard about any other crane collapses in the US lately? 
! 3k hours of experience for crane ops? More like 10k, trust me 
the fact that people were ignoring fire suppression systems is just insane 
I mean i get it accidents can happen but come on guys let's get our priorities straight 
at least the city is being proactive about enforcing stricter regulations and making operators meet more stringent experience qualifications 
fingers crossed it works and we don't see another incident like that anytime soon 
The fact that they had to look at other incidents in Australia for guidance is just wild. And now we're stuck with these new rules that are supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening again... it's like, don't they trust the people operating these machines to get it right? 
I guess you can't blame 'em for taking precautions though, and at least the city is trying to be proactive about safety. But still... some questions remain unanswered, and I'm not sure if this is just a Band-Aid solution or actual progress.
I gotta say, tower cranes in NYC can be super sketchy already but this new safety upgrade is like a much-needed reboot 
! Those Favelle Favco incidents in Australia were pretty scary and it's crazy that they didn't take the warnings seriously... on top of the fact that the NYC crane collapsed in the first place 
cranes are like, totally sketchy 
️, but what if it loses control? 
the investigation showed that a small spark (literally) can cause a massive chain reaction 
let's see... 3,000 hours of experience required for crane operators 
is like, almost full-time work right? 
but it might be worth it if it saves lives 
. I just wish the company took those precautionary measures from Favelle Favco more seriously 
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