A previous post on this blog talked about a serious crane accident that left several people either dead or severely injured. This accident was just the latest in a string of accidents, most of which affected construction workers in and around the cranes.The previous post also mentioned that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, was stepping up safety inspections of cranes. OSHA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that workers in this country stay safe while on the job. In New York, a state agency, the Division of Safety and Health of the Department of Labor, fills this role.Still, the important point is that there are many safety standards which apply to the construction, use and dismantling of cranes. At the federal level, for instance, there are [...]

A crane accident in another state, which attracted widespread media attention, left 1 person dead and left 5 other people injured. Among those hurt, authorities described 2 of the injuries as serious and 2 more of them as critical.The crane apparently collapsed in high winds as thunderstorms went through the city. Unable to stand upright in the wind, the crane tumbled down on to the top of a nearby apartment complex. At least one of the victims, the one who died, was not a worker.However, the incident still underscores the risk that crane accidents impose on construction workers. In fact, in the same state where this most recent accident happened, and since 2012, 8 construction workers have also died in other, unrelated construction workers' accidents involving cranes.The problem has attracted [...]