01.03.2016

New York forms crane panel

New York city has formed a ‘technical working group’ to investigate the crawler crane overturn in Manhattan last month, with the aim of introducing new rules for large crawler cranes operating in the city.

Over the next three months, the group members will evaluate the circumstances surrounding the collapse and propose additional “best practices and regulations to make crane operations safer”.

Before releasing its recommendations, the group will also consult with members of the Department of Buildings’ existing Crane Rules Advisory Committee, which reviews updates to the city’s crane regulations, and includes representatives from the construction industry. According to the mayor’s office, the panel’s first task will be to determine whether current wind restrictions on crawler cranes reflect the best science.

The Mayor’s office has already announced a range of new measures, including a directive to lower crawler cranes into safety position whenever steady winds are forecast to exceed 20mph, down from the previous 30mph, along with increased minimum fines for crane operators from $4,800 to $10,000.
See New York crane rules affect construction
The members of the technical working group are Mary Boyce, dean of engineering at The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University, Katepalli Sreenivasan, president of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering and dean of Engineering at New York University, Peter Madonia, chief operating officer of the Rockefeller Foundation, Bill Goldstein, who has served as senior advisor to the mayor for recovery, resiliency, and infrastructure, and Wayne Crew, general secretary of the National Academy of Construction.

The press release stressed that none of the members currently have “pending business before the city”, and are therefore be independent, however at least two of them have served on several city and state agencies in the past.
De Blasio said: “We put the safety of our people first. This is a group of dedicated professionals that will ensure we have strong, science-based policies in place to protect New Yorkers as we continue to build the greatest city in the world”.

Buildings commissioner Rick Chandler added: “We are determined to improve the safety both of cranes and the neighbourhoods in which they work, by implementing lessons learned from the collapse earlier this month”.
See crawler crane overturns in Manhattan