The crane collapse happened at 8:30am on Friday morning, killing mathematician David Wichs, who was sitting in a parked car. The accident also injured three people, two seriously.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced immediate implementation of increased enforcement and a series of new measures, including that crawler cranes must cease operations and be secured when winds are forecast to hit 20mph. “No building is worth a person’s life,” he said. “We are going to ensure the record boom in construction and growth does not come at the expense of safety.”
The mayor stressed that the crew members working on the crane were doing exactly what they were supposed to do at that time “which is as they saw the wind speeds increasing, they were moving to put the crane in to a secure position”. For this particular crane, 25mph was the standard and such speeds were not forecast for Friday. “And this incident occurred, literally, as they were lowering the crane to secure it,” he said. The crew was also redirecting foot traffic and vehicle traffic away from the street.
Department of Buildings personnel had visited the site at approximately 6:20am the previous morning to approve the next steps in the work on that building. “And at that time, everything was seen to be proper by the Department of Buildings.” The German-made Liebherr crane is owned by Bay Crane and was being operated by Galasso Trucking & Rigging Inc under a 'bare rental' lease.
The investigation into Friday’s collapse includes a forensic investigation of the equipment itself. The city also immediately ordered all 376 crawler cranes in the city and all 53 larger tower cranes to be secured because of the wind situation. The mayor also ordered that the city's crawler cranes be inspected by the Department of Buildings before they are put back into service.
Steps in the four-point plan include new restrictions on crawler cranes during windy conditions. They must cease operations and be secured when winds are forecast to hit 20mph or gusts to exceed 30mph.
Fines for failure to secure equipment are being doubled to US$10,000 (approximately £7,000). There will also be increased enforcement of pedestrian safety alongside crane sites. The Department of Transportation will require pedestrian traffic managers on projects operating large cranes in areas with significant pedestrians.
There will also be improved notification for surrounding residents and businesses. Prior to moving a crane, operators will be required to notify those who live or work in the area. Currently, crane operators are required to notify residents and businesses only when the crane is first installed.
The city will convene a technical working group to develop further strategies to improve crane safety. Over the next 90 days, the task force will evaluate the conditions involved in Friday's collapse and propose additional best practices and regulations, intended to make New York's cranes 'the safest in the world'.
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