On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Construction Accidents on Monday, August 1, 2016.
Construction work is unavoidable in a city like New York. There is a lot to build, demolish and repair and this work often creates at least some amount of street-level chaos and confusion, even when the work is being completed far above the street.
Construction in the city often affects so many people and can be such a domineering presence that it is crucial for construction companies and workers to take proper steps to stay safe. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen. In recent years, multiple crane accidents have led to serious destruction and catastrophic injuries. Because of this, city officials have put in place temporary regulations to prevent more crane accidents from occurring.
Included in the temporary mandate put into place earlier this month are measures to reinforce supervision of crawler cranes, which are the enormous machines that hoist beams and other materials around a job site.
In order to prevent crane collapsing accidents, the rule will require better weather monitoring and leave specific decisions on whether to shut a crane down in windy or otherwise inclement weather up to a lift director. Previously, the rule was simply that a crane must be shut down in winds exceeding 30 mph.
Additionally, the rule will require job sites to have lift directors present whenever the cranes are in use. The lift directors will be responsible for making weather-related decisions, as mentioned above, and be required to supervise the lowering and raising of the crane booms.
The lift director will also perform safety checks on these cranes on a daily basis.
These measures are intended to keep construction workers and the people who are on the ground or in the buildings next to job sites where machines like crawler cranes are in use safe.
Should an accident occur, it will be critical to examine any potential operational failures or negligence that contributed to an accident in order to determine liability. Once this can be established, victims of construction accidents can take legal action seeking accountability and the financial damages they may desperately need and deserve.
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