Barth Crane Inspections - Crane Accident Investigation, Expert Witness Testimony, Crane Consultant

Michael McCann, PhD, CIH
Janie Gittleman, PhD, MRP
Mary Watters

On July 9, 2004, the Federal Advisory Committee on cranes and derricks (C-DAC) reached a consensus for a new crane and derricks standard.

In May 2008, as part of its semiannual regulatory agenda, OSHA mentioned plans to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on cranes and derricks in the August 2008 Federal Register.

Crane lifting bucket of cement collapsed onto scaffold inside cooling tower. Willow Island, WV. 4/27/78
51 construction workers died

Tower crane fell 16 stories while being jumped. San Francisco, CA. 11/29/89
4 construction workers died
1 bystander died
22 bystanders injured

“Big Blue” mobile crane collapsed hitting 3 workers in crane basket. Winds 25-30 mph. Milwaukee, WI. 11/14/99
3 construction workers died

Big Blue Mobile Crane

4-ton chunk of steel fell from crane crushing a taxi. New York, NY. 9/29/06
5 bystanders injured

Crane collapsed on a condo. Bellevue, WA. 11/16/06
1 bystander died
1 construction worker injured

Tower crane collapsed while being jumped, damaging several buildings. New York, NY. 3/15/08

6 construction workers died
1 bystander died
13 construction workers injured
11 first responders injured

20-foot section crane fell 30 stories while jumping the crane. Miami, FL. 3/25/08

2 construction workers died
5 construction workers injured

Crane cab, boom, and machine deck separated from the tower mast and collapsed onto the street. New York, NY. 5/30/08
2 construction workers died
1 construction worker injured
1 bystander injured

323 crane-related deaths from 307 incidents in construction from 1992-2006

12 multiple-death incidents involving a total of
28 deaths

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Causes of Crane-Related Deaths in Construction, 1992-2006

* 52 of 59 struck by booms/jibs were due to falling booms/jibs
** Other causes includes 14 struck by other crane parts and 9 highway incidents.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Mobile cranes
Tower cranes
Floating or barge cranes
Overhead cranes

71% of all crane-related incidents involved mobile cranes

Mobile cranes were involved in:

80 of 95 (84%) of overhead power line incidents
37 of 59 (63%) of crane collapses
35 of 59 (60%) of struck by boom/jib incidents

Tower cranes were involved in:

16 of 306 (5%) of all crane related incidents
5 of 24 (21%) of struck by crane load incidents
5 of 59 (8%) of struck by boom/jib deaths

Other/unspecified cranes were involved in 24% of all crane related incidents, including:

13 floating or barge crane incidents
12 overhead crane incidents

Electrocutions – from overhead power lines
Crane collapse
Struck by falling boom/jib
Struck by crane load

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Trades of Workers Who Died

* Includes 50 crane and tower operators and 14 operating engineers
** Includes 14 carpenters, 11 electrical workers, 8 truck drivers, and 7 welders and cutters.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Crane operators should be certified.
Presently only 15 states and a few cities (including New York City and Chicago) require certification.
Crane riggers and signalpersons should be certified.
Crane inspectors should be certified.
OSHA only requires that they be competent persons
Cranes should be inspected after assembly or modification.
Only trained workers under the supervision of a qualified person and competent person should assemble or disassemble cranes.
Crane loads should not be allowed to pass over street traffic.
OSHA should conduct more thorough investigations of crane-related fatalities and capture more complete data in its reporting system.
OSHA should immediately take action on the proposed consensus crane and derrick standard for construction and include recommendations from this report.

Mike McCann: mmccann@cpwr.com
Janie Gittleman: jgittleman@cpwr.com
Mary Watters: mwatters@cpwr.com
Electronic Library of Construction Safety and Health (eLCOSH): www.elcosh.org
CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training: www.cpwr.com

CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training – is the research arm of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. This research was funded as part of a grant with CPWR from the National Institute for occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH (NIOSH Grant 1 U54OH008307). The research is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.