New York City has taken a step towards strengthening its crane safety regulations after a two-year investigation into a devastating partial crane collapse in Midtown that left several people injured. The city's Buildings Commissioner, Jimmy Oddo, described the incident as a "singular nightmare scenario" for the construction industry but said that rigorous enforcement of the city's safety codes and consistent reevaluations have led to a decrease in construction injuries over the past decade.
Following the investigation, diesel-powered tower cranes now require fire suppression and detection systems, while operators must meet more stringent experience qualifications. The new regulations were announced after determining that a fire broke out on the crane's deck during the incident, weakening its structure and causing it to collapse. The report concluded that the fire started when flammable hydraulic fuel oil sprayed out of a disconnected hose and came into contact with the hot surface on the deck.
The operator was able to escape safely but the boom gave way, injuring some construction workers and grazing a neighboring building. Authorities said that the street below was largely empty at the time of the incident, and no one was seriously wounded. The crane's owner, New York Crane and Equipment Corp., and its lessee, Cross Country Construction LLC, were issued four safety violations, with three being dismissed or immediately rectified.
The investigation also analyzed similar incidents involving cranes from the same manufacturer, Favelle Favco, across the world. However, the company's recommendations for preventing crane fires and boom failures were not being followed at the Midtown construction site. The Department of Buildings created a new license class in November 2024 for operators of smaller hoisting machines, requiring them to have more than 3,000 hours of experience and certain industry certifications.
The tightened regulations are seen as a significant step towards improving crane safety in New York City, with the commissioner stating that it is essential to "set the standard" for the construction industry. The new requirements take effect immediately, and officials say they will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Following the investigation, diesel-powered tower cranes now require fire suppression and detection systems, while operators must meet more stringent experience qualifications. The new regulations were announced after determining that a fire broke out on the crane's deck during the incident, weakening its structure and causing it to collapse. The report concluded that the fire started when flammable hydraulic fuel oil sprayed out of a disconnected hose and came into contact with the hot surface on the deck.
The operator was able to escape safely but the boom gave way, injuring some construction workers and grazing a neighboring building. Authorities said that the street below was largely empty at the time of the incident, and no one was seriously wounded. The crane's owner, New York Crane and Equipment Corp., and its lessee, Cross Country Construction LLC, were issued four safety violations, with three being dismissed or immediately rectified.
The investigation also analyzed similar incidents involving cranes from the same manufacturer, Favelle Favco, across the world. However, the company's recommendations for preventing crane fires and boom failures were not being followed at the Midtown construction site. The Department of Buildings created a new license class in November 2024 for operators of smaller hoisting machines, requiring them to have more than 3,000 hours of experience and certain industry certifications.
The tightened regulations are seen as a significant step towards improving crane safety in New York City, with the commissioner stating that it is essential to "set the standard" for the construction industry. The new requirements take effect immediately, and officials say they will continue to monitor the situation closely.
I'm glad NYC is taking concrete steps (pun intended) to boost crane safety regulations 
. It's crazy that a fire broke out on the deck, weakening the structure, and we're lucky no one got seriously hurt 
. The fact that operators now have stricter qualifications and companies must install fire suppression systems is a huge win 
. I'm also loving the new license class for smaller machines – it's about time industry regulations caught up with modern safety standards 
. Favelle Favco, take note! 
It's high time they followed their own recommendations to prevent crane fires and boom failures. All eyes on NYC, setting a new standard for construction safety 
! Can you even imagine being on that crane when it collapses? Like, what's going through your head in that split second?! 
Anyway, glad no one was seriously hurt but still super scary. Those hydraulic fuel oil things can be deadly! 
I mean, who knew they could catch fire so easily? 
Safety first, right? Need to make sure all these new regulations are enforced properly tho 
I'm glad NYC is finally taking concrete steps (pun intended) towards making their crane safety regulations more robust. It's been two years since that terrifying incident in Midtown and it's heartbreaking to think about how many people were injured 
. The fact that the operator escaped safely but not the construction workers, though... it still sends shivers down my spine 
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. And I think it's high time they stepped up their game to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening in the future 
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Only time (and close monitoring by the authorities) will tell 
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Cranes are already pretty heavy-duty equipment, but I think we need to make sure they're even safer than usual. I mean, having fire suppression systems on diesel-powered tower cranes is a no-brainer - it's just basic common sense, right? But I'm also glad that the city is taking a closer look at operator experience requirements and making those more stringent. Having someone with way more hours under their belt is gotta be better than just winging it, you know?
. And it's wild that they had to redo all those safety checks and retrain their operators 'cause apparently they weren't following the manufacturer's guidelines 
. But honestly, I think this is a major step forward for crane safety in NYC - it's about time we prioritize people over profits 
. We need to make sure our construction workers have the best possible safety gear and training to do their jobs safely.
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. And now they're makin' diesel-powered ones with fire suppression systems? That's like night and day, ya know? 
. The commissioner's right, we gotta set the standard for safety in construction 
. And its not just about the crane itself, but also the manufacturer Favelle Favco who needs to take responsibility for their products and recommendations 
. Overall, I think these new regulations are a big win for public safety and will hopefully prevent more incidents like that from happening in the future 
Are we gonna start putting sprinklers in every construction site? 
And those experience qualifications for operators? Easy to circumvent if you ask me. Anyone can get 3,000 hours of experience from working on their buddy's construction project over the weekend 
. Can't we just focus on making these cranes safer instead of creating a whole new industry of 'crane safety experts'?