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Crane safety has for the most part been maligned in the United States. There have been serious efforts in the past three years to bring harsher penalties for construction projects operating without crane insurance in place, and clear, uniform guidelines for all states to follow and crane operators to follow. But, crane safety practice is still lax throughout American construction sites, and the crane operators more than often work at break-neck schedules in order to fall under-budget or on-budget. Money seems to be the motivating factor behind many CEO?s decisions not to insure their cranes and heavy equipment. This is the paradox of the American construction industry; we have the most advanced cranes but the worst safety practices at construction sites. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has devised new rules to prevent accidents involving cranes in construction. These changes will have a wide sweeping influence upon the construction industry here in the United States. The much-anticipated federal rules could save at least 50 lives and prevent 100 injuries a year, according to OSHA. It would supplant a rule promulgated from 1971, which has seen few revisions despite changes in how crane work is done.

This “comprehensively addresses the hazards associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction, including tower cranes,” says Edwin G. Foulke Jr., OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor. “This draft rule will both protect construction employees and help prevent crane accidents by updating existing protections and requiring crane operators to be trained.” Under the current rules, legal responsibility for accidents is unclear, leaving crane operators, owners, users, lift directors and site supervisors confused of their liability. Even though there is significant crane insurance coverage options available to crane owners and operators-even the insurance industry must review the changes taking place in the OSHA guidelines to anticipate the amendments to the liability in their insurance policies. Several fatal crane accidents this year have led to increased state and local regulations. Usually, a crane falls onto a site worker or the crane operator is crushed by a crane. The cost of additional safety would pay dividends, according to OSHA estimates. The construction industry would spend about $123 million a year in compliance costs, such as worker training and testing — but employers would save $406 million in accidental deaths and injuries, a net benefit of $283 million per year. OSHA estimates the average cost of a life at $7.5 million and an injury at $50,000. Coincidentally, More than ever, cranes are being set up by unlicensed riggers with the lack of crane insurance , operated unsafely and used to hoist loads far heavier than what they were built to support, records show. Unlicensed construction projects are not a rare occurrence, but often is the case?uninsured projects are quite prevalent since the economic crisis of 2008 that left many medium and small size construction companies cutting corners to save money on their construction projects; usually crane insurance is the most expensive outlay of insurance for any size project. Because of the lack of crane safety obligation and lack of crane insurance the number of crane related accidents and deaths has increased not only in the United States but also around the world in general. Why? Because the need for more residential infrastructure has increased-specifically for apartment complexes and office high-rises. In the last serious accident In New York USA, before the tragedy on E. 51st St., an overloaded 200-foot crane buckled and partially collapsed at a residential construction site at 450 Washington St. in Tribeca, New York forcing the temporary evacuation of some close by homes. That was Feb. 1. 2008 The next day, two workers were injured in a fall as they were attempting to disassemble the crippled crane. Neighbors claimed that work had been progressing at breakneck speed at the site since January.

The operator was issued a violation for working in an unsafe manner with a “grossly overloaded” crane. But months will pass before any action will be taken. He is not scheduled for a hearing before the city’s Environmental Control Board, which adjudicates serious building violations, until April 17. Unfortunately, fines usually are low and punishment haphazard. Such is the case with most states in America.