Council hearing on site safety

Hearing on Construction Site Safety Set for April
Special to the Sun

The City Council next month will examine safety for workers and bystanders at high-rise construction sites after a crane accident in Midtown on Saturday left seven dead.

"We don't yet know all the facts that led to the East Side crane collapse, but we do know that we must take whatever actions in our power to make sure it doesn't happen again," the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, said in a statement. "Construction is a crucial component of our economy, but we cannot sacrifice safety in the name of development."

The weekend crane collapse follows a number of high-profile accidents at construction sites in recent months, including the death of a construction worker at the Trump SoHo building in January, which also prompted a City Council hearing. According to city statistics, the number of safety violations at high-rise construction sites nearly doubled between November 2006 and November 2007.

Several elected officials have expressed concerns about building safety standards in recent days, and Ms. Quinn said on Sunday that the city's legislature would respond "aggressively" on the issue, possibly passing new laws regulating crane safety.

The council hearing will take place on April 29.