In the wake of the Feb. 5 accident, which cost 38-year-old David Wichs his life and damaged four buildings when the crane's boom crashed down along the north side of Worth Street, the city's Department of Buildings prohibited crawler cranes, which can be driven around on tank-like treads, from operating in sustained wind speeds topping 20 miles per hour.
Now a working group that was established to review the city's crane rules in the wake of the crash has recommended lifting that emergency ban. The requirements would revert to what they were before the accident: Cranes have to stop work when wind speeds hit either the manufacturer's specification, or 30 miles per hour at the maximum.
Should the city adopt the new temporary measures, it would appease construction firms, crane companies and workers, who had complained that the 20 mile-per-hour limit was forcing them to shut down so frequently that it was wreaking havoc on their business without necessarily improving safety.
But the working group, which had been criticized for lacking crane experts, also recommended two other measures as part of its proposal. One would require that an operator be on site for crawler cranes unless the crane is designed to operate in 30-mph or stronger winds or is in storage mode. The other would prohibit crawler cranes from being used in public areas if the machines can't safely withstand 20-mph winds.
4 comments:
What REBNY bullied DOB stooge crawled out of the woodwork to,suggest this"
Crawling cranes aren't the only thing to be crawling around the hallowed halls of DOB.
Anyone know enough about this issue to weigh in on if these regulations are good or bad?
Not even a pulverized body of a well-to-do white man on the street will stop the predatory developers, the overseers of our elected civil servants, from building higher and higher for billionaire and celebrity tax havens and for their own portfolios for future lucrative contracts with other cities with similar lapdog officials.
Betcha there would be a massive crackdown if instead of being demolished by a scumbag contractor monster crane, the victim would be killed by some random homeless guy pushing 12 shopping carts or shot down by some random mugger. Of the African American persuasion.
only 3 comments?
Fine, but has anybody seen this?
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20160225/BLOGS04/160229930/lack-of-crane-experts-on-mayoral-panel-sparks-criticism
And the city's illogical reasoning being:
The mayor's office did not want any panel members to have a financial stake in its decisions.
This coming from city hall, who has a unregistered lobbying firm and a developer and investor cabal campaign for one new york crafting policies and writing public relations copy for our Faustian mayor. For the misuse of cranes, they suddenly found the need for ethics and accountability and investigate any possible conflicts and profit taking.
Brazen, passive aggressive and unmitigated hypocrisy and hubris.
These people are out of control and for the time being, untouchable. It's time to invest in some head gear. So keep looking up and when another crane starts lowering, serpentine.
http://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2015/01/TheRoyalScam.jpg
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