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Subscribe to RSSOne worker was killed and four people were hurt in a crane collapse at a construction site in New York. Msnbc.com's Alex Witt reports.
A day after a construction boom crane crashed to the ground at a Manhattan work site, killing one construction worker and seriously injuring another, authorities are trying to figure out what caused the accident.
Dozens of workers showed up to the No. 7 subway line extension construction site Wednesday morning, not knowing a stop-work order had been imposed in the aftermath of Tuesday evening's deadly collapse.
Michael Simmermeyer, 30, of Burlington, N.J., was identified as the worker who died in the accident. One other person was hospitalized in serious condition and three people were treated for minor injuries.
For more, visit NBCNewYork.com
The crane was set up on the second of three levels at the construction site on the West Side, city officials said. The FDNY said the boom came apart in two pieces — one 80 feet long and the other 40 feet long.
Joe Travers, a construction worker, says he knew Simmermeyer. Travers described the man who died in the collapse as "just a nice guy" with whom he sometimes ate lunch.
"It's horrible this tragedy happened to a friend," he said.
Travers and the other workers who showed up to the construction site Wednesday were told to go home and return Thursday to pick up their paychecks.
The NYPD said the accident investigation would be jointly conducted by the Department of Buildings and police.
Jack Sullivan, deputy chief for the FDNY EMS, said it was possible one of the workers had been struck by the crane's boom. The crane operator and someone who worked with him were among those who were injured.
He described the removal of the workers from the construction site, about 60 feet below street level, as "extremely dangerous."
"We had construction material that wasn't stable," he said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a statement saying the agency plans to work with all authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
"On behalf of the entire MTA, we pray for the recovery of the workers injured as a result of this tragic accident," the statement said.
In May 2008, a construction crane collapsed on Manhattan's East Side, killing the crane operator and a fellow worker. The crane's owner is currently on trial for manslaughter.
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i'm not a physics major but i am thinking gravity may have played a part...?
-1
Good think Mayor Bloomberg really came down on the city for the last crane collapse and solved everything!
Or not.
Must have gotten the crane from Virginia.
My heart goes out to the family. Sorry for the loss. The consequences of this will be staggering. There is a 83% chance now that the subway line will be permanently haunted by spirits. The jinxed line will have unexplained accidents, passengers will experience cold tingly sensations, and small items will go missing.
Fortunately, I am able to offer my services to the city to prevent this very real problem. I can cleanse the project for a nominal fee of 2.5 million dollars. I use genuine shrunken cat heads--not like the cheap imitation the competition uses. I offer a two year guarantee of customer satisfaction.
Scooter, I am normally in total agreement with you. It's not jsut gravity. We differ on this one:
- Was the crane assembled properly? Large rigs are partly assembled on site.
- Had the crane been inspected and certified recently?
- Was the operator properly and currently trained?
- What were the wind conditions? (Look up Big Blue if you want to know how horrific this can be. Milwaukee Brewers fans should know exactly what I'm talking about due to the memorial outside the stadium)
- What was the soil like, and was the rig properly supported with outriggers and counterweights?
- Was the load, extension, and angle within proper limits?
Engineering, load control, material component inspections and installation inspections are critical. Somebody missed something and they'll find. Proper procedures ensure this will not happen. Avoiding the cost of engineering and inspecting is the path to accidents like this.
What goes up must come down. Its how it comes down that makes it interesting/dangerous.
In May 2008, a construction crane collapsed on Manhattan's East Side, killing the crane operator and a fellow worker. The crane's owner is currently on trial for manslaughter
SO this is not the first time this company has been involved in this kind of accident. You would think after the first incident the powers that be in New York City would done a better job inspecting the site before they allowed operations to start and doing periodic follow up inspections.
There is nothing in this article that says that this is the same company. The company that had issues in nyc in 2008, and is in court was for totally different type of project elsewhere in the city, unaffiliated with the MTA.
The MTA is usually incredibly thorough in their inspections. You may be right that there was some kind of negligence involved, but it's impossible to tell from this article. MAYBE instead of poking around at the powers at be in NYC, you'd get a better perspective of how business works. Same way that you can purchase a different brand of cereal, different companies provide cranes in this world.
You are correct I misread the arcticle and thought they were saying the same company was involved in both cases. However as Safety Coordinator in a steel mill with 8 years without a lost time accident, I do know the importance of inspections of equipment and proceedures. If we have a safety concern here it is not uncommon to stop everything until the issue is resolved. Our inspections here run the course from daily inspections through annual inspections depending on the equipment involved. Equipment that is used on a daily basis i.e. the furnaces are constantly monitored to ensure the safety of the operators. You are also correct instead of pointing the finger at city officials, I should have been pointing it at the crane owners starting with the operator. Something as simple as a walk around inspection might have caught this before it became an issue.
Retired SFC
It is refreshing to see some actually admit that they had made a mistake in reading the article and correcting it. Most people posting here wouldn’t dream of it.
I hope the person who is injured has a speedy recovery and my heart goes out to family of the one that was lost. I have no doubt it is a very tough/dangerous job.
To me it looks like it sheared off at the first section-main part is still connected to the crane. Spent some time around all sizes. Crane operators-good ones are amazing people. Feel bad for him, will probably blame himself even if it was mechanical. One bad weld or cracked weld not caught on inspection could also cause this.
This seems to be almost an annual event in New York.
Stonepipe - I concur, spent over 15 years in commercial construction, much of the time around cranes where situational awareness is critical as well as knowing the approximate wgt of the load being lifted and the angle/length of the boom. The article wasn't wrong in saying that a construction site is extremely dangerous.
I like how the writer basically implicates New York Crane (the company that owns the crane that collapsed in 2008) and implies that this crane is owned by them. It may well be, as NY Crane has cranes all over the world and a number of them in NYC.
As far as safety goes, someone said that one person died for each floor of the Empire State Building, which would mean 102 people died during the construction. The fact is that the Empire State Building was built in 1 year (it would take appx 5 years to build today) before there was ever any real government oversight (especially no OSHA) and a total of 3 people were killed during the construction. So much for modern machinery and technology.
Naaa, they're. too busy banning guns and big gulps. Idiots
so we can build unbelievable structures that stand for decades, but we cannot properly secure a crane and keep it from falling??sounds like cut corners for the all mighty dollar......just sayin
Supergrit, The crane moves, a building, doesn't so it's more vunerable. And it's true it is the almighty dollar that we streamline and make quicker,more efficient equipment. Todays scaffolding and cranes are a helluvalot safer than the old days. Back in the day you had to call OSHA for a safety concern and by the time the guy came out the job was done. Nowadays you have a safety steward on the job however a lot of them are booksmart idiots. The safety guy on this project should be railed for this. Only because they are the first to take credit when there are no injuries even though the reason for that is the workers. But at least their presence makes you more aware of safety precautions and procedures. I'll bet that this accident comes down to a stress point in the crane that snapped,a pin or bolt. May God have mercy on the worker and give his family strengh. Anybody that has issue with union construction people making to much $$ ought to reflect on this.
just sayn should not be sayn anything until; you know the facts of the matter. too many quick assumers around here.
Supergrit, accidents happen. I heard tell that at least one worker died for every floor built on the Empire State bldg.
My heart goes out to the family of the man who died. May God give them strength to see through this tragedy.
Supergrit, spent nearly 20 years in commercial and industrial construction building mostly schools and medical centers. The company I worked for always had safety in mind first. A safety related accident can do more harm to a company's bottom line than any cut corners.
Working a construction job requires good situational awarness as well to avoid injury.
Condolances to the family as well.
This is just right wing sabotage.
Good to see MSNBC exposing it.
It pains me to give a troll like you attention but I can't stand stupid comments like yours! It was an accident and does not involve the right or the left.
That camera man should be fired. He needed to ZOOM OUT so we could get an idea of the scope of the disaster. What he did was the equivalent of looking at a blade of grass at a forest fire.
What exactly is a "boom crane"? Does the writer mean a tower crane? Almost every crane has a boom. Poor article and photos!
Actually the writer is correct. A "boom" crane is the type that looks like it has tank treads and can relocate from place to place. A "tower" crane is just that.. a fixed in place tower with an extension boom at the apex.
Admittedly the writing is not that great, but then is the writing of ANY "news" reporter very good? They're writing short pieces... not full length novels.
Looks like the wonderfull Mayor of NYC has yet another crane collapse on his hands. Maybe he should pay less attention to gun dealers in Georgia and more attention to the curruption of the inspectors in his own city.
Seriously, this is the mayor's fault? 100% political posturing, 0% knowledge of construction work sites.
Unions?
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and his family. As a wife of a NYC construction worker my heart breaks evertime I hear of these types of accidents. Rest in Peace.
The load was unstable. That is the responsibility of the guy who does the rigging on the load. The crane operator depends on these guys to get it right because sometimes the operator cannot see the load. Being a crane operator is not easy, your crew must be just as educated as the operator.
Actually the reference to unstable material was made by the rescue team bringing the injured up, but yes the rigger is responsible for having a secure lift and hand signals correct.
Union-educated. Oxymoron
Sounds like a black/white issue. The white people probably set it up.
Why? WTF is wrong with America these days. So much hatred. Way too much hatred.
Idiot...
MSNBC engineered it that way. Didn't you read about how they (msnbc) doctored up the zimmerman 911 call to make it sound like he was a racist?
Bush and Cheney are behind it all.......... someone PLEASE get this moron back on his/her meds and put him/her back in his/her cage.
@SGT STAHL: I laughed, so thanks. No reason we can't laugh at race baiting in this incredibly tense society today.
RIP to the person who died though.
Thanks Tony somebody said it. Working in the blind as we often are, we are only as good as the signal and the riggers. All of which are supposed to be certified, like the operators. MAYBE this could have been avoided if OSHA would not have allowed a 4 YEAR "phase in" period.
Agreed, you have to have complete trust in your crew. Not only are we responsible for the lives of our crew, but everyone else around the work site. Most crane tolerances are set up at about 80%, the other 20% can get ya if your not careful. A load shift can go far beyond that 20% and severely stress the boom causing disaster.
Most people don't realize that even when everything goes right and all safety rules are followed a construction site is an incredibly dangerous place to work.
Another crane, another life...who's in charge?
First and formost, is the Crane in compliance with it's inspections? Is the operator licensed? What was the positioning of the outriggers? Angle of the boom? Did it have a LMT in operating condition? What was the load and how was it suspended? I could go on and on, but one factor is there, in NYC, the inspectors have a habit of doing their inspections from a coffee shop. This has come out in several accidents, and a couple of inspectors have found themselves in VERY deep, hot water because of it. It is a "Criminal act" to do these pencil inspections. There are "Quarterly", "Semi-annual" and "Annual" inspections and "Quad" certifications. After each inspection, there MUST be a sticker affixed to the house, visible from the ground that includes the date, type of inspection and name of the inspector. ALL records must be kept in a safe yet accessible location for a minimum of ten years. They cannot be locked up in a vault that only one person has access to, they MUST be available to inspection, 24-7 by authorized personel. Violation of any Crane inspection proceedure MAY bring on a full inspection by Federal OSHA. That can get nasty and shut down a job for months or even close the job permenately. Crane inspection will vary with type and capacity of the crane, and the type of inspection required. Accident inspections are very critical and generally involve Owner, City, County, State and Federal inspectors wortking together. There are so many factors involved in an inspection, it would bore you to death, but I will say this, a good inspector is there to assure that the workers go home in the same condition they arrived in, just a little more tired.
Nancy, don't you mean an LMI as in load moment indicator?
it wouldn't doubt me if the very same crooks in the NYC gov't actually hired one of the bad crane firms like lomma to do the job in the first place
Hit the wrong key. Yes, I meant LMI, not LMT. They used to be referred to as "Load Monitoring Terminal" and were used mostly in Europe and the Middle East. It is an electronic device that allerts the operator to load safety conditions and will sound an alarm when those limits have been exceeded. They can even shut down crane operation till safe conditions have been reestablished. Some of the newer ones are connected to an onboard memory system and others are connected via radio to the site office. There are many variations of them and are called many different things now. I've been out of it for some years now. I prefer fly fishing and Photography. It's called "Retired". I just thought I would invest my two cents, if it is even worth that much.
Looking at the new pictures of the accident site, my first question would be, "Why was the operator working over the side when there was plenty of room to work over the front or rear?". A mobile lattice Crane is normally very stable off the front and rear but can "Bobble" or rock when moved quickly with a load on it and it is over the side. 120' of boom (Doesn't say if there was a jib or not) that close to the trench would give the boom plenty of angle. I would start looking for previous boom damage somewhere near the second section, but I'm not there and am NOT going to be there. Another tragic happening where an innocent person was killed and several hurt. My sympathy to the families. New York should have the same inspection requirements as places like California. They are pretty tough.
Yep, lots of interesting bells and whistles on modern cranes, crane operations are not for the faint of heart.
I am surprised this thing doesn't happen more often. There just are so many variables in play. When it does happen, I'm surprised more aren't killed. A very dangerous job. The operators do know the risk and do get paid very well. I would like to believe an investigation will help cut back on the hazards of the job. I feel badly for the man killed, people hurt and their families.
Yup, it's part of the job and the risk you take. They use every precaution, but it's still risky.
In an abundance of caution in any occupation using this type of equipment, an inspection should be a part of the morning routine, but who can say that even an inspection that morning would have detected anything? As unfortunate as it is, sometimes accidents happen beyond our control. I hope that when the investigation is concluded that appropriate action will be taken if that is indeed called for. In the meantime, I send condolences to the families of those killed and injured.
Too many crane and scaffolding accidents in NYC recently. We have had 3 that I remember in Georgia in the past few years. Our state population is about the same as NY City's. I would expect better considering that NYC has so much crane use experience. Something has gone wrong in the grand scheme of crane and scafolding usage in NYC. I hope they get the root causes cleared up.
the crooked NYC MYA must have hired another "lomma" crane to do the job :P
I want to differ with the remarks by Lieutenant Loughead: with all due respect to your desire to want to see the scope of the disaster, in my opinion the cameraman was right to focus on the human factor of the victim under the careful attention of the many rescue workers, and the attempt to bear him to safety, a difficult endeavor in itself, and therefor worthy of our attention and study, not to say of our sympathy for a brother possibly being borne by angels to heaven.
1 death, from heavy equipment. not news.
Sidewalk Supervisor: Some Crane Operations are much more dangerous that others, multi-level operations more so, confined space etc. If we can't know ahead of time what errors might happen, but those of great danger could be video recorded.
I know accidents happen, like the load is too heavy and it breaks, but for the crane to collapse is something that should NOT happen
Neither should auto collisions or pedestrian deaths, but they do. The article probably understated how dangerous a construction site can be.
We need to send Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in so they can determine who is at fault. Was the Crane Operator White or Black.
They can rally people to protest before we find out
always use safety first !! sounds like improper rigging,faulty equipment
or the operator bypassed the load limit alarm!!!
OSHA will tell us what went wrong,....them and the NYC inspectors.