NYC Construction Industry Decries Stricter Crane Rules

February 22, 2016 - New York City construction industry leaders, facing stricter rules on crawler cranes, are appealing City Hall. The new rules enacted in the wake of a deadly accident involving a lattice-boom crawler crane earlier this month are paralyzing construction sites, claims local industry.

 

 

The Allied Building Metal Industries and other trade organizations are pushing the de Blasio administration to re-examine the temporary regulations. The crawler crane was being lowered because of windy conditions when the boom collapsed, flipping the crane onto itself. The falling boom killed a pedestrian.

 

The New York Department of Buildings responded by shutting down and inspecting all of the nearly 380 crawlers operating in the city, as well as every tower crane, over the ensuing weekend. City Officials also decreed the cranes be shut down whenever sustained winds reach 20 mph.

 

The temporary policy is intended to give the city time to review current rules and make changes. The problem, according to a Crain’s Business report, is that winds hit 20 mph all the time.  “This threshold has had a disastrous impact on the industry,” said William Shuzman, executive director of the Allied Building Metal Industries. Stopping a crane from operating can bring significant components of a project to a halt and delay others, he said, causing a cascade of logistical and financial problems.

 

While the city defends its actions as erring on the side of caution, more industry groups are now calling on NYC officials to bring them into the discussion on rule changes, according to Crain’s Business.