SC&RA Requests Representation on New York’s Crane Safety Working Group

March 8, 2016 – SC&RA has written New York City to express disappointment about the list of those appointed to the technical working group that is reviewing and will recommend new policies to improve crane safety in the city. Joel Dandrea, SC&RA executive vice president, wrote to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressing the Association’s disappointment.

Members of this work group will evaluate the circumstances surrounding an NYC crane collapse that occurred in early February, and propose additional best practices and regulations in an effort “to make cranes operating in New York City the safest in the world.” The group has been asked to consult closely with stakeholders across the construction industry and workforce as it crafts recommendations, according to SC&RA.

“There are many crane and rigging professionals working safely throughout the country who would be an asset to your technical working group,” wrote Dandrea. He urged the mayor to consider “adding at least one or two of these professionals to the group to help draft not only the safety policies for crane operations but also policies and regulations that are viable, fair, equitable and deliver the intended results."

The working group includes Mary C. Boyce, dean of engineering at The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University; Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, president of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering and dean of engineering at New York University; Peter J. Madonia, COO of the Rockefeller Foundation; Bill Goldstein, most recently senior advisor to the mayor for recovery, resiliency, and infrastructure; and  Wayne A. Crew, general secretary of the National Academy of Construction.

The formation of the working group was one component of a four-point plan announced by the major on Feb. 7 to improve safety when large cranes are operating. News reports this week said Dandrea had not received a response from the mayor’s office.