D.C. initiates emergency crane inspections
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
May 31, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The D.C. government Friday began immediate inspections of construction cranes currently in operation above the city, in the wake of the second deadly crane accident in New York City this year.
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs called on all construction companies to schedule inspections for the roughly 40 cranes flying high above D.C. Whether they call or not, "We'll get to them either way," said Michael Rupert, agency spokesman.
The DCRA announcement came within hours of the latest crane collapse on New York's Upper East Side. The tower crane snapped, crashing into a 23-story apartment building and slamming onto the street below, killing at least two people.
"One of the benefits of having building height limits in the District is that a tragedy of this proportion is highly unlikely in the District," DCRA Director Linda Argo said in a statement.
All cranes operating in D.C. are mounted to the ground, while in New York, due to building heights, the equipment is often installed on rooftops. DCRA requires a three-tiered inspection process before a crane's installation, including a review by a structural engineer, the agency said.
The New York incident is at least the fourth to occur in the United States this year, sending state and local leaders scrambling to ensure their construction regulations are up to date.
"It's something I'll have to be looking at," said Ward 3 D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who has oversight of DCRA. "It's one of those things, until a tragedy happens it's not something you're focused on."
On March 15, a 75-foot-long portion of a tower crane operating at 300East 51st St. in Manhattan fell onto a property across the street. Seven people were killed and a half dozen buildings were severely damaged.
On March 25 in Miami, two construction workers died and five others were injured when a a 20-foot section of crane plummeted 30 floors onto the roof of a two-story home.
On April 30, Denis Umanzor of Silver Spring was crushed to death in a crane while working 200 feet above the Annapolis Towne Center in Anne Arundel County.
mneibauer@dcexaminer.com
