Politicians are weighing in on today’s crane collapse. The death toll so far is 4. Those who died were construction workers working on the crane. There are numerous serious injuries of workers and pedestrians.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg: "What has happened is unacceptable and intolerable. Having said that, we do not know at the moment what happened or why."
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum told the New York Times: "It’s clear we need to be far more strict and crack down on any unsafe
construction sites, and its clear we need more inspectors, still. When
a violation is issued, disciplinary action must follow. Just two days
ago the city decided that inspectors will no longer be present every
time a construction crane is being erected or made taller, an emergency
provision put in place following the last major accident. This move by
the D.O.B., tightening restrictions following a catastrophe, and then
relaxing them as soon as the smoke clears, was likely premature."
Councilmember Bill de Blasio sent out a press release: "This is inexcusable. Every time the Department of Buildings tells us they have taken steps to improve safety, another horrific accident occurs. This has to stop. The Department of Buildings is clearly not up to the job. We need a moratorium. We need a reinspection at every site in New York City." He called for a ban on usage of cranes until every one is reinspected.
Construction crane collapse accidents have become almost epidemic, and it’s largely due to inadequate regulations and controls. These aren’t “accidents” in the sense that they just happen. Rather, they are very likely to happen given the poor regulatory system. I’ve written articles on construction crane accidents which might shed some light on this growing problem to construction workers and to general public safety.