March 19, 2008

New York crane collapse should call attention to Ontario’s tower cranes, says union official

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

A deadly New York crane collapse reaffirms the need for a special committee to investigate the state of tower cranes in Ontario, says an operators’ union official.

“We reacted with complete horror when we heard what happened in New York,” says Mike Gallagher, business manager for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793. “I am sad to say it, but it could happen in Ontario.”

Gallagher and Local 793’s union executive met with Ontario Labour Minister Brad Duguid and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn on March 6, just nine days before the New York crane collapse that claimed a reported seven lives and injured 24. During their meeting Gallagher requested the province help take a closer look at the cranes dotting the Ontario landscape.

“I am highlighting this issue because we are worried. The problem is that many of the cranes are too old,” Gallagher says.

“We really believe the time has come to stop the operation of cranes which are more than 20 years old. It is only by the grace of God or very good luck that we have not had a fatality.”

The New York crane that fell had stood at least 19 storeys high and was attached, at various points, to the side of a half-built apartment tower.

The crane was to be extended the day of the accident so workers could start work on a new level of the planned 43-storey building. A piece of steel fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building, causing it to detach and topple, Stephen Kaplan, an owner of the Reliance Construction Group, told the Associated Press.

“It was an absolute freak accident,” Kaplan said. “All the piece of steel had to do was fall slightly left or right, and nothing would have happened.”

When a crane collapse happens like the one in New York, Gallagher says he wants to know what kind of operating regulations are in effect in that particular area, what is the inspection regimen for the tower crane itself, and whether is it being inspected by a professional engineer and whether andy stop-work order were issued.

New York city officials reported they had issued 13 violations in the last 27 months to the site where the collapse took place and that inspectors examined the crane day before the accident and found nothing wrong with it.

“There had been 13 orders issued for the site — it does not seem to be a freak accident to me,” adds Gallagher.

There have been 150 stop-work orders issued over the last five months in Ontario for concerns with cranes, notes Gallagher. The reported problems ranged from electrical panel issues to weld cracks.

Gallagher says some experts suggest the lifespan of a tower crane used in construction should not exceed 20 years. Wear and tear and component failures on cranes are a serious concern with older cranes. A crane must be re-inspected every 12 months in Ontario but there currently is no age limit after which cranes must be retired.

“We would like to target those cranes that are a potential problem,” Gallagher said.

“We do not want to be putting a stop light in at the intersection after an accident happens,” says Gallagher.

Local 793 supported a labour ministry blitz in Ottawa in late 2006 and in Toronto in the spring of 2007 that targeted tower cranes in the forming sector. The inspections were ordered after incidents and complaints from operating engineers about unsafe working conditions involving tower cranes. Inspectors found a number of deficiencies and instances of poorly-maintained cranes.

Gallagher says it appears older tower cranes are now being imported from countries like France, Germany and Italy and used in Ontario. In some instances, it has been reported that cranes have been modified because parts cannot be found locally.

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