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Deaths Reach 7 in New York Crane Collapse |
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The bodies of three more victims, including two construction workers, were recovered Monday from the wreckage left behind after a 300-foot tall construction crane collapsed Sunday. The death toll now stands at seven in one of New York City’s worst construction accidents in years, which severely damaged several buildings and demolished a Manhattan town house.
The two workers were identified as Santino Gallone, 37, and Clifford Canzona, 45. The other victim was a Florida woman, Odin Torres, who was visiting a friend in the destroyed town house.
On Sunday, firefighters recovered the first four victims, Wayne Bleidner, 51; Brad Cohen; Anthony Mazza, 40; and Aaron Stephens, 45. Bleidner was a member of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 15 and the other three were members of IUOE Local 14. According to The New York Times, Bleidner was the crane operator.
According to new reports, the crane collapsed as workers were “jumping” the crane or
installing new sections to the crane so it could extend higher as construction work continued.
Workers were attaching a 12-ton collar to the crane to anchor it to the 18th floor of the
building. Two similar collars had been attached on lower floors earlier in the project. Before the installation was complete, the supports holding the collar broke and it fell, pancaking the other two collars and leaving the crane unattached to the building.
The crane then toppled backward across the street, damaging a 19-story apartment and demolishing the four-story town house where Torres was found.
The New York Times writes:
Their last moments must have been horrifying, co-workers said on Sunday. They said the operator, Mr. Bleidner, was most likely trying to spare more lives by exerting what little control he had from the cab as the crane toppled over more than a city block.
What’s going through his head is he’s trying to control it as best he can, to no avail,” said Jim Conway, a fellow member of Local 14.
Yesterday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched its investigation into the crane’s collapse. About 80 workers a year die from crane-related incidents, says OSHA.
But according to the BNA’s Daily Labor Report (subscription required), OSHA has missed a deadline it set for new rules on crane and derrick safety.
The construction industry has been waiting for an OSHA rule on crane and derrick safety. The Crane and Derrick Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee completed a consensus draft rule in July 2004, intended as the basis for OSHA’s rule. In November 2006, OSHA Administrator Edwin G. Foulke Jr. said the agency was committed to publishing the regulation by October 2007.
In January, an OSHA official said the rule would not be complete by the end of 2008 and could not predict when it might be finalized.
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OSHA at present is as useless as any other agency set up to protect worker’s safety and labor rights.
Workers must determine through collective action what is acceptable and what is not. I have seen this work at a floor tile plant I used to work at in Houston back in 1977.
The company (GAF) insisted in sending a worker to clean the tunnel where limestone was transported on a belt to the compound machine where it was mixed with poly vinyl chloride, asbestos and coloring. The problems was that they refused to shut down the belt and wanted for him to go alone! The worker refused to go. Being the chief steward at the plant ( IBT L.U. 968) I backed my brother 100 % and when the rest of the production crew threatened to stop working, management backed down!
Federal agencies and laws no longer protect us. We must resort to protecting ourselves and damn the bosses!