According to a recent article by Labor Press, the New York City Department of Buildings failed to make needed improvements to crane and worksite safety in our city. In the midst of our construction boom, this has had disastrous consequences as recently as this month, when a crane fell to the street in Tribeca.
“Five years after receiving a scathing report to dramatically improve crane safety, the New York City Department of Buildings failed to implement dozens of vital recommendations, according to a 2014 audit report and November 2015 follow up document – released Saturday February 6th by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. At any one time there are about 300 large cranes operational in New York City.
“Crane safety is a crisis, but the City has not treated it like one,” Comptroller Stringer said. “There have been at least four significant crane collapses in New York City in just the past two and half years and yet dangerous, life-threatening conditions still exist. When cranes collapse, it shakes everyone’s confidence that we live in a City where people can feel safe and build their families and businesses.”
When an entity is negligent, tragic results are never too far behind. This is true whether that entity is a greedy developer, a careless construction worker, or an indifferent government agency.
At Block O’Toole & Murphy, our sincere hope is that all involved will learn from this tragedy and be proactive in preventing similar incidents in the future.