Crane-Related Deaths and Injuries in Construction, 1992 - 2006 Michael McCann, PhD, CIH Janie Gittleman, PhD, MRP Mary Watters

Regulatory Overview On July 9, 2004, the Federal Advisory Committee on cranes and derricks (C-DAC) reached a consensus for a new crane and derricks standard. In May 2008, as part of its semiannual regulatory agenda, OSHA mentioned plans to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on cranes and derricks in the August 2008 Federal Register.

Selected Fatal Crane Incidents Crane lifting bucket of cement collapsed onto scaffold inside cooling tower. Willow Island, WV. 4/27/78 51 construction workers died Tower crane fell 16 stories while being jumped. San Francisco, CA. 11/29/89 4 construction workers died 1 bystander died 22 bystanders injured

Selected Fatal Crane Incidents (cont.) “Big Blue” mobile crane collapsed hitting 3 workers in crane basket. Winds 25-30 mph. Milwaukee, WI. 11/14/99 3 construction workers died 4-ton chunk of steel fell from crane crushing a taxi. New York, NY. 9/29/06 5 bystanders injured

Selected Fatal Crane Incidents (cont.) Crane collapsed on a condo. Bellevue, WA. 11/16/06 1 bystander died 1 construction worker injured Tower crane collapsed while being jumped, damaging several buildings. New York, NY. 3/15/08 6 construction workers died 1 bystander died 13 construction workers injured 11 first responders injured

Selected Fatal Crane Incidents (cont.) 20-foot section crane fell 30 stories while jumping the crane. Miami, FL. 3/25/08 2 construction workers died 5 construction workers injured Crane cab, boom, and machine deck separated from the tower mast and collapsed onto the street. New York, NY. 5/30/08 2 construction workers died 1 construction worker injured 1 bystander injured

Crane-Related Deaths in Construction, 1992-2006 323 crane-related deaths from 307 incidents in construction from 1992-2006 12 multiple-death incidents involving a total of 28 deaths Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Crane-Related Deaths in Construction by Year, 1992-2006 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Causes of Crane-Related Deaths in Construction, 1992-2006 102 68 59 24 Total deaths: 323 21 18 31 * 52 of 59 struck by booms/jibs were due to falling booms/jibs ** Other causes includes 14 struck by other crane parts and 9 highway incidents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Types of Cranes Involved in Fatalities Mobile cranes Tower cranes Floating or barge cranes Overhead cranes

Types of Cranes Involved: Mobile Cranes 71% of all crane-related incidents involved mobile cranes Mobile cranes were involved in: 80 of 95 (84%) of overhead power line incidents 37 of 59 (63%) of crane collapses 35 of 59 (60%) of struck by boom/jib incidents

Types of Cranes Involved: Tower Cranes Tower cranes were involved in: 16 of 306 (5%) of all crane related incidents 5 of 24 (21%) of struck by crane load incidents 5 of 59 (8%) of struck by boom/jib deaths

Other/unspecified cranes Types of Cranes Involved: Other/unspecified cranes Other/unspecified cranes were involved in 24% of all crane related incidents, including: 13 floating or barge crane incidents 12 overhead crane incidents

Main Causes of Worker Deaths, by Frequency Electrocutions – from overhead power lines Crane collapse Struck by falling boom/jib Struck by crane load

Overhead Power Line Electrocutions Why Workers Died: Overhead Power Line Electrocutions 1992 - 2006 Number of Deaths: 102 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Crane Collapses Why Workers Died: 1992 - 2006 Number of Collapses: 61 Number of Deaths: 68 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Struck by Falling Booms/Jibs Why Workers Died: Struck by Falling Booms/Jibs 1992 - 2006 Number of Deaths: 52 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Struck By Crane Loads Why Workers Died: 1992 - 2006 Number of Deaths: 24 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Trades of Workers Who Died Crane-Related Deaths in Construction, 1992-2006 Construction laborers Heavy equipment operators* Supervisors/ Managers/ Admin Ironworkers Mechanics Other trades** Total Deaths: 323 * Includes 50 crane and tower operators and 14 operating engineers ** Includes 14 carpenters, 11 electrical workers, 8 truck drivers, and 7 welders and cutters. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Research File

Recommendations Crane operators should be certified. Presently only 15 states and a few cities (including New York City and Chicago) require certification. Crane riggers and signalpersons should be certified. Crane inspectors should be certified. OSHA only requires that they be competent persons

Recommendations (cont.) Cranes should be inspected after assembly or modification. Only trained workers under the supervision of a qualified person and competent person should assemble or disassemble cranes. Crane loads should not be allowed to pass over street traffic.

Recommendations (cont.) OSHA should conduct more thorough investigations of crane-related fatalities and capture more complete data in its reporting system. OSHA should immediately take action on the proposed consensus crane and derrick standard for construction and include recommendations from this report.

For Further Information Mike McCann: mmccann@cpwr.com Janie Gittleman: jgittleman@cpwr.com Mary Watters: mwatters@cpwr.com Electronic Library of Construction Safety and Health (eLCOSH): www.elcosh.org CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training: www.cpwr.com CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training – is the research arm of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. This research was funded as part of a grant with CPWR from the National Institute for occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH (NIOSH Grant 1 U54OH008307). The research is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.