KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One worker was killed and another injured Tuesday when a crane tipped over at the construction site of a Kansas City, Mo., performing arts center, police said.
The two men were in the bucket of the 100-foot-tall JLG Lift when it fell away from the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and landed across a platform of steel beams at about 1:40 p.m., officials said.
One of the men was pronounced dead at a hospital, said police spokesman Darin Snapp. The other was listed in serious but stable condition and was able to talk. Snapp said both men were in their 30s, but their identities were not immediately released.
Kansas City Missouri police officers look at a portable boom lift that fell at the construction site of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. One worker was killed and another injured Tuesday when a crane tipped over at the construction site, police said.
The men were installing steel panels on the building for Detroit-based subcontractor Midwest Steel, said Kyle McQuiston, spokesman for Kansas City-based general contractor JE Dunn Construction Group.
Construction on the 13-acre site began in 2006 and is scheduled to be finished in 2011. The $400 million center will be the home of the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet.
McQuiston said the construction site had no previous fatalities or injuries.
Workers were sent home for the day while investigators examined the site, said JE Dunn president Dan Euston.
"We have an onsite safety team down there and are working with investigators, both local and any federal agencies, to determine what caused this accident," Euston said. "We’re very deeply saddened by this event. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families."
Crane accidents kill up to 82 construction workers each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration. A crane at the construction site of a new federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also collapsed Tuesday, but police say no one was hurt.
A construction worker died last month after falling from a lift that toppled over and struck a downtown Philadelphia apartment building.
And two New York City crane collapses in 2 1/2 months during the spring of 2008 left nine people dead. Investigators have blamed faulty rigging of an 11,000-pound crane part in the first of those accidents, which killed seven people on March 15, 2008.
cargoes as well as containers and steel products and are equipped with 15-cubic yard grabs and container frames. Both facilities can handle cargo from vessels direct to truck, rail (one of two loop railroad tracks serves Dock 10\11), dockside storage and by conveyor.
Recounting the Port of Stockton’s assets, it has first class warehouse storage and handling facilities for both dry and liquid bulk materials, facilities and equipment to handle break-bulk and containerized cargoes by land or by sea. Immediate access to two transcontinental railroads is complemented by two loop railroads, one on-dock, for accommodating unit trains for export of coal, petroleum coke, and ores, plus consolidation of rail shipments of inbound and outbound steel coils. All of these components place the Port in an ideal position for domestic as well as national and international distribution.
Relative to industrial development, the Port is especially attractive to, and interested in, attracting projects that require waterborne transportation for delivery of raw or finished goods.
All of the Port’s services are directed by experienced people through one administrative complex. This provides a unique advantage for flexibility as well as efficiency. The Port of Stockton publishes tariffs, stevedores cargoes, assigns berths, supervises cargo activity, provides shipping documentation, accounting and rate quotations. It is a broad hands-on effort that includes marketing, traffic, property management, warehousing, distribution, data processing and police protection services to its customers.
The Port of Stockton’s staff welcome your interest and invite your inquiries concerning the Port’s services and facilities. Please see our Contact page for information.
For the first time since 1971 the federal government is updating crane regulations. Triggered by various lethal crane accidents around the country this past year, the U.S. Department of Labor is set to release drafts of the new regulations, which focus mainly on crane operator standards.
New Standards
The new regulations will require crane operators to pass both written and practical tests in all 50 states and complete more training. Currently only 15 states and 6 cities require tests. Crane operators will have various options to become certified/qualified under the new rules:
Certification through accredited third-party testing organizations
Qualification through audited employer testing programs
U.S. military-issued qualification
Qualification by state/local licensing authorities
In addition to the certification and training of crane operators the new rules also hone in on inspecting ground conditions, crane assembly and disassembly, operating near power lines, and the use of safety devices and crane inspections.
It is expected that the final approval of all of the regulations will “likely take more than a year.”
Member schools of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) across the country offer mobile crane operator training and certification programs. Each of the member schools are authorized to administer the NCCCO Mobile Crane Certification tests. They also offer training from instructors, all holding NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Certifications, to prepare for the tests. Visit the NAHETS Crane Site for more information.
On August 1, 2008 Northern California College of Construction (NCCC) elected to not renew its Accredited Training Sponsor and Accredited Training Unit status with the National Center on Construction Education and Research NCCER. In late August NCCC notified NCCER of its intended actions regarding election to not renew its training entity status with NCCER; however, the value of the NCCER sponsored training curriculum; i.e., Contren Learning Series will remain an integral part of the NCCC and all NAHETS member schools’ curriculum.
All of us have seen the “yellow metal” on the road side while driving to work, but many of us do not know exactly what those machines are capable of doing, let alone know how to operate them. Sure we know that a backhoe can move dirt around and dig holes. Surely it can’t be that hard to get in a backhoe and just drive it around. But the matter of fact is that you don’t use a backhoe just to drive it around; you use a backhoe to operate it, and that may take more skill and experience than one may think . . . and surely there is more to a backhoe besides just moving dirt around…
To illustrate what it takes to be a true heavy equipment operator on a daily basis, we’ll take a look at a video hot tip from a NAHETS online industry resource–Yellow Metal TV. In response to an actual question from a heavy equipment operator in Wisconsin, Blake Vernon–Heavy Equipment Instructor for the Nevada School of Construction (NVSC)–takes us through a specific scenario on how to jump a ditch with a backhoe while a form board is already in place . . .
Last month, seven people died when a crane collapsed in Manhattan, NY; two others died in Miami after a crane collapsed. The incidents have not only triggered modifications for crane safety in these cities, but in other cities across the country. With only 15 states and 6 cities currently requiring crane certification, these recent events have caused many to visit and revisit the proposal for city and state laws concerning the matter.
Background
With few state regulations in place, the federal government oversees crane safety, largely through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). One requirement is having a “competent person” to inspect all crane equipment before use. Although few cities require some form of pre-operations inspection, this responsibility currently falls mostly to the employers, who have authority to designate a “competent person” to inspect cranes. Employers are also responsible to make sure all employees (crane operators) are “competent,” “qualified,” or “certified” to perform their tasks; however, there is no set regulation on specific training programs or certifications.
OSHA does recognize NCCCO certification as verification of meeting OSHA training requirements. The NCCCO is a private certifying organization for crane operation. The 15 states and 6 cities that require certification use NCCCO certification.
Taking effect March 28, three days after the March 25 accident, this is a local ordinance in the Miami-Dade County. The ordinance was proposed by Audrey Edmonson, County Commissioner of the Crane and Heavy Advisory Committee. The proposal requires trained experts to inspect all crane equipment, the certification of all crane operators, as well as a hurricane preparedness plan. This proposal will ultimately give inspectors and building officials authority to inspect and decide if the cranes safe enough to operate; they will also have authority to revoke or suspend building permits if the cranes fail to meet safety standards.
This ordinance also defines tower cranes as “permanent structures,” instead of “temporary structures.” This basically means that the cranes have to meet the same safety requirements as high rise buildings, which means there will be more requirements to meet.
On April 29 the City Council’s Housing and Building Committe will hold a hearing to discuss changes in construction site safety at high-rise sites. In light of the Manhattan accident, the participants’ main focus is to ensure that all sites are safe for all workers and the public who walk around the developments on a daily basis.
The Buildings Department also started inspecting all crane sites on March 20. New York City officials have also ordered that inspectors must be on site to raise or lower any cranes.
On March 12, 2008, the LoJack Corporation released the results of its annual Construction Equipment Theft Study. The reports indicated that construction equipment theft is still a growing problem throughout the industry. Here is a summary from the report . . .
For 2007, LoJack’s report breaks down construction equipment theft into various categories:
Professional Theft Rings Continue to Plague the Industry
In 2007 police discovered eight theft rings and chop shops with the LoJack system.
These discoveries led police to find an addition $2.5 million in stolen assets that were not tracked with LoJack equipment.
Popular Equipment Make Popular Theft Targets
Newer equipment types are more popular theft targets because of higher resale value.
In 97% of cases, the stolen equipment was recovered in the same state that it was reported in . . .
LoJack’s Guide to Theft Protection
Keep Good Records
Focus on Physical Site Security
Use Theft Deterrents and Proven Recovery Systems
About the Study
The 2007 LoJack Construction Equipment Theft Report is based on state theft statistics and equipment recoveries documented by LoJack in 26 states from January to December 2007 . . .
Please see the complete reports results at LoJack Annual Theft Study.
NAHETS would like to express thanks to the LoJack Corporation for its services in preventing and recovering heavy equipment theft. In addition to working with construction equipment, LoJack also specializes in securing automobiles, motorcycles, laptops, cargo, and more.
LoJack Corporation. (March 2008). “Local Annual Theft Study Reveals Construction Equipment Theft Continues to Plague Equipment Owners in 2007.” Retrieved March 25, 2008 from http://www.forconstructionpros.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=4&id=9670&pageNum=1.
The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) launched its new corporatewebsite–www.NAHETS.org–on February 28, 2008. Unique from the existing NAHETS sites, NAHETS.org is an information-based site that focuses solely on sharing relevant company information and industry news with an expanded audience–partners, industry companies and associations, and employers.
What is the purpose NAHETS.org?
Already with a universal site (www.NAHETS.com), a leading job placement site (www.yellowmetalusa.com), and program and curriculum-based sites (www.heavy-equipment-school.com & www.yellowmetalbootcamp.com), NAHETS discerned the need for a website that was filtered to the business relationships of the heavy equipment industry. NAHETS.org is unique because its primary purpose is to communicate to industry companies, partners, and employers, instead of primarily towards students as other NAHETS sites.
Central to NAHETS.org is that it avoids the heavy traffic from students while maintaining a credible reputation for the industry. Although the NAHETS.com site is a more “all-inclusive” site, its heavy focus on students can detract from the experience of those not looking to attend the schools; i.e., partners, employers, and industry associations. NAHETS.org maintains enough design and information to be useful to students, but mostly meets the demands of non-student visitors by focusing on relevant content for NAHETS and the heavy equipment and construction industries.
Where did it come from? Who was involved? How long did it take?
The concept of “employers vs. students,” or in other words, the idea of website communication to the business relations of NAHETS, in addition to students, has been a goal of Executive Director, Matt Klabacka, since he founded NAHETS in 2005. After various evolutions of the main NAHETS.com site, Klabacka realized that one site, by itself, was not enough to create the desired student and business relationships. After discussing the matter with NAHETS personnel, Klabacka launched the NAHETS.org undertaking.
With ideas coming from Klabacka and other personnel, including Mike Martens (Director of Operations), Rhett Nielson (Creative Director), and Brian Thornton (Technology and Marketing Director), Klabacka turned the creation of the site over to Mike Wille, Internet Manager. Wille spent months designing and testing the site before its February 2008 take off.
What are its features?
Wille created the site using a modern design scheme, making it compatible with the appearance of related industry sites. NAHETS.org also incorporates the latest in website technology:
Cold Fusion to power the website with the most current information and news from a database
Video Streaming in the “Schools” and “Videos” sections
RSS Feed from the company and video blogs to the “News” section of the website
Just the beginning
This release of NAHETS.org is just the beginning. The site is designed to continually grow with updated company and industry information and news. We invite everyone to come back and visit the site frequently, as well as pass the word along to family, friends, employers, etc.
Brooklyn Hearing Scheduled for Crane Regulations
