After six months and nearly $4 million, New York City’s Dept. of Buildings on Feb. 3 recommended 41 measures to increase regulations for crane, concrete and excavation work. But industry experts say the standards, if implemented, may create more headaches and unnecessary costs. The city assembled a team of more than 30 engineers, including experts from Skokie, Ill.-based forensic consultant CTL Group. The measures chiefly focus on crane and hoisting operations. At the top is a need “to track critical components of tower cranes,” an idea that area experts casually call “CraneFax,” referring to a similar service for cars.
Coming less than a year after two fatal crane collapses killed nine people in Manhattan, the list is ambitious. “This all requires us to be an enforcer,” says Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri. “We expect some of [the recommendations] will be able to be up and running in three months. Others will take longer.”