The accidents that have killed two New Jersey construction workers and crippled a third in Pennsylvania in the past year typify the mundane errors and oversights that often lead to tragedy.
Early on Feb. 18 in Whippany, N.J., for example, crews working on a new firehouse were using a crane to lower a five-ton generator to a concrete pad at ground level. The generator broke free of the rigging and struck two workers, killing one and trapping a second beneath it. That worker was rescued but died later from his injuries.