Imagine working under 200 tons of structural steel being hoisted by two cranes. One operator has the skills to safely operate his crane. But the second operator, untrained and unskilled, accidentally drops the load on the 22-ft-high crib pile where you are standing. The first operator struggles to maintain the load, but his boom starts to buckle. You realize you've lost control over whether you will live or die.
Major construction failures in recent years have cost many lives and millions of dollars in property damage. Collapses not only killed three friends of mine last July at Miller Park stadium in Milwaukee, Wis., but also three workers at the airport in Portland, Ore., in 1997 and 28 at L'Ambiance Plaza in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1987. These and other accidents resulted partly from faulty erection practices or questionable crane operation.