OSHA Fines Crane Company in Fatal Dallas Collapse
Cause of tower crane failure still not established
The June 9 collapse of a tower crane in Dallas is being blamed on high winds, but it remains unclear if proper procedures were followed.
IMAGE CREDIT: (KDFW FOX4 VIA AP)
Six months after Terex Peneir SK415 crane collapsed onto a Dallas apartment building, killing one, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined the crane’s owner, Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. citing serious violations.
The citation does not list the cause of the collapse, but a sudden wind storm at the time had been blamed. OSHA cited two serious violations, and issued a penalty of $26,520 to the Bigge Crane and Rigging on Dec. 6. OSHA has not cited the project’s contractor, Greystar Development and Construction LP. The crane collapsed on June 9 onto a five-story apartment building, killing 29-year-old Kiersten Smith and injuring several others.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been established. Texas has limited regulation of construction cranes, and as ENR has covered previously, has no state licensing requirement for crane operators. In the case of the Dallas collapse there has been speculation that a sudden wind storm may have caused the collapse, and Smith had previously told ENR “extreme local wind conditions caused this crane accident,” and the operator was not at fault.
In a statement to the press, Bigge Crane and Rigging spokesperson Randy Smith said “As we’ve said from the outset, we owe it to those most affected by this tragic accident to get the independent investigation right. OSHA did not issue a causation report and did not allege Bigge was at fault in the accident.” Smith says that Bigge has cooperated with OSHA’s investigation, and plans to contest the citations.
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