The criminal prosecution of James F. Lomma, a prominent crane owner with offices in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, swivels on the failure of a Chinese rotator gear, the hold-down welding of which catastrophically snapped in May 2008, sending steel debris raining onto the streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The event killed two construction workers. In an earlier Lomma crane collapse in midtown Manhattan in March 2008, seven people died; a rigging company was indicted for manslaugheter in that case. The charges also fire a warning shot over the boardrooms of construction firms across America: Equipment owners may
Lawyers for two workers injured in the deadly Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy powerplant in Middletown, Conn., allege that “multiple” ignition sources were in operation while natural gas was being purged from the nearly $1-billion construction site. The suit, filed by Timothy Hilliker and Harold Thoma, electricians for Ducci Electric, Torrington, Conn., claims that welding and grinding operations were taking place at the time of the purge, with electricity on-site and a gas-fueled torch heater in use. “If you release a massive amount of natural gas and you have all of these ignition sources operative, you have the
Lawyers for two of the workers injured in the deadly Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy powerplant in Middleton, Conn. are alleging that “multiple” ignition sources were in operation while natural gas was being purged from the nearly $1 billion construction site. Electricians Timothy Hilliker and Harold Thoma of Ducci Electric, Torrington, filed a lawsuit at Superior Court in Hartford claiming the gas purge at the 87,000-sq-ft facility was conducted with minimal supervision and without following standard protocol to protect against accidental ignition. The suit names Kleen Energy Systems, the project’s owner, O&G Industries, Torrington, general contractor and minority
Although federal investigators are unsure about what caused a fatal explosion on Feb. 7 at a powerplant under construction in central Connecticut, local officials are saying the accident occurred during blowdown operations in preparation for the facility’s scheduled opening this summer. Photo: AP/Wideworld Combined-cycle plant, set to open later this year, suffered severe structural damage. Reports are unconfirmed that authorities are investigating the possibility that a welder’s torch may have created the spark that caused the blast. But a spokesman for the project owner, Kleen Energy Systems LLC, Middletown, Conn., says police were still treating the site as a crime
Although federal investigators are unsure of what caused Sunday’s deadly explosion at a powerplant under construction in central Connecticut, local officials are saying the accident occurred during gas line purging, or blow-down operations, in preparation for the facility’s scheduled opening this summer. Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig Michael Rosario, business representative for the Plumbers, Pipefitters, & HVAC Local 777, hugs a friend after telling reporters about losing three friends in the explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems power plant on Sunday in Middletown, Conn. The accident occurred just three days after the U.S. Chemical Safety Board approved recommendations on gas purging,
The number of fatal construction-related accidents in New York City decreased in 2009 by 84% over the previous year. Three fatalities were reported in 2009 compared to 19 in 2008, 12 in 2007 and 18 in 2006, according to the New York City Dept. of Buildings. Though DOB reports show that permits issued for major construction decreased 33% in 2009, building department officials believe fatal construction-related accidents decreased by a far greater margin due to the department’s expanded enforcement powers, increased oversight of high-risk construction operations and new safety awareness programs. “While the tough economic times have slowed down construction,
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour and Toronto police are continuing to investigate a Christmas Eve scaffold collapse at an apartment building under construction that killed four construction workers and injured a fifth. The workers were repairing a 13th-floor balcony when a swing stage on which they had been standing broke, sending them tumbling to the ground. The names of the dead were not released, but the Ministry of Labour has identified their employer as Metron Construction Corp., Toronto. Ministry spokesman William Lin would not comment when asked if the workers had been wearing safety harnesses. “Our investigation will take some time,”
The construction industry in Washington state is unprepared to meet a new rule that will require about 10,000 cranes to be inspected by Jan. 1, 2010. The new rule also requires operators to pass a state drug-and-skills exam. Photo: TEQNE On Jan. 1, 2010, mobile and tower cranes operating on construction sites in Washington state will require a thorough inspection at least once a year. “Crane operators have been busy,” says Hector Castro, a spokesman for the state’s Dept. of Labor & Industries. “The lag has been with the cranes themselves.” So far, only 700 out of an estimated 10,000
Fire-protection engineers and other interested parties have until March 31 to comment on draft guidelines for substantiating a computer fire model for a specific application. The five-step methodology, recently issued by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers for review, has been welcomed by fire-protection and code consultants. “RJA supports the effort to develop a guide that will be a useful tool for the practicing professional that will aid in the communications between fire-protection engineers and the local authorities,” says Martin H. Reiss, president and CEO in the Boston office of RJA Group Inc. He calls the computer simulations valuable tools
Miami-Dade County public health officials are investigating whether an activated carbon filtration system at in Miami led to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease that killed one man in October and made two people ill in recent weeks. The county health department issued a health advisory on Dec. 11 to residents, guests and employees at the Epic Hotel & Residences, stating that water samples collected from the property’s plumbing system indicated levels of chlorine were insufficient to rid drinking water of bacteria. Samir Elmir, director of the county health department’s environmental health and engineering division, says the activated carbon filter system
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