Federal safety officials have proposed sanctions against a crane rigging contractor and a tower crane owner in connection with the April tower crane accident in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in which a surveyor was killed in a long fall of an apartment building and a tower crane. the section crashed into motorists.
Surveyor Jorge De La Torre, 27, was killed and several drivers had their cars damaged. Part of the crash and its aftermath was captured on video released in July by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a $39,000 penalty against Phoenix Rigging & Erecting, Mableton, Ga., for three serious violations. OSHA accused the company of failing to have a qualified person inspect the equipment and connecting hardware before each shift.
Specifically, OSHA claimed, the company failed to discover corroded and cracked pins, bolts, and poorly fitting end connections. Additionally, the company also failed to check the U-bolt (clamps/clips), bolts, pins, thimble and wire rope of the Terex-Trolly Rail Guide Top Climbing System.
Finally, OSHA cited Phoenix Rigging for failing to ensure that all personnel on a climbing platform, where a section that must be inserted into the pole sits and rigging makes the final connections, were properly lashed down .
The two proposed serious citations — and proposed fines totaling $23,000 — against Cannonsburg, Pa.-based Maxim Crane Works involved its alleged failure to have a qualified person inspect the same cables and connecting hardware .
The OSHA citations and proposed penalties do not say exactly what caused the failure or describe the failure sequence. A post-crash photo of the climbing unit, a video description of the rigging crew chief and a police department report pointed to the potential role of a climbing platform cable.
Neither Phoenix Rigging & Erecting nor Maxim Crane Works could immediately be reached for comment on whether they will contest the proposed penalties.
Referring to De La Torre, OSHA Area Director Condell Eastmond said in a statement that “if these companies had made safety a priority, the family, friends and co-workers of a young person would not face this avoidable loss. Construction employers are responsible for ensuring that workers use fall protection in dangerous situations, and we will hold all employers accountable for failing to provide safe working conditions.”
