One of the bosses at Long Island‘s Nu-Way Crane Service of Copiague has been charged with paying a New York City inspector more than $10,000 to falsify inspection reports and licenses, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Michael Sackaris, 48, of St. James, is the chief of Nu-Way Crane Service, according to authorities.  Sackaris and another employee were arrested yesterday after they were indicted on bribery charges; Nu-Way also was indicted and Sackaris was charged with threatening a witness.  The City Department of Investigation initiated a probe of the buildings department’s cranes and derricks division following the deaths of nine people in two crane collapses this year. (more…)

A Texas consumer group is decrying the Texas Windstorm Association’s recent announcement that it won’t pay for storm  surge damage from Hurricane Ike. Because storm surge is caused by the winds that accompany a hurricane, the group Texas Watch says that such damage should be attributed to wind.

The total cost from Hurricane Ike is expected to be high.  As a result, insurers will be looking for ways to limit their exposure.  Attributing damage to storm surge, rather than wind, will help in that effort.  Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin told a legislative panel Wednesday that more than 50,000 insurance claims have already been filed and the number could go as high as 300,000. (more…)

New York City has implemented new construction crane regulations aimed at preventing the types of crane collapse accidents that have killed nine people so far this year.  But the city’s construction contractors aren’t happy, and say the new regulations – which are effective immediately – will result in temporary layoffs of construction workers.

The new rules come in the wake of two horrible crane accidents that occurred this past spring.  The most recent collapse occurred in May, when a 200 foot crane perched atop a high-rise under construction collapsed and fell about 30 stories to the ground below. In addition to the two fatalities, a third worker was seriously injured.  A large portion of an adjacent high-rise apartment building was destroyed as well.  The investigation into that crane collapse is said to be focusing on a rebuilt part that may have failed. The Manhattan District Attorneys’ office has also launched a criminal probe into the incident. (more…)

A federal agency investigating March’s fatal New York City crane collapse that killed 7 people has issued citations to three construction companies.  In doing so, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the companies a total of $313,500.

The New York City crane collapse occurred on the east side of midtown Manhattan the afternoon of March 15.  The crane was being used in the construction of a  43-story luxury apartment building.  The crane broke into pieces as it crashed down onto 51st street, not far from the United Nations Building.  The crane collapse destroyed a townhouse, and seriously damaged five other buildings.  The New York City crane collapse killed six workers from the construction site, as well as a Florida woman visiting the city who was staying with a friend in the destroyed townhouse. (more…)

The Governor of New York has signed a new law that increases both criminal and civil penalties for inspectors of construction cranes who falsify their reports.  The new law also sets stiffer punishments for anyone who tries to bribe crane inspectors or otherwise tries to interfere with their work.

The new crane safety bill was passed after two crane collapses earlier this year in New York city killed a total of 9 people.  The most recent collapse occurred in May, when a 200 foot crane perched atop a high-rise under construction collapsed and fell about 30 stories to the ground below. In addition to the two fatalities, a third worker was seriously injured.  A large portion of an adjacent high-rise apartment building was destroyed as well.  The investigation into that crane collapse is said to be focusing on a rebuilt part that may have failed. The Manhattan District Attorneys’ office has also launched a criminal probe into the incident. (more…)

Six people have died in  crane collapses this week alone, prompting lawmakers in Congress to push for tougher rules for construction crane work. On Tuesday, nine Senate Democrats sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, urging the adoption of tougher standards.

On Thursday, an elderly man was killed in Oklahoma City when the boom of a crane fell on his car.   Just the day before, an iron worker in Normal, Ill., who was assembling girders at a construction site, died when the boom of a crane fell on him.   And last Friday, four Houston construction workers were killed when a 30-story crane, one of the world’s largest, collapsed at the LyondellBasell Industries refinery in Houston. Seven other workers were injured in that accident. (more…)

Officials from New York City testifying before a Congressional committee yesterday urged the federal government to enact tougher safety standards for tower construction cranes.  The testimony came in the wake of two separate crane collapses in Manhattan that killed a total of 9 people.  While the New York officials said the city was enacting its own tough  new crane rules, they told members of the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee that federal rules were vital, because one tower crane can be used on construction jobs in multiple states.

This year New York saw two fatal crane collapses within a two month period.  The most recent, which killed two construction workers, occurred last month, when a 200 foot crane perched atop a high-rise under construction collapsed and fell about 30 stories to the ground below. In addition to the two fatalities, a third worker was seriously injured.  A large portion of an adjacent high-rise apartment building was destroyed as well.  The investigation into that crane collapse is said to be focusing on a rebuilt part that may have failed. The Manhattan District Attorneys’ office has also launched a criminal probe into the incident. (more…)

Last weekend’s New York City crane collapse that killed 7 people has resulted in the arrest of a city inspector.  The inspector  allegedly lied about checking on the crane in the weeks before it collapsed and decimated a Manhattan block.

The New York City crane collapse occurred on the east side of midtown Manhattan last Saturday afternoon.  The crane was being used in the construction of a  43-story luxury apartment building.  The crane broke into pieces as it crashed down onto 51st street, not far from the United Nations Building.  The crane collapse destroyed a townhouse, and seriously damaged five other buildings.  The New York City crane collapse killed six workers from the construction site, as well as a Florida woman visiting the city who was staying with a friend in the destroyed townhouse. (more…)

The New York City crane collapse, which left seven people dead and destroyed much of two city blocks, may have been caused by the failure of nylon slings.  According to The New York Times, photographs supplied by a person who visited the scene of the New York City crane collapse shortly after the accident show two manual winches attached to two yellow nylon slings. The slings are ripped off and ragged at the ends. For investigators who arrived at the site after the accident, the ragged, broken slings immediately raised alarms, according to people involved in the recovery who spoke with The  New York Times.

The New York City crane collapse occurred on the east side of midtown Manhattan Saturday afternoon.  The crane was being used in the construction of a  43-story luxury apartment building.  The crane broke into pieces as it crashed down onto 51st street, not far from the United Nations Building.  Several buildings were damaged in the New York crane collapse, and residents in about 300 apartments in 17 buildings were evacuated.  There is no word yet on when the evacuees might be able to return.   (more…)