OSHA Attends International Conference on Crane Safety

[Omaha Steve]

http://safety.blr.com/news.aspx?id=111825

October 31, 2008
OSHA Attends International Conference on Crane Safety

Representatives of OSHA participated in a conference on urban crane safety recently held by the New York City Department of Buildings. State and local government officials from around the country attended the meeting, which also included representatives from Canada and the United Kingdom.

New York City Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri convened the meeting to address concerns over recent crane accidents in New York City and elsewhere. "We each represent different cities, states, and countries, but we are all facing the same challenge--how to make cranes safer," LiMandri said.

To meet this challenge, OSHA is revising its federal standards on crane and derrick safety and has launched a national initiative on cranes and derricks to promote safe construction crane operations. Noah Connell, head of OSHA's Directorate of Construction, Robert Kulick, OSHA's Regional Administrator for Region II, and Richard Mendelson, Director of OSHA's Manhattan Area Office attended the conference with other experts in this field.

Connell said, "The New York City Department of Buildings should be commended for reaching out to other jurisdictions and countries as they work to identify best practices and innovative approaches to crane hazards that affect public safety."