Crane Collapse Strands Two On Top Of Roof (Miami again)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/15782647/detail.html

No One Seriously Injured, Authorities Say

POSTED: 11:45 am EDT April 3, 2008

Two people became stuck on the roof of an Aventura building where a crane is said to have collapsed Thursday morning, the Miami Herald is reporting.

Details are limited, but as of 11 a.m., there did not appear to be anyone seriously injured, according to Lt. Eddy Ballester, a spokesman for Miami-Dade fire rescue.

The extent of the damage was not immediately known. Firefighters were working on getting the two workers down from the rooftop. The accident comes a week after two people were killed in a crane collapse at the construction site of a high-rise condo complex in Miami.

It is the second crane accident in Miami in a little over a week. Two construction workers were killed and five others were injured when a crane collapsed at a downtown high-rise condominium site on March 25.

[hedgehog]

1. Seriously - is there any chance that some of these cranes are being assembled by

people who don't speak English? There are a lot of people working in the construction trades who crossed the border at unauthorized spots. This isn't meant to be immigrant bashing, just pointing out what happens when contractors look to pay the lowest wages possible.

[izquierdista]

3. Not a chance!

If they didn't speak English, then they probably would do a BETTER job. Cities all over Europe are packed with construction cranes (one of the byproducts of a brisk economy) which are not falling down. Maybe instead of your immigrant bashing, you should be looking for more Polaks, Krauts, Dagos, Hunkies, Frogs, and Czechs (sorry, I don't know your pet name for Czechs) who know how to do the job right.

[Omaha Steve]

2. From LBN today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3254327

Inspector General: 200-plus crane operators improperly certified

More than 200 crane operators in New York who failed a practical exam between 1985 and 2000 were given certificates to operate the machinery, a state investigation revealed.

A report issued April 2 by the state Inspector General's office said misconduct by a Department of Labor employee, Frank Fazzio, led to the improper certification of the crane operators.

"It is vitally important that crane operators working in the state are properly tested and certified," Inspector General Kristine Hamann said. "As a result of our investigation, the is taking action to bring greater fairness and integrity to the testing process."

Fazzio, 60, a safety and health program manager, has worked for the Labor Department since 1970. His salary is $82,117.