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Crane collapses at Houston refinery, killing 4
HOUSTON (AP) — Four people were killed and six injured when a crane collapsed Friday during routine maintenance at a southeast Houston refinery, a company official said.
All the workers were contract employees working at the LyondellBasell refinery in Houston about 2 p.m. when a crane several hundred feet long fell over, said Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria.
The company was preparing to do routine maintenance on one of the units at the refinery. But the crane, operated by Deep South Crane & Rigging, was not scheduled to be active Friday, but the engine was on after it hit the ground, Jim Roecker, LyondellBasell's vice president for refinding, said.
About 1,500 contract workers are employed at the refinery, he said.
Longoria said five people have been transported to hospitals. Two are in critical condition, while the other three have trauma-related injuries.
Crane safety has been getting extra scrutiny in recent months because of an alarming number of crane-related deaths in places such as New York, Miami and Las Vegas.
In New York City, two crane accidents since March have killed nine people — a greater number than the total deaths from cranes over the past decade.
An Associated Press analysis in June found that cities and states have wildly varying rules governing construction cranes, and some have no regulations at all, choosing instead to rely on federal guidelines dating back nearly 40 years that some experts say haven't kept up with technological advances. HOUSTON (AP) — Four people were killed and six injured when a crane collapsed Friday during routine maintenance at a southeast Houston... more -
Crane Inspector Arrested For Taking Bribes, Responsible For Crane Accident
BY ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Updated Friday, June 6th 2008, 4:45 PM
The city's top crane inspector was charged Friday with taking thousands of dollars in bribes from a company in exchange for approving fake crane inspections and slipping the company copies of the qualifying exam for operators.
James Delayo was arrested a week after the top of a crane snapped off and crashed onto E. 91st St., killing two workers and prompting outrage at the city's rash of deadly construction accidents.
The city Department of Investigation said there was no evidence that Delayo's alleged corruption affected that collapse or the March crane collapse on E. 51st St. that killed seven people.
Delayo, 60, a 26-year employee of the Buildings Department who lives in the Bronx, was serving as acting chief of the Cranes and Derricks Unit. He turned himself into authorities this morning and was awaiting arraignment this evening.
He was the second crane inspector to be charged with a felony this year. Buildings inspector Edward Marquette was arrested after the March 15 crane collapse, charged with ignoring a complaint about the crane's safety that he was supposed to check out.
"There is much work to be done with the Cranes and Derricks Unit, and we are in the midst of a full operational overhaul," Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri said. "Our number one priority is to ensure the department's staff conduct their jobs with the utmost integrity."
Delayo is accused of taking money from an unnamed crane and equipment company for the past eight years "for falsely reporting that the company's mobile cranes had been inspected and that its crane operators had taken and passed required practical examinations, when in fact no such inspections or practical examinations were conducted," the Department of Investigation said.
He allegedly also gave a crane company the questions and answers for a hoisting machine operator exam. He earns $74,224 a year but is expected to be suspended soon.
"DOB has made enormous strides in rooting out corruption over the past six years, but this case underscores that there remains more work to do," Mayor Bloomberg said. "We are fully committed to eliminating all traces of the corrupt culture that long infiltrated the construction process."
Bloomberg stood with city, industry and union leaders two days ago to announce a tough package of reforms to make city construction safer.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who was not part of that push, said Friday that Delayo's arrest shows the Buildings Department needs a stronger shakeup.
"Before we begin any new procedures to implement the administration's construction reforms, we must have a top-to-bottom review of the Buildings Department, its procedures and its personnel," Stringer said.
End Quote BY ADAM LISBERG DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF Updated Friday, June 6th 2008, 4:45 PM ... more -
NY Crane Collapse
Two construction workers were killed when a crane snapped and flew out of control into a nearby New York City apartment building.
This collapse comes only months after a similar accident that killed seven people in the big apple. Two construction workers were killed when a crane snapped and flew out of control into a nearby New York City apartment building. ... more -
Giant crane collapse in Manhattan kills 2
A crane collapsed on the Upper East Side and it has been confirmed that two people have died and at least one person has been seriously injured.
Image: Anthony Behar/Getty Images A crane collapsed on the Upper East Side and it has been confirmed that two people have died and at least one person has been seriousl... more -
Crane Collapse on the Upper East Side
There's been another giant crane crash on Manhattan's upper east side. What happens in the weeks following a disaster like this? Find out, in this piece that visits the folks who live around the crane that collapsed two months ago. There's been another giant crane crash on Manhattan's upper east side. What happens in the weeks following a disaster like t... more
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New Yorkers reflect on recent crane collapses
A crane collapsed in Midtown Manhattan, then again in Miami just days later. A total of six people killed. In a place like NYC with so many cranes hanging hundreds of feet in the air, how do New Yorkers feel about their safety? A crane collapsed in Midtown Manhattan, then again in Miami just days later. A total of six people killed. In a place like NYC with so... more
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Crane Collapse
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Crane Collapse
