Construction Informer

Crane Carnage Continues: A 46,000 pound crane section fell on a man who was unloading it from a trailer at a Washington State construction site. The tie-down straps broke. He was 46 years old. In a separate incident in Colorado a worker was moving a self-propelled crane belonging to a custom homebuilder when it unexplainably accelerated, went out of control and dropped into a dry creek bed. The driver of the crane was killed. In yet another incident a worker was killed at a Chicago Heights steel plant when part of the crane he was operating fell on him and killed him. Still, NYC contractors continue complaining about what they call “unwieldy” new regulations imposed by that city in the wake of the federal government’s first updates to crane safety regulations in 40 years. Citing shutdowns caused by missing pieces of paperwork, or messy sites, the NYC contractors claim costly delays are developing.

Institutional Construction Set for Decline: The Architectural Billings Index (ABI) sank to its lowest level in its 13-year history for nonresidential construction. This means that spending on healthcare and educational facilities has once again dropped and that construction nine to 12 months out will be affected. Apparently governments and non-profits are having trouble getting bond approvals for such projects.

Canadian Charity Finds Construction Money Creatively: In a refreshing instance of people with religious convictions actually working together instead of fighting one another the Multifaith Housing Initiative in Ottawa negotiated a second mortgage with the seller of a building in order to fund the creation of 27 units of low-income housing at the site. The organization has Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs on its board, owns 40 affordable housing units in Ottawa, and will use an $840,000 grant from the Ontario government to renovate the building and pay down mortgages on a separate affordable housing building.

The construction death headlines seem to be more and more commonplace. After a rash of crane, and falling-from-heights deaths over the past few weeks there are new death and injury scenarios cropping up.

A 56-year-old construction worker was killed in an Indianapolis Airport construction accident. Apparently a dump truck was backing up and it ran over him. The driver didn’t see him. There was no information as to why the worker didn’t see the dump truck.

A worker carrying plywood on a highway construction project in Iowa was hit by a car when he stepped in front of it. The driver had no time to react and hit the man, injuring him. There was no word on the extent of the injuries.

A masonry worker was using a six-foot-long aluminum pole to scrape mortar at a town home project in Illinois when the pole touched an electrical wire and electrocuted him. The man was working on a ladder that was propped against the building when he lost his balance and fell. That’s when the pole touched the wire.

There are many reasons why people get hurt and killed where they work, but in these cases it seems once again that inattention was a primary contributor.