Crane Owners Advised to Inspect All Tower Cranes

A tower crane collapsed in Bellevue, Wash., last week, causing the crane to strike three buildings and kill one man.

In light of the collapse, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) sent a statewide advisory urging all owners and employers using tower cranes perform a structural inspection of their cranes.

L&I’s advisory recommended:
*All owners and employers using tower cranes perform a visual inspection of the tower base and tower for structural integrity problems, including looking for cracks, cracked welds, stress fractures, chipped or flaking paint, loose bolts and rust spots.

*The tower crane operator’s responsibility is to inspect the cranes on a frequent and periodic basis. Frequent inspections are daily to monthly, depending upon the component to be inspected. Periodic inspections are required monthly to yearly, depending on the use of the crane.

*As part of any overall inspection of a worksite involving cranes, L&I will look to see if an employer has fulfilled their responsibility to inspect cranes on a frequent and periodic basis.

*If damage is observed during inspections, the employer should contact an engineer for further evaluation.

Source: L&I