New York City officials announced a new seven-point plan on Tuesday that they said would increase safety at tower crane construction sites by strengthening inspections and requiring safety reviews each time a crane passes from one owner or operator to the next. The plan is the second major overhaul of construction regulations to be announced [...]
At least 14 crane operators who failed a state test of their skills running the monster machines are operating cranes in the city like those involved in two deadly collapses this year, a Daily News probe has found. They are among 21 city-licensed crane operators who obtained state licenses despite failing the hands-on exam, a [...]
In the wake of two fatal crane accidents and the abrupt departure of city Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster, the city is requiring that details of all construction-related injuries and deaths be posted on the Department of Buildings’ Web site. And under a separate measure, the agency will have to alert the state to all disciplinary [...]
The authorities have widened their criminal investigation of potential corruption inside the Department of Buildings’ crane inspection operations to focus on several current and former agency employees who had responsibilities in that area, a law enforcement official involved in the inquiry said on Wednesday. Last week the investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and [...]
A construction contractor has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in connection with a Brooklyn wall collapse that killed a worker in March. The Brooklyn district attorney says the contractor, William Lattarulo of Malverne, Long Island, owned both the construction site and the neighboring residential building in East New York. The accident killed 30-year-old Louro [...]
The latest arrests are part of a joint effort by the Department of Investigation and the city’s Fire Department to crack down on those who ignore summonses for fire code violations. City investigators and fire marshals have arrested more than 100 people in a massive sweep targeting business owners, employees and building owners who failed [...]
Prosecutors investigating a fatal crane collapse on East 91st Street have taken away boxes of documents and computers from the offices of the crane’s owner, New York Crane and Equipment, two people involved in the inquiry said on Monday. The investigation moved forward as insurers for the crane company acknowledged for the first time that [...]
IF Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials sound even more defensive than usual in discussing last week’s lethal crane collapse, it might have to do with an overlooked fact about the catastrophe site: The city owns it. And while it would be unfair to say the city has blood on its hands, it was the [...]
A construction crane collapsed shortly after 8 a.m. this morning on New York’s Upper East Side, smashing into a high-rise apartment building before crashing more than a dozen stories onto the street below. The Fire Department said it has pulled people out of the wreckage at East 91st Street and First Avenue. It’s unclear how [...]
The Department of Buildings said yesterday that it is easing up on a policy put in place after the crane collapse two months ago. In response to the deadly accident on the east side of Manhattan, the DOB had required inspectors be present when cranes are moved at building sites. Now, the department says it [...]
