In November 1989, a construction crane collapsed near Kearny and California streets, killing its operators, a pedestrian and a school bus driver. The incident prompted sweeping local and state construction crane regulations that remain among the toughest in the nation.
But crane safety has captured the attention of members of the Board of Supervisors following recent fatal construction crane collapses in New York City in February and last month in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Tower cranes are prolific in San Francisco as The City undergoes a building boom of a magnitude perhaps not seen since the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. Since January 2013, 56 tower cranes have risen in San Francisco — compared to a 10-year period between January 2003 and December 2012, when there were only 13 construction cranes.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin called for Thursday’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services hearing on crane safety “to know exactly what safety precautions are in place in order to be proactive.” He added, “I’d rather have this conversation absent any catastrophe or failure.”
State and local construction crane regulators, those with Department of Building Inspection and Department of Public Works, assured the supervisors during the hearing that the existing regulations are adequate.
However, there were suggestions for at least some local regulation changes. For example, a flag person must be on-site when the crane lifts loads over roadways or pedestrian walkways between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
“We might want to elongate those times,” Peskin said. He said pedestrian and vehicle traffic has become more congested over the years outside of those time periods especially in the downtown area where most of the cranes are located.
There was also a discussion about increasing local oversight of mobile cranes, such as having on-site safety inspectors, as is required for tower cranes. There are currently nine mobile cranes permitted. After the hearing, Peskin said he expects these changes to take place administratively.
In addition to state regulations, contractors must submit local tower crane applications with Department of Building Inspection with the location, height, path of the boom swing and the loading area as well as how the tower crane is fastened. The department also does site inspections.
James McCarthy is one of three in Cal/OSHA’s tower crane inspection unit for Northern California. “[The 1989 incident] led to the formation of a specific set of rules that prior to that did not exist in all of the United States. California was the first and still remains a significant leader in bringing about crane safety through close regulation,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said California’s regulations have prevented those types of accidents seen in other states with less monitoring. He also noted his unit inspects tower cranes every six months.
“You certainly have the lion share right now,” he told the committee. “We have quite a few in San Jose and Cupertino area. We have one as far away as Truckee.”
