Washington Cranes Aren’t Certified
Only about 10 percent of construction cranes in Washington state have been certified to new safety standards that take effect Jan. 1, according to the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).
Of the 7,000 cranes used in construction in Washington, only 700 have been certified, including only 20 of the estimated 100 tower cranes in the state.
“There are a huge number of cranes not certified. Businesses should have been working on this all year, but if they haven’t, they certainly should now,” said Dan McMurdie, manager of L&I’s construction and specialty services program, in a statement.
Washington state adopted new rules for crane safety after the November 2006 accident in which a 210-foot crane fell in Bellevue, killing a Microsoft employee in a nearby condo.
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Two points here on this article. Labor and Industries was only estimating that there were 7000 construction cranes. If a crane is not being used in construction during this slow time, then it won’t need to be certified. It’s quite possible that almost all of the cranes in use are certified now. Their estimation could have been way off as well.
As for Tower Cranes, virtually all of them are certified. I have two self-erectors to do today, and I only know of one tower crane that is likely not certified in the State and no one on that job site is hearing me.
For anyone that doesn’t get this done, it’s been coming for two years and there is no excuse. The last fine I knew of for willfully using a marine crane that wasn’t certified was in the $70,000 range plus you are shutdown. Happy hunting to the state for enforcement.
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