Crane operators seek reps on NYC Crane Safety panel

A month after the fatal crane collapse in lower Manhattan, some construction officials are complaining about the lack of experienced crane operators on a special committee set up by City Hall to come up with new safety policies.

On Feb. 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the creation of the New York City Crane Safety Technical Working Group. It came two weeks after a 565-foot crawler crane collapsed on Worth Street, killing David Wichs, a young stock market mathematician, and injuring three others.

The working group was given 90 days to study the accident and propose additional practices and regulations to make cranes operating in New York City safer, according to a statement by de Blasio at the time.

But in a Feb. 25 letter to de Blasio, Joel Dandrea, executive vice president of the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, asked the mayor to consider appointing a couple of industry professionals to the panel.

“Working with crane safety we feel it is extremely beneficial to have members of the industry” who know cranes working with the group, said Dandrea in an interview Monday, adding that he hasn’t received a response to his letter.

De Blasio appointed five people to lead the working group. They are: Mary C. Boyce, dean of engineering at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University; Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, president of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering and Dean of Engineering at NYU; Peter J. Madonia, chief operating officer of the Rockefeller Foundation; Bill Goldstein, who recently served as a mayoral adviser; and Wayne A. Crew, general secretary of the National Academy of Construction.

A de Blasio spokesman, Austin Finan, said that the working group members “have decades of experience in engineering, government, and construction, but have no pending business before the city — ensuring an independent review of critical crane-safety policies.”

He added that the group intends to consult with a Department of Building committee, which does have representatives from the construction industry.

The Feb. 5 accident is also under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the city Department of Investigation. They are looking into whether human error, mechanical problems, high winds or a combination contributed to the sudden collapse of the Liebherr 1300 crane.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.