Most Construction Cranes in Washington State Don’t Meet New Safety Standards
Only 10 percent of construction cranes in Washington State have been certified to new safety standards, which took effect January 1, 2010, the Department of Labor and Industries has announced. According to a news report in the Puget Sound Business Journal, out of the 7,000 cranes used in Washington construction sites, only 700 have been certified. That includes only 20 out of the estimated 100 tower cranes in Washington State. The Department of Labor and Industries is now warning businesses that they should work on getting these cranes certified. Washington State adopted new rules for crane safety after a November 2006 construction accident in Bellevue where a 210-foot crane fell, killing a Microsoft employee in a condominium complex nearby.
Washington State, in April 2007, became the 15th state in the nation to require crane operators to be certified after Governor Chris Gregoire signed HB 2171 into law. Effective January 1, 2010, no employer or contractor shall permit a crane operator engaged in construction work to operate a crane unless the crane operator is qualified. The new law also requires cranes to be certified at least annually by a certified crane inspector. I certainly hope that the state enforces this new law and pushes businesses to comply with this much-needed safety standard.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Seattle crane accident, please contact the skilled personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington construction accident cases, which has useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
Source:http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/12/21/daily12.html
