State considers new rules on crane safety

Gov. Christine Gregoire's top labor adviser met Tuesday with the state Senate's labor-committee chairwoman to discuss possible new rules overseeing construction cranes.

The meeting between Peter Bogdanoff and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, came as other state lawmakers considered legislative action after the collapse of a tower crane in downtown Bellevue on Thursday.

"It appears to me there is inadequate state oversight," said Kohl-Welles, adding that new regulations can often take months to review. "This situation requires more immediate attention."

Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, said lawmakers are focusing on two issues: the frequency of crane inspections and operator certification.

Matt Ammon, a 31-year-old lawyer at Microsoft, died in last week's accident, which caused millions of dollars in damage to three buildings.

State investigators are studying the base of the crane, which was connected to steel beams in the parking garage of the construction site instead of to a concrete foundation — the method normally used to hold tower cranes.

David Weber, president of Northwest Tower Crane Service in Tukwila, which erected the crane Sept. 9, said Tuesday that before agreeing to the job, he looked at plans for the base presented by the general contractor and its engineering firm and concluded they were satisfactory.

"It was designed by competent engineers," Weber said, noting that engineers relied on calculations and load limits provided by the crane's Swiss manufacturer.

Weber said that although Northwest has never used a crane base identical to the Bellevue configuration, the company has attached cranes to steel beams at a few other construction sites.

Representatives of the general contractor, Seattle-based Lease Crutcher Lewis, and its engineering firm, Seattle-based Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), have not responded to inquiries. MKA said it would need permission from Lease Crutcher Lewis before talking about the project.

James Headley, director of the Crane Institute of America, a Sanford, Fla.-based organization that provides training to crane operators, said: "It's unusual that this tower [in Bellevue] collapsed. It's very unusual."

The crane, manufactured by the Switzerland-based Liebherr Group, "is a very, very reputable tower crane, maybe even the most reputable tower crane," Headley said.

It has safety features that help minimize overloading errors. Given that, and the manner in which the Bellevue crane appears to have collapsed, Headley said, "It's hard for me to see how he [the operator] would have had a hand in it. I just can't imagine what he would have done to cause the structural failure."

Washington state now does not mandate special training to operate construction cranes, which can tower more than 200 feet and lift more than 35,000 pounds.

Although crane operators are supposed to pass a standardized national test, their employers administer the test and judge qualifications.

Thirteen states and six cities have specific licensing requirements for crane operators. A federal certification requirement is pending.

While state inspectors monitor maritime cranes, they do not routinely inspect the structural safety of construction cranes.

Instead, the state Department of Labor and Industries targets job sites that are considered hazardous, including framing, roofing, excavation and power-line repair. Crane operator is "not on our list of jobs we keep an eye on," said Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for the department.

However, state engineers will conduct an inspection if there has been a complaint or previous accident.

That's a sharp contrast to California, where state officials require operating permits and inspect all cranes.

A 1989 crane collapse in San Francisco prompted California's regulations. Three workers died and two passers-by were crushed by falling debris after a construction crane snapped in two and tumbled 19 stories.

Bogdanoff, the governor's labor adviser, said some requirement for operator training may be introduced in the Legislature even if investigators were to determine that human error was not to blame in Thursday's collapse.

Construction contractors, crane operators and building engineers all want to avoid disasters and the liabilities that follow, he said. New inspection requirements should be considered only if they increase public safety.

"They [construction owners] are well aware of the risks involved. It's in their economic interest to make sure accidents don't happen," Bogdanoff said. "Anything we do ought to be effective. We have to be measured about what we're doing."

Seattle Times reporter Susan Kelleher contributed to this report.

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com