State shuts down 3 cranes months after safety warning

Three tower cranes — two with mixed and matched parts — have been shut down at high-rise projects in Seattle and Renton, but not until nearly three months after state regulators learned of concerns about their safety.

The shutdown, announced Thursday by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, came last Friday after the agency determined that electrical systems in the cranes did not meet state-approved safety requirements.

A subsequent investigation revealed that the Texas company that owns the cranes had used parts from different manufacturers on two of the rigs operating in downtown Seattle, raising questions about the cranes' structural integrity, according to L&I spokeswoman Elaine M. Fischer.

All three were manufactured by Sun Cranes, a Chinese firm relatively new to the crane market. L&I said the affected rigs are the only Sun cranes operating in Washington, although 30 others are in use around the country, according to the company.

L&I learned of the safety issue on March 19, when a crane inspector from California called to report that a Sun tower crane there contained nonapproved electrical components. Faulty electrical systems can cause fires, electrical shocks and motor failure that could lead to an inability to control the behemoths.

The inspector, Doug Woods, of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said he quickly learned that similar cranes were in use here, and called L&I to give it a heads-up. The tip came four days after a tower crane — built by a different manufacturer — collapsed in New York City, killing seven.

"No 'approved' electrical components doesn't mean it's unsafe," Woods said Thursday. "It means it hasn't been approved."

Nonetheless, Woods, a crane inspector for 17 years, said California immediately shut down the crane in Los Angeles for two weeks until the electrical system was OK'd by an outside contractor.

L&I spokeswoman Fischer said that once the agency got the tip, it took several days to track down the cranes — two rising 210 feet and the other 150 feet — through contacts in the construction community.

Once it found them, the agency discovered that the cranes' owner, Lewis Equipment Co. of Texas, had co-mingled parts from two crane manufacturers, raising questions about the structural integrity of the downtown Seattle rigs. Still, the cranes continued to operate.

"It takes time to determine what happened and why," Fischer said. "We don't take it lightly, shutting down a construction project. We had to be sure we were doing the right thing."

Fischer said there was extensive discussion between the state and the contractors, and that, in the end, the contractors preferred that the state order the shutdown.

Lewis Equipment said the three "red-tagged" cranes have been operating since January and February and "have experienced no structural failures or significant electrical issues."

Unlike California, Washington does not directly inspect cranes. A new law, effective in January 2010, will require licensing for crane operators and certification for inspectors working for crane companies. State field inspectors will monitor those inspectors' work.

The new law was adopted after a 210-foot tower crane toppled in downtown Bellevue last November, killing a man in his top-floor apartment. Flawed engineering at the crane's base was blamed for the collapse.

Although the three cranes were idled last week, construction continued on the affected sites, at Fifth Avenue and Yesler Way, and 1823 Terry in Seattle, and at 400 S. 43rd St. in Renton.

Scott Holbrook, vice president and operations manager for Turner Construction Co. in Seattle, said L&I first inspected the crane at the Terry Avenue construction site on March 21.

Turner didn't shut down the crane at that time, Holbrook said, because it had tested the equipment and hadn't had issues with that type of crane in the past. "I believe it is a safe crane," he said.

However, L&I inspected the crane again last Friday, citing safety concerns with the mixed and matched parts. Turner stopped using the crane that day, and the state "red-tagged" it Tuesday, he said.

Holbrook said Lewis has replaced the electrical panel at the top of the crane's tower because it lacked proper electrical certification.

Gary Smith, general manager for Lease Crutcher Lewis' Seattle office, said his company expects to be using the crane at Fifth and Yesler in several days, once the state approves the structural and electrical reports it commissioned. Lydig Construction is contractor at the Renton project.

Smith said his company expressed concern about the hybrid crane delivered to its site, but was assured by engineering calculations from Lewis Equipment that showed the parts were compatible and the rig was safe.

Susan Kelleher: skelleher@seattletimes.com, 206-464-2508. Christine Willmsen: cwillmsen@seattletimes.com, 206-464-3261.