Oregon’s first targeted inspection program for tower cranes revealed few major problems, an Oregon OSHA spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Division looked at cranes and operating procedures at job sites across the state, from August 2008 to March 2009.
“We did identify some issues, but we didn’t find cause for widespread concern,” said Melanie Mesaros.
Oregon OSHA initiated the program because of the number of tower crane failures and accidents across the country. Thirteen companies were inspected at seven sites:
• 550 N.W. 19th Ave., Portland; Opus Northwest, Coast Crane and Time Frame: Cribbing was not installed to manufacturer’s recommendations, written crane procedures for safe operation were not established, and grounding of the tower was not installed.
• 1720 S.W. Fourth Ave., Portland; Hoffman Structures, Hoffman Construction: No violations, but recommendations made on fall protection and pre-setup planning.
• 15941 Agnes Ave., Oregon City; Slayden Construction Group: Grounding issues.
• 4011 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland; Ness & Campbell Crane, Yorke & Curtis: Recommendations made on fall protection, site-specific operating procedures, and familiarity with both employers’ procedures.
• 10 N.W. Minnesota Ave., Bend; Advanced Window Services, Baney Corp.: Operating procedures, use of a personnel platform with no locking shackles and open hooks, fall protection, no trail lift and proof-testing of platform, maintenance, lack of supervision.
• 23100 Hastings Creek Road, Yamhill; Slayden Construction Group: Recommendation made on site-specific operation procedures.
• 0677 S.W. Lowell St., Portland; Ness & Campbell Crane, R&H Residential Construction: Grounding not tested before use.
