Recent weeks have seen a rash of deadly construction crane-related accidents, underscoring the need for improvements to the federal standards that govern crane use, experts say.

In the most recent fatal accident, a piece of equipment fell from a cable attached to a crane in Dallas, striking and killing one worker last week. Days later, three construction workers were injured in a crane accident at the construction site for the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

Other recent high-profile crane accidents have included crane collapses in March that occurred in Miami, which resulted in two deaths, and in New York, which resulted in seven deaths. Additionally, last month a crane toppled in New York, resulting in two deaths, and one construction worker was killed in Las Vegas after getting crushed by a crane.

Although some states and cities have strict crane operating guidelines in place, crane use in most municipalities is governed by decades-old federal standards--standards that are overdue for revisions, experts say.

"The industry has changed," said Emmett Russell, director of safety and health for the International Union of Operating Engineers in Washington. "Cranes have gotten more sophisticated. The standards have to reflect the progress that has been made."

Mr. Russell said even though updated standards won't eliminate crane accidents, they will improve safety and reduce fatalities and injuries.

That's important for an inherently dangerous business such as crane operation, said Marty O'Brien, president of Pittsburgh-based Allied Insurance Brokers, which provides crane insurance and risk management services.

"Any time you have a piece of equipment like that involved in a claim, you have the potential for very serious damages," he said.

Operating cranes, especially tower cranes like those in the recent slew of fatal accidents, takes great skill, experts say. Such cranes are mounted atop tall structures and operators cannot see the loads they are lifting. They rely on other workers' signals and communication to execute lifts. And errors can be deadly.

Despite the recent wave of accidents, however, crane-related fatalities nationwide have fallen by 25% in the last decade, from 97 deaths in 1997 to 72 deaths in 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is the most recent data available.

Joel Dandrea, executive vp and CEO of Specialized Carriers & Rigging Assn. in Fairfax, Va., said crane accidents are relatively uncommon, considering the number of cranes operating every day. Approximately 3,000 tower cranes make more than 100,000 lifts a day throughout the United States, he said, noting that his organization surveyed its more than 1,300 members and other industry leaders to derive those statistics.

When tower crane accidents do happen, though, they are typically severe, which is why they garner so much attention, he said.

Need for standards

Industry experts say quality crane operation standards are critical to reducing accidents.

Currently, 15 states and six cities have specific licensing requirements for crane operators (see box), and they mandate that crane operators be certified.

Most jurisdictions, however, consider crane operations a federal matter, overseen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Bruce Whitten, secretary and treasurer of Fred's Crane Service Inc. in Orlando, Fla., and chairman of the Florida Crane Owners' Council Inc.

The OSHA crane operation standards--implemented in 1971--are broad in scope, Mr. Whitten said, requiring a "competent person" to inspect equipment, recommending load capacities and operating speeds, and highlighting special hazard warnings. They do not, however, require crane operators to be certified.

Some in the industry have been pushing for stricter standards--the Cranes and Derricks Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee, approved modified standards in 2004--but the older regulations remain in place.

The modified standards are more detailed, Mr. Russell said. He served on the advisory committee, which consisted of industry experts and government officials, that recommended the changes. They specify, for example, who on a construction site is responsible for certain duties tied to crane operations; they address the oversight of crane assembly and disassembly; and they require crane operator certification. Mr. Russell said the proposed standards are a "one-stop shop" for crane safety guidelines.

"There is no comparison between the amount of information and guidance that is given in the new standards (vs.) the old standards," he said. "The industry has changed. The standards have to reflect the progress that has been made."

A spokeswoman for OSHA said the changes must go through a rigorous approval process, and they are currently being reviewed by the Department of Labor. She said updating the current standards is a top priority, and she expects the changes to be finalized by year's end.

SC&RA's Mr. Dandrea said OSHA has indicated before that the updated standards would be finalized within a particular time frame, but they never were. He said he understands the regulatory process is long and cumbersome, "but the delay is unacceptable."

Craig Steele, president and chief executive officer of Schuck & Sons Construction Co. Inc. in Glendale, Ariz., said most accidents result from ignored standards rather than faulty standards.

For example, New York's lead crane inspector was arrested earlier this month for accepting bribes from crane companies. Neither of the recent New York accidents, however, has been tied to that scandal.

But despite the problem of rules being ignored, Mr. Steele, who also served on the advisory committee to revise the OSHA standards, said he thinks the revisions would result in fewer accidents.

Local changes

Mr. Whitten said the recent spate of accidents might compel even more cities and states to implement stricter standards out of concerns that the OSHA rules won't be implemented soon.

"States are realizing something has to be done now," Mr. Whitten said. If they don't act, "it looks like to the rest of the world that we're a cowboy industry."

The crane accidents in March prompted Dallas building inspectors to visit construction sites that operate cranes. Inspectors wanted to ensure OSHA standards were being observed, said Raul Martinez, assistant director of building inspections in Dallas. He said the city plans to continue such inspections every six months. Officials haven't issued any policies or legislation to regulate crane activity.

Dallas' two recent accidents occurred after the inspections took place, though. Mr. Martinez declined to comment on last week's incidents.

The recent string of accidents also prompted emergency inspections in the District of Columbia, said a spokesman from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The district already has strict licensure requirements in place for crane operators, but the spokesman said the city wanted to calm residents' fears.

Miami-Dade County is trying to pass legislation that Mr. Whitten said would create the toughest crane operation standards in the nation, which would require that cranes meet the same stringent standards as permanent buildings, such as withstanding higher wind speeds.

Several industry organizations, including the Florida Crane Owners' Council, successfully got a temporary injunction placed on the legislation because they felt much of the language would lead to more problems than solutions.

Mr. Dandrea said reactive measures by state and local legislatures are no surprise and aren't unwarranted. However, a uniform national standard and requiring certification for crane operators is the better approach, he said.

"No one is looking for losses," Mr. Dandrea said. "No one is looking for adverse actions or equipment failures. It costs injuries, lives, dollars--and certainly no one wants that."