On Dec. 15, the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) submitted extensive comments to the New York City Department of Buildings (NYCDOB), addressing concerns about Int. No. 1061, a local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York in relation to crane safety. The comments were a follow-up to SC&RA's Oct. 13 meeting in Washington, D.C., with three representatives from NYCDOB.
"While we understand many of these rules and regulations have been in existence in New York City for several years, we view these regulations to be onerous and impractical to modern day crane operations and unlikely to provide safety benefits," wrote SC&RA Vice President Beth O'Quinn in a letter to NYCDOT Senior Executive Analyst Michael Rybicki. "From a national viewpoint, we object to many of the existing rules/regulations in place such as onsite inspections, prototyping, etc., as being overly restrictive, nonproductive and bureaucratic. Over-regulation causes unnecessary economic hardship on any crane operations within New York City."
The letter pointed out that a provision to track components would be burdensome and impractical without ensuring a safer work environment. O'Quinn also noted that local and state crane laws, unless written through a state plan as accepted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, are counterproductive, confusing and provide no safety enhancements. SC&RA requested the opportunity to discuss its comments and provide additional insight as to the industry’s rationale for the recommended changes.
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