Company to pay $9,200 fine in Bellevue crane crash
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The contractor that installed a tower crane that collapsed in Bellevue in 2006 has agreed to pay a $9,200 fine and drop its appeals of safety violations cited by the state in the deadly accident.
The contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis, reached the agreement with the state Department of Labor & Industries. The state agreed to modify one of the violations, and the contractor agreed not to file any more appeals.
The state earlier found that a flawed engineering design caused the tower crane to collapse in November 2006. The collapse killed a 31-year-old man and severely damaged three buildings.
The foundation of the crane was designed to withstand only a quarter of the pressures exerted by the 210-foot-tall crane, an investigation by the Department of Labor & Industries found. The crane was fastened to steel I-beams instead of a more common poured concrete foundation.
Operator error was not a factor: Investigators said the crane operator was well experienced and operating the crane properly.
Lease Crutcher Lewis is one of two companies cited for workplace safety violations in the crane collapse. The other is Magnusson Klemencic Associates, the engineering firm that designed the base.
One of the two violations by Lease Crutcher Lewis cited the company for failing to ensure that the crane was inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
That language was modified to state that the employer did not obtain third-party oversight of the design of the non-standard tower crane base in use at its work site. The new crane safety law signed by the governor in 2007 requires this third-party oversight.
A second violation, not related to the crane failure, had to do with installing a sign on the tower crane that exceeded size recommendations.
Matthew Ammon, a lawyer at Microsoft, died when the crane crushed the top floor of the Pinnacle Bell Centre, a 248-unit complex with stores on the ground floor and apartments above.
The crane first hit Plaza 305, an office building, then struck the sixth and seventh floors of the Civica Office Commons before crashing onto the Pinnacle Bell Centre. Severe structural damage was reported to all three buildings.
The collapse led to a re-evaluation of all cranes in the Seattle area. Soon afterward, one crane in Bellevue was found to have significant cracks and was taken down, while a hairline crack in another was repaired.
The contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis, reached the agreement with the state Department of Labor & Industries. The state agreed to modify one of the violations, and the contractor agreed not to file any more appeals.
The state earlier found that a flawed engineering design caused the tower crane to collapse in November 2006. The collapse killed a 31-year-old man and severely damaged three buildings.
The foundation of the crane was designed to withstand only a quarter of the pressures exerted by the 210-foot-tall crane, an investigation by the Department of Labor & Industries found. The crane was fastened to steel I-beams instead of a more common poured concrete foundation.
Operator error was not a factor: Investigators said the crane operator was well experienced and operating the crane properly.
Lease Crutcher Lewis is one of two companies cited for workplace safety violations in the crane collapse. The other is Magnusson Klemencic Associates, the engineering firm that designed the base.
One of the two violations by Lease Crutcher Lewis cited the company for failing to ensure that the crane was inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
That language was modified to state that the employer did not obtain third-party oversight of the design of the non-standard tower crane base in use at its work site. The new crane safety law signed by the governor in 2007 requires this third-party oversight.
A second violation, not related to the crane failure, had to do with installing a sign on the tower crane that exceeded size recommendations.
Matthew Ammon, a lawyer at Microsoft, died when the crane crushed the top floor of the Pinnacle Bell Centre, a 248-unit complex with stores on the ground floor and apartments above.
The crane first hit Plaza 305, an office building, then struck the sixth and seventh floors of the Civica Office Commons before crashing onto the Pinnacle Bell Centre. Severe structural damage was reported to all three buildings.
The collapse led to a re-evaluation of all cranes in the Seattle area. Soon afterward, one crane in Bellevue was found to have significant cracks and was taken down, while a hairline crack in another was repaired.