So that recent crane collapse on Manhattan’s upper East Side? According to investigators it could be the fault of the Chinese: “It is possible that the weld that failed was done on a part in a factory in China,” Richard Mendelson, regional director of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed yesterday. |NYDN|
With the recent crane collapse in Manhattan—the 2nd deadly accident in under three months—everyone’s got a theory to why the sky is falling. Some are blaming on a booming city in the Middle East: “The growth of Dubai, epicenter of the global construction boom, is making cranes harder to come by and more expensive to rent in New York, industry leaders say. An estimated 25 percent of the world’s largest construction cranes are now in the United Arab Emirates boomtown of Dubai.” |NYP|
Here’s a photo of 1749 First Avenue, the residential building that took the brunt of today’s crane collapse on East 91st Street and 1st Avenue. It was taken in 2005 by Untitled Name’s Will Sherman. |UntitledName|
Less than two weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Buildings pledged $5.3 million to fund “63 new positions dedicated to enhancing oversight and enforcing construction safety requirements.” Apparently those hires weren’t made fast enough in the wake of the latest crane collapse on 91st Street this morning.These new additions would bring the total number of Buildings Inspectors to 461 according to an official DOB press release from Sunday May 18.
Another crane collapsed in NYC this morning around 8am on 91st Street and 1st Avenue. Steamfitter Damian Burnz was on the scene and sent in these exclusive photos of the carnage. He said that two people are confirmed dead. This is the 2nd crane disaster in Manhattan in less than a few months, the last one falling in Midtown on March 15, killing seven people.
Update: Stay tuned to Curbed and Gothamist as they are furiously updating.
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