Cranes

The city's Department of Investigation and the New York District Attorney's office just announced the arrest of a high-ranking crane inspector for bribery and tampering with public records.

Defendant James Delayo, the acting chief inspector for cranes and derricks and a 26-year Buildings Department veteran, has been arrested for taking bribes in exchange for helping recertify cranes without the proper inspections; for certifying individuals as crane operators without their having taken the appropriate exames; and for, "giving a copy of the crane operator’s examination to a crane company operator in exchange for $3,000."

All of these bribes supplemented his annual salary of $74,000.

Mr. Delayo, a 60-year-old Bronx resident, will be arraigned this evening.  read more »

Incredible. Another crane has collapsed in Manhattan, according to media reports, killing at least one person and wreaking yet more havoc on the East Side.

"The crane, which was apparently being used for a construction project at 354 East 91st Street, on the northwest corner of the intersection, collapsed onto the north facade of the white-brick building at the southwest corner of 91st Street and First Avenue. The damage extends from the building’s top floor, about 20 stories up, to the second floor, just above a Duane Reade drug store."

The second crane collapse this year comes just days after the city announced it would no longer require Buildings Department inspectors to be on site during crane jumps, instead relying on a system of surprise inspections.

On March 15, a 22-story crane collapsed on East 51st Street, killing seven people and leading to the resignation of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster.

Update 9:57 a.m.

This building, a condop development called the Azure, has received 17 complaints this year, seven of which pertained to the crane, according to the Department of Buildings Web site.  read more »

The city found safety violations on six tower cranes (large cranes attached to buildings), after searching all 29 tower cranes in use citywide, the Department of Buildings announced today. The six cranes, with another two registering administrative violations, were temporarily shut down until the errors were corrected.

Following last month’s fatal crane accident on East 51st Street, DOB did a sweep of all the tower cranes in the city, and is now looking at mobile cranes, of which there are 220.  read more »