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Jun 12, 2008 9:17 pm US/Central
OSHA Updating Safety Standards For Cranes
Reporting
Jack Fink
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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A crane accident at the still-under-construction Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, on June 12, 2008.
CBS
Cranes are in the spotlight nationwide and now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is in the process of updating its safety standards for cranes.
Construction workers say they're well aware of the dangers.
Eduardo Aguayo and his partner just ended their ten-hour day at an uptown construction site. They're concerned about the crane accident at the new Cowboys stadium and the deadly crane accident at an uptown site Wednesday.
Aguayo welds heavy steel beams and normally works with crane operators. He was on the 13th floor when he says his supervisor warned them before starting work this morning.
"He tell you got to be more careful you got to check one, two, three times before you make something," he said.
OSHA is now investigating both crane accidents. They come after highly publicized crane accidents in New York City and others nationwide. But cities like Dallas don't regulate cranes.
In a statement, the agency says under federal rules, employers must "inspect construction cranes prior to each use and annually..." and that employers must also conduct "tower crane inspections prescribed by the manufacturer..."
Aguayo said his wife reminds him everyday of just how important his safety is to her and the family.
"She told me, 'Hey Poppy, be careful... Your kids are waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. So you got to be careful, right?'" he said.
For the first time ever, this past April the City of Dallas took an inventory of all the cranes in operation. Twenty three are on the job, but the city has no plans to start regulating crane operators.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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