Crane Collapse At Tex. Refinery Kills 4, Injures 7
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Saturday, July 19, 2008; Page A04
HOUSTON, July 18 -- One of the nation's largest mobile cranes collapsed at a Houston oil refinery Friday, killing four workers and injuring seven others in the latest of several fatal accidents that have raised concerns about the safety of construction cranes.
The 30-story-tall crane, capable of lifting 1 million pounds, fell over at a LyondellBasell refinery in southeast Houston about 2 p.m., said Jim Roecker, the company's vice president for refining.
The crane belonged to Deep South Crane & Rigging. Roecker described it as one of the nation's largest mobile cranes, at 300 feet tall with a 400-foot boom. Construction cranes run taller, but they are not mobile.
Crane safety has been getting extra scrutiny in recent months because of a rise in crane-related deaths in cities including New York, Miami and Las Vegas.
In New York City, two crane accidents since March have killed nine people -- a greater number than the total deaths from cranes over the previous decade.
Cranes in Texas operate without any state or local oversight. That job is left to federal regulators.
