Officials Work To Improve Crane Safety

The investigation into a fatal crane collapse is underway. Federal investigators are looking into what caused a crane to collapse in Oklahoma City, killing a 79-year-old man and injuring his wife who were both sitting in a car below.

Winfred Stafford was watching a steeple being put on a church when the crane crushed his car. It's one of several crane collapses recently nationwide.

As News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports, efforts are being made to ensure a similar tragedy doesn't happen anywhere else.

The crane, operated by Barnhart Crane and Rigging Company, was putting a steeple onto a church in southwest Oklahoma City when it collapsed onto the car. Word of the crane collapse spread quickly throughout the industry.

"It just makes you sick to your stomach. To know something like that can happen," said Dave Bennett with Bennett Steel.

"It's sickening. It makes your heart drop," said Gary Madewell with Crane Superintendent.

The tragedy reinforces the importance of safety. Dave Bennett, with Bennett Steel, says a lot of preplanning needs to go into jobs.

"You have to do job hazard analysis before you do a pick; you have to sometimes do a test pick before they allow you to do a pick," said Bennett.

OSHA requires cranes to be inspected once a year by third party accredited inspectors.

"They come in and check all the boom lattices, all the pumps. They check all the cables. They check all the shifts. The computers themselves make sure they do a load test," said Bennett.

Bennett's crane service safety program even goes beyond what's required by OSHA, including requiring operators to get a certified crane operator designation which is accredited by OSHA. All crane operators must also fill out a 27 point inspection checklist each day.

"Tires, fire extinguishers, lights, brake lights, stuff like that," said Madewell.

"All the things that you can do to prevent things like that is worth the time and effort to do," said Bennett.

OSHA and the state Labor Department are investigating the accident. The state Labor Commissioner, Lloyd Fields, tells The News On 6 cranes in Oklahoma fall under federal regulations. He says Oklahoma may join other states considering improving state oversight of cranes.