Only about 10 percent of construction cranes in Washington state have been certified to new safety standards that take effect Jan. 1, according to the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).
Of the 7,000 cranes used in construction in Washington, only 700 have been certified, including only 20 of the estimated 100 tower cranes in the state.
“There are a huge number of cranes not certified. Businesses should have been working on this all year, but if they haven’t, they certainly should now,” said Dan McMurdie, manager of L&I’s construction and specialty services program, in a statement.
Washington state adopted new rules for crane safety after the November 2006 accident in which a 210-foot crane fell in Bellevue, killing a Microsoft employee in a nearby condo.