New York Construction Accident & Safety News

The New York Times reported on Nick Cianciotta’s close call with a glass panel falling from the 27th floor of a New York high-rise building. The continuous high-rise construction in Manhattan is started to be described as “close calls and luck.”

Around 10:30 a.m., Mr. Cianciotta, 58, realizing he had to feed his van’s parking meter, started walking toward it, and was about 100 feet away when he heard a loud crash. A large piece of a 4-by-8-foot panel of glass had fallen from a window on the 27th floor, hit an elevated sidewalk bridge below and smashed into his van. Shards of the 300-pound quarter-inch-thick panel sprayed as far as 100 feet away.

Apparently, falling window panels and other debris are common in the Manhattan area. So common in fact, that many people wonder how there hasn’t been a devastating accident yet.

Christoper Canzona, the brother of Clifford Canzona – who was killed in the recent New York City crane accident – filed the first lawsuit related to that incident. The suit is on behalf of his brother’s family and is seeking $30 million dollars.

According to the notice, Clifford Canzona was helping to erect a 46-story building when the accident occurred and was found dead “on March 18 under rubble and debris crushed by the crane”. He fell 18 floors.

The notice alleges that the accident was “caused, in part, by the negligence of the city” and its Department of Buildings in failing to check the construction site.

Meanwhile a city construction site inspector has been arrested after authorities said he lied about inspecting the crane on 4 March.

It’s expected that several other lawsuits will soon follow this one.

A reported surge in skyscraper deaths has prompted new laws in New York City.

Fatalities on high rises — projects of 15 stories or more — rose to five last year from one in 2006 and injuries increased 63 percent, to 52, according to the New York City Buildings Department. More than 60 percent involved materials falling during concrete pouring.

The new laws will affect building that meet a minimum height or “story”.

The city will now require site safety managers for projects of 10 or more stories, or 150 feet in height, instead of the current limit of at least 15 floors or 200 feet, she said in the prepared remarks. Lancaster also proposed requiring “concrete contractors to designate a concrete safety manager” to monitor building methods.

The department is concentrating on site maintenance, including incorrectly installed concrete molds and wood and other materials left lying around, said Lancaster’s first deputy, Robert LiMandri, in a phone interview.

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