Crane Industry Leaders Call for Tower Crane Training and Standards Improvements

-- Actions Taken as Crane Accidents Recur --
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Representatives of the leading crane industry trade organizations
today announced their support for enhanced training and rigorous new
standards for safe crane construction, operation and maintenance. The
announcement came less than a week after a tower crane collapsed in
New York, the second such accident there this year.

Expressing concern about any accident that occurs in the crane
industry, Joel Dandrea, Executive Vice President of the Specialized
Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA), said the tragic loss of life
was particularly troubling and completely unacceptable. He expressed
the industry's sympathies to those affected by recent accidents in New
York and Florida.

Dandrea said a recently formed SC&RA Tower Crane Task Force has
taken on the responsibility of reviewing recent tower crane incidents
and related issues in order to put forth a set of industry best
practices intended to help prevent accidents and injuries in the
future.

"Tower cranes are a proven, reliable technology that have been
used successfully in construction projects since the 1940s," Dandrea
explained. According to industry statistics, about 2,100 are in use in
North America on any given day. Using a conservative estimate of 50
lifts daily per crane, Dandrea estimated more than 105,000 lifts are
executed safely every day.

To sustain this track record, Dandrea indicated the industry
"...believes it is our responsibility to take an active and
progressive role in establishing safe practices and standards for our
industry and providing the information necessary for members and
non-member companies to reduce workplace accidents and injuries."

Dandrea and other speakers also called for increased training and
certification for crane operators and others as well as enhanced
standards for crane operation. An advisory committee convened by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in July of 2003
and including SC&RA representatives developed a recommended proposal
for the Cranes and Derricks Construction Standard. This advisory
committee, known as C-DAC, negotiated all aspects of a new standard
and submitted its recommendations to OSHA in July of 2004. The
promulgation process has since languished within the Department of
Labor. In February of this year, SC&RA wrote to Labor Secretary Elaine
Chao to express concern about the lack of progress in adoption of the
standard and the resulting disservice to the industry, to workers and
the general public. That letter came a full month prior to a crane
collapse in New York that killed four.

Other industry leaders representing the National Commission For
The Certification Of Crane Operators (NCCCO); the Association of
Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), and NationsBuilders Insurance Services
(NBIS), echoed Dandrea's remarks.

Graham Brent, Executive Director of NCCCO, described his group's
role in developing performance standards for safe crane operation.
Through comprehensive training and testing, NCCCO certifies crane
operators and others to ensure they possess the fundamental knowledge
and skills necessary for crane operation--knowledge which has been
assessed by a professionally-constructed and validated examination. By
requiring such certification of personnel on their sites, employers
stand to reduce their risk of accidents, as well as the accompanying
financial and personal loss, Brent explained.

Nick Yaksich, Vice President, Global Public Policy, at the
Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) said his group and its
member companies are working to ensure contractors using tower cranes
follow manufacturer's erection procedures, operating and maintenance
instructions, and perform all recommended and required inspections.

Bill Smith, President of NationsBuilders Insurance Services,
Claims and Risk Management Services, called training and standards the
two most important issues facing the crane industry today. He
indicated that his organization's data showed that the largest
percentage of crane accidents occur as a result of human factors and
not as a result of any inherent flaw associated with the equipment or
technology. NBIS is the preeminent national provider of specialized
insurance coverage for crane operators, lessors, contractors and
subcontractors.

Industry leaders indicated that an international World Crane &
Transport Summit will be convened in October 2009 on crane and
transportation safety to promote harmonization of standards, increase
common understanding and promote acceptance of industry best
practices.

Copies of all remarks made at today's press conference can be
found at http://www.scranet.org.

About SC&RA

SC&RA is an international trade association of nearly 1,300 member
companies from 43 nations. Members are involved in specialized
transportation, machinery moving and erecting, industrial maintenance,
millwrighting, crane and rigging operations (including tower cranes),
manufacturing and rental.

About NCCCO

The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators
(NCCCO) was formed in January 1995 as a non profit organization to
develop effective performance standards for safe crane operation to
assist all segments of construction and general industry. NCCCO's
mission is to provide a thorough, independent assessment of operator
knowledge and skills and, thereby, to enhance lifting equipment
safety, reduce workplace risk, improve performance records, stimulate
training, and give due recognition to the professional skill of crane
operation.

About AEM

AEM is the international trade association representing the
interests of 800 member companies that manufacture equipment, products
and services used worldwide in the construction, agriculture, mining,
forestry and utility sectors. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin and has offices in Washington, D.C. Ottawa, Brussels and
Beijing.

About NBIS

NBIS is the preeminent national provider of specialized insurance
coverage for crane operators, lessors, contractors and subcontractors.
The organization is registered in 49 states and the District of
Columbia. In addition to insurance, NBIS offers comprehensive risk
management services designed to enhance contractor knowledge and
understanding of safe operations and maintenance practices for
construction cranes, rigging and hardware.

SC&RA
Lori Russo, 202-223-4933
lrusso@stantoncomm.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008