With the goal of reducing Md. construction injuries and deaths, the state has added teeth to what are already among the strictest crane regulations in the country.
New regulations went into effect for Maryland earlier this month following several serious construction crane incidents, such as a fatal Anne Arundel County accident that occurred in April 2008. According to a Baltimore news report, workers in Annapolis Towne Centre were dismantling an end section of a crane when an accident occurred, crushing a construction worker between two sections of the crane 200 feet up. Another worker was injured.
The new regulations will require all construction workers operating cranes as well as those who load and signal them to receive intensive training on the equipment, to avoid serious and possibly fatal Maryland construction accidents. Employers are now required to carry out daily inspections and to keep training records. Maryland Labor and Industry Commissioner Ronald Julius told a local news outlet that state inspectors will be checking on projects where construction cranes are in use.
A Maryland workers compensation lawyer helps workers who’ve been injured on the job and their families determine whether the accident occurred due to negligence on the part of the employer. Construction is an industry fraught with hazards: Of all industry sectors, construction jobs rank with the most work-related deaths. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one of every five work-related deaths occurs in construction.
Maryland Construction Worker Deaths and Crane Accidents
NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) reports that while construction employs about 6% of the country’s workforce, the industry comprises 20% of work-related fatalities. In 2006, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) department reported 34 deaths in the Maryland construction industry. Federal and state regulations are put in place to keep these hard workers safe on the job. We hope the new Maryland crane regulations will do just that.
Stricter Crane Regulations In Effect
WJZ.com April 7, 2009
Related Web Resources
Maryland Crane Safety Regulations