Debra K. Rubin / ENR

As the death toll mounts from a rash of deadly crane accidents, it should finally be clear that action is needed to beef up crane safety regulations, require operator certification and turn around a bureaucratic culture that seems insensitive to safety on construction sites.

The latest accident, on March 25 at a Miami condominium project, killed two workers and injured four. This came just days after the March 15 horrifying collapse of a tower crane in New York City that killed seven and injured 24. Both cranes were being jumped. And these accidents followed a string of others around the country.

The reasons for the accidents are varied, but they seem to boil down to a lack of precision in the way cranes are used on construction sites This relates to fuzziness over responsibility for the equipment, the way operators are trained and licensed and even the way cities like New York inspect.

The New York City catastrophe was made even more tragic by the allegation that crane inspector Edward J. Marquette, 46, falsely reported that he had inspected the crane 11 days prior to the collapse after a person complained that it looked like it was unsafely anchored to the building. He was one of only five inspectors to oversee 250 cranes in the city and has been charged with a felony.

Buildings Dept. Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster said, "Human error is something an inspection can't cure," and added that the accident was "not a training issue." These statements are inconsistent because human error is reduced by training. That is where skill, responsibility and awareness of dangers are honed. The New York probe is focusing on the installation of a 6-ton jumping collar and the use of synthetic lifting slings, which appear to have failed. More training might have presented other options that would have been safer.

In the wake of the lethargy and inconsistent rule making on cranes across the land, proposed revisions to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's crane- and-derrick standard should contain enough bite to soften up even the most serious slackers and sufficient precision to make sure operators receive crane-specific training and a sufficient amount of operating time before they are certified.

Lastly, the federal rules, which may be out for public comment this summer, should address business relationships in crane operations and fill in with black-and-white detail the gray areas that allow some companies to shift risk. Many operators want that precision because it is not always clear who is responsible for what, especially in dangerous situations like jumping tower cranes. That way cities also will have a clear road map on how to deal with this risky business.