Contractors can only raise or lower cranes with a buildings inspector present, officials said this week. Meanwhile, Bronx pedestrians are being a little more cautious in the wake of a deadly crane collapse.Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster also said the inspector must be at the site to ensure the crane is being operated safely, and that engineers who design cranes will have to inspect them before they are raised or lowered. The department expects to complete inspections of all cranes citywide by April 15.
Seven people were killed and several buildings were damaged in the upper East Side March 15 collapse at a construction site.
A Department of Buildings inspector was arrested last week after the agency said he lied about inspecting the crane, which neighbors had complained was unsteady.
The brother of a construction worker who died in the collapse is now suing the city.
Crane incidents climbed from 19 in 2006 to 29 in 2007 and the number of accident-related injuries jumped from three to nine, according to a Daily News investigation.
In the wake of the latest accident, some pedestrians who walk near a crane at Fordham Road and Third Avenue say they are a little more cautious.
AP wire reports contributed to this story.