After three partial collapses of construction cranes during Hurricane Irma, officials are debating whether regulations should be tightened.
Two crane booms in Miami and one in Ft. Lauderdale collapsed during the storm, with no injuries reported. The equipment was supposed to be able to withstand 145 mph winds, but the highest gusts recorded in the area were 100 mph.
Any initiative to impose tougher regulations on cranes would be complex, with federal, state, and local authorities all having a hand in rulemaking and oversight. Cranes are regulated by the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Florida statute preempts cities from enforcing laws regulating cranes, but Miami does enforce codes and regulations on the construction and maintenance of buildings. The multiple authorities have some overlap when it comes to construction cranes, at least in theory.
Industry trade groups warn that new regulations should wait until more is known about what caused the collapses. All of the collapses occurred where cranes were set up at 300 feet high or higher, and there is limited data on wind speeds at those heights during the hurricane.
Related Stories
Green | Feb 15, 2024
FEMA issues guidance on funding for net zero buildings
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently unveiled new guidance on additional assistance funding for net zero buildings. The funding is available for implementing net-zero energy projects with a tie to disaster recovery or mitigation.
Codes | Feb 9, 2024
Illinois releases stretch energy code for building construction
Illinois is the latest jurisdiction to release a stretch energy code that provides standards for communities to mandate more efficient building construction. St. Louis, Mo., and a few states, including California, Colorado, and Massachusetts, currently have stretch codes in place.
Modular Building | Jan 19, 2024
Virginia is first state to adopt ICC/MBI offsite construction standards
Virginia recently became the first state to adopt International Code Council/Modular Building Institute off-site construction standards.
Modular Building | Jan 19, 2024
Building with shipping containers not as eco-friendly as it seems
With millions of shipping containers lying empty at ports around the world, it may seem like repurposing them to construct buildings would be a clear environmental winner. The reality of building with shipping containers is complicated, though, and in many cases isn’t a net-positive for the environment, critics charge, according to a report by NPR's Chloe Veltman.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
Detroit may tax land more than buildings to spur development of vacant sites
The City of Detroit is considering a revamp of how it taxes property to encourage development of more vacant lots. The land-value tax has rarely been tried in the U.S., but versions of it have been adopted in many other countries.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply
As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.
Student Housing | Jan 12, 2024
UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project
The University of California at Berkeley took the drastic step of erecting a wall of shipping containers to keep protestors out of a site of a planned student housing complex. The $312 million project would provide badly needed housing at the site of People’s Park.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 8, 2024
Canada turns to 1940s strategy to speed up housing construction
To address a severe housing shortage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has begun a housing construction strategy pioneered in the years after World War 2. The government aims to use a catalog of pre-approved home designs to reduce the cost and time to construct homes.