Understanding the Risks of Tower Crane Operation

A construction crane collapsed in downtown Seattle on Saturday afternoon, killing four people and injuring several others. High winds may be partly to blame, though builders usually know when to cease crane operations under such conditions. Some witnesses report seeing the crane break in half as it collapsed. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has already announced it will conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the root cause of the accident. 

Seattle currently has the most tower cranes (60) of any city in the country punctuating its skyline, plain evidence of the city’s ongoing development boom. Like other major city centers, the density found in Seattle’s core leaves no option other than to utilize overhead cranes for construction. Consequently, their safe use is of paramount concern as ensuring the wellbeing of workers and the public is the first duty of any construction project. 

The reality is working with tower cranes is inherently a high-risk business. Overloading is responsible for many crane structural failures. Improper foundations are also sometimes implicated. Mostly though, the majority of crane accidents having nothing to do with the structure of the cranes themselves but are instead simply a consequence of human error. There can be no substitute for proper training, adherence to safety procedures, and prudent construction planning when it comes to operating cranes. 

Eugene is experiencing a surge in construction activity, and with it its own proliferation of tower cranes. My guess is we’ll soon see more large cranes at once in Eugene than ever before.(1) Here are some in current operation: 

At the 35 Club Road development: 

Large mobile cranes are being used at the New Hayward Field project: 

At the Obie Companies’ Market Expansion project: 

And at the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact: 

An additional tower crane will soon rise at the location of the future Midtown Arts Center at 16^th Avenue and Pearl Street. I may be forgetting others in the Eugene-Springfield area that may be imminent or already in use, so let me know if I have and where they may be located. 

Tower cranes have provided millions of accident-free hours of operation on countless building projects worldwide. They are vital to the efficiency of modern construction and won’t be going away anytime soon. Nothing can make up for the loss of human life, but my hope is today’s tragedy in Seattle will contribute to a greater understanding of how to safely work with tower cranes and serve as a reminder of the risks associated with them. 


(1)   I wrote a previous post back in 2012 about the tall tower crane Lease Crutcher Lewis used to help build the Lane Community College Downtown Campus project here in Eugene and my opportunity to climb it.