Federal work safety officials are investigating what
caused a crane to tip over and smash into the top of a University of Pittsburgh
building on Friday.
No one was injured, and damage was minimal.
The crane wobbled and fell onto the roof of Langley Hall
on Ruskin Avenue in Oakland about 9 a.m.
A construction crew renovating Ruskin Hall, an
apartment-style residence hall, was using the crane to lift scaffolding when
the accident occurred, Pitt spokeswoman Sharon Blake said.
Pitt spokesman Ken Service said Franco Associates, the
Forest Hills construction firm that owns the crane, told him that worker error
likely caused the accident.
Jack Kramer, a project manager at Franco Associates, said
it will interview the crane operator and he'll undergo a drug test. In the
meantime, the crane operator is off the job.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration should
know more on Monday, spokeswoman Lenore Uddyback-Fortson said.
Neither she nor Kramer would say whether improper use of
the outriggers used to balance the truck holding the crane might have
contributed.
Service said Langley Hall sustained minor damage, mostly
cosmetic, when the crane pierced a metal overhang.
Because of the Fourth of July holiday, Blake said, there
may have been just a couple of people in Langley Hall when the crane hit the
roof.
Langley is home to science facilities and Langley
Library.
Source: Tribune
Live
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