Lane Fined $155K for Hoisting Workers with Crane After Elevator Broke, Agency Says
Washington State L&I says the elevator should have been repaired instead of using a crane to transport workers into and out of...
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Lane Construction Corp. faces proposed fines totaling $155,300 for using a crane to hoist workers into and out of a tunnel after an elevator broke down, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
An elevator for taking workers down into and out of the 95-foot-deep vertical shaft of a tunnel for Seattle’s Ship Canal Water Quality Project broke in January. After that, Lane allegedly used a crawler crane to take workers in and out of the tunnel.
“Rather than repairing the elevator, Lane Construction management decided to provide employee access to the tunnel by using a large crane at the work location,” according to L&I.
The agency says using a crane as a personnel lift is “considered a last resort” because of the high risk of injury or death to workers.
“The rule allows lifting workers only if no other method is available or safer,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “That was not the case here. There was an elevator on site that should have been repaired.”
The agency also cited Lane for other crane safety violations, including not keeping a minimum 20-foot clearance from power lines.
Lane says it is appealing the citations and “nothing is final at this point.”
A statement from the company adds, “Lane does not agree with the subjective opinion that the citation was based on and we have submitted a notice of contest.”
L&I opened the case February 9 and issued these citations July 19:
- Willful, $70,000 fine – The use of cranes to hoist employees.
- Willful, $70,000 – Employer responsibilities for lifting personnel.
- Serious, $2,700 – Power line safety.
- Serious, $6,300 – Site supervisor duties related to crane safety.
- Serious, $6,300 – The lift director's duties related to crane safety.
The alleged violations concern work at 5300 24th Avenue NW in Seattle, where the city is building a massive underground stormwater- and sewage-storage system. The Ship Canal Water Quality Project, which deployed tunnel boring machine MudHoney to dig a 14,256-foot tunnel, will help prevent an average of 75 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage from entering local waterways each year, according to Seattle Public Utilities. Another smaller tunnel is also being built by a TBM.
