The criminal prosecution of James F. Lomma, a prominent crane owner with offices in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, swivels on the failure of a Chinese rotator gear, the hold-down welding of which catastrophically snapped in May 2008, sending steel debris raining onto the streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The event killed two construction workers. In an earlier Lomma crane collapse in midtown Manhattan in March 2008, seven people died; a rigging company was indicted for manslaugheter in that case. The charges also fire a warning shot over the boardrooms of construction firms across America: Equipment owners may

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn’t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. Instead of using paper checklists, J.E. Dunn inspectors enter their findings in a mobile smart phone that instantly sends their reports to the company’s data server, where managers can access them over the Internet. The senior technician intently works a dial gauge that measures the play in a crane’s turntable—the giant platform that rotates the jib. “A bearing could go bad,” says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. “And that’s something we want

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn’t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable—the giant gear that rotates the jib. “A bearing could go bad,” says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. “And that’s something we want to know before the top falls off.” Slide Show Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Although this vertigo-inducing procedure is not required by law for a routine inspection, it is standard practice

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn’t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable—the giant gear that rotates the jib. “A bearing could go bad,” says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. “And that’s something we want to know before the top falls off.” Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Hanging from a full-body harness, James Hague uses a dial gauge to check the play in a J.E. Dunn

...guidelines require annual inspections. The company also performs nondestructive testing of the structure after each project. J.E. Dunn uses a software program called DB02 to track its safety compliance. In 2008, it asked the San Carlos, Calif.-based supplier to retool the program around the hoisting fleet. Some contractors and crane rental companies are using the economic downtime to reinvest in safety. Related Links: >Air Apparent “We can pull statistics and data, everything from fall protection to crane inspection,” Hall says. “Once a crane is moved, those statistics follow that crane to the next job.” The equipment is hooked up to

Why go to the Chicago Auto Show? Because it could be renamed the Chicago Truck Show. You can find the latest concept cars and practical rides, but usually there is no shortage of construction trucks and other workhorses. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Ford’s all-electric work van in Chicago. It promises a top speed of 75 mph and 80-mi range in part due to its li-ion battery pack (below). Related Links: Battle of the Vans Rages On As Truck Makers Redefine the Urban Contractor�s Rolling Office Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Oshkosh’s M-ATV at the U.S. Army’s recruiting

About 55,000 people�a 16% yearly decline and the event�s lowest turnout since its 2007 peak of about 92,000�attended the annual exhibition held on Feb. 2-5. However, the thin crowd�s mood was more upbeat this year, visitors said, and exhibitors were selling more, too�a sign that the economic slump may be near the end. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Fast-handed masons competed for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes in front of 4,000 spectators on Feb. 3 at the World of Concrete. Photo: Tony Illia Booth spaces shrunk this year, allowing smaller exhibitors to become more visible. Related Links: Stimulus to

The sinister effects of inhaling crystalline silica—which, like asbestos, slowly leads to lung disease and cancer—have been known for years. Only recently have tools that trap the deadly dust become widely available. Slide Show Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR This year’s World of Concrete attracted many new options in dust control. DeWalt now offers cordless portability in dust control “There’s been a drumbeat,” says Matt Gillen, senior scientist at the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Over the last decade, more suppliers have brought out controls designed to capture dust at the source: the business end

Has construction finally hit rock bottom? New projects are expected to swing up slightly this year, but the economic fog will not fully lift for another year or two, remarked attendees at this year’s World of Concrete. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Fast-handed masons competed for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes in front of 4,000 spectators on Feb. 3 at the World of Concrete. > Photo: Tony Illia for ENR Booth spaces shrunk this year, allowing smaller exhibitors to become more visible. Related Links: Stimulus To Lift Cement in 2010 VIDEO: Masonry at Warp Speed Economy Is

Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn�t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable�the giant gear that rotates the jib. �A bearing could go bad,� says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. �And that�s something we want to know before the top falls off.� Photo by Tudor Van Hampton A J.E. Dunn tower crane stands at about 240 ft above the site of the Kauffman Center for