NCEES urges P.E. seals for tower crane foundation designs

The following letter was submitted to Engineering News-Record (ENR) in response to their recent coverage of tower crane accidents in the construction industry.

ENR’s August 16 article, “Gutsy Builder Took A Quantum Leap,” references new OSHA regulations set to go into effect later this year concerning the certification of crane operators. NCEES would like to bring attention to another aspect of crane safety: the design of tower crane foundations and the qualifications of those who sign off on them.

Last month, the state licensing boards that comprise NCEES voted to adopt a position statement that recommends that the state boards actively pursue enforcement of statutes and rules concerning engineering supervision over the design of tower crane foundations. The statement recommends that foundation design documents be prepared and sealed by a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) and that the P.E. review the erection of the crane for compliance with the design and specifications for its foundation. The full text of the position statement can be found below.

The guidelines published by OSHA that will go into effect this year include a similar provision concerning the design of tower crane foundations. The member boards of NCEES have signaled their intention to enforce this as a part of their ongoing mission to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.

Sincerely,

Jerry Carter
Executive Director, NCEES

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Position Statement 32, Tower Cranes

NCEES recognizes that the use of tower cranes—including assembly/erection, climbing, dismantling, and hoisting—exposes the public to a level of risk to health, safety, and welfare.

NCEES recommends that member boards actively pursue enforcement of statutes and rules with local permitting authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) regarding the engineering supervision over the design and erection procedures related to the foundations of tower cranes.

To implement the above, the following is recommended:

  • Foundation design documents shall be prepared by a qualified licensed professional engineer or a licensed structural engineer, as required, and the documents are to be sealed by the engineer.
  • Supervision by a qualified licensed professional engineer or a licensed structural engineer is required in the review of erection of the crane for compliance with the engineer’s design and specifications for the tower crane foundations.

NCEES recognizes members for their service

NCEES recently recognized several members for their longtime service to the organization, the licensing boards on which they serve, and the engineering and surveying professions. The 2010 NCEES award winners are

  • Larry Smith, P.E., of Rhode Island, who received the Distinguished Service Award with Special Commendation
  • James Foley, P.E., S.E., G.E., of California; Skip Harclerode, P.E., of Maryland; Peter Hutchison, P.E., P.L.S., of Wyoming; and Ted Sack, P.L.S., of Oklahoma, each of whom received the Distinguished Service Award
  • Peggy Abshagen, the executive director of the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers, who received the Meritorious Service Award

The award winners were honored at an awards luncheon held during the NCEES Annual Meeting, which took place August 18–21 in Denver.

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Larry Smith, P.E.
James Foley, P.E., S.E., G.E.
Skip Harclerode, P.E.
Peter Hutchison, P.E., P.L.S.
Ted Sack, P.L.S.
Peggy Abshagen 

Timms begins term as NCEES president

Joseph Timms, P.E., of West Virginia, began his term as 2010–11 NCEES president at the conclusion of the NCEES Annual Meeting, held August 18–21 in Denver.

Timms has served on the West Virginia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers since 1998. A resident of Bridgeport, West Virginia, Timms retired as president and CEO of Consolidated Natural Gas (now Dominion) Transmission Corporation following a career spanning 50 years. He replaces outgoing President David Whitman, Ph.D., P.E., who will remain on the NCEES Board of Directors as immediate past president.

Also during last month’s Annual Meeting, NCEES members elected Dale Jans, P.E., of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as its president-elect for the 2010–11 term. Jans has been a member of the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions since 1994.

NCEES also welcomed two new members of its Board of Directors in Nancy Gavlin, P.E., S.E., of Illinois and Patty Mamola, P.E., of Nevada. Gavlin and Mamola will serve two-year terms as vice presidents of the Central Zone and Western Zone, respectively.

Rounding out the Board of Directors are three members serving the second year of their two-year term: David Widmer, P.L.S., of Pennsylvania returns as Northeast Zone vice president; Govind Nakarni, P.E., of Texas returns as Southern Zone vice president; and Gene Dinkins, P.E., P.L.S., of South Carolina continues as treasurer.

Detailed information about NCEES governance can be found here.

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Joseph Timms, P.E.
Dale Jans, P.E.
Nancy Gavlin, P.E., S.E.
Patty Mamola, P.E.