222 Palisades Creek Drive
Richardson, TX 75080
Phone: 972-952-9393
Fax: 972-952-9435
Email: [email protected]
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.