OSHA Cites Contractors Over Fatal Crane Collapse at Fort Lauderdale High-Rise
The agency has proposed Phoenix Rigging & Erecting LLC and Maxim Crane Works LP face the maximum allowable total penalties.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Oct 31, 2024
OSHA has issued citations to Phoenix Rigging & Erecting LLC and Maxim Crane Works LP following a tragic crane collapse at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, high-rise construction site in April 2024. The incident claimed the life of a 27-year-old rigger, who suffered a fatal fall from approximately 30 stories after a crane support cable failed.
According to a recent release, the two companies combined face a maximum allowable total of $61,299 in proposed penalties and were cited for five serious violations.
“Neglecting workplace safety requirements can be a matter of life or death,” OSHA Area Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said in a statement. “If these companies had made safety a priority, a young man’s family, friends and co-workers wouldn’t be facing this preventable loss. Construction employers are responsible for ensuring that workers use fall protection in hazardous situations, and we will hold all employers accountable for failing to provide safe working conditions.”
OSHA found that Phoenix Rigging & Erecting LLC, based in Mableton, Georgia, failed to identify and replace corroded or cracked bolts, ensure fall protection use, and conduct thorough pre-inspections of crane components. Notably, a second worker on the platform that day was wearing fall protection and survived the accident.
Meanwhile, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based Maxim Crane Works LP was also cited for serious violations, including neglecting to observe critical deficiencies in crane components—such as pins, bolts and end connections—and not performing mandatory pre-inspections by qualified personnel.
Phoenix Rigging & Erecting and Maxim Crane Works have 15 business days from the receipt of their citations to comply, request an informal conference or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.