Crane Collapse Kills 4 At Houston Refinery

Six More Injured In The Accident; 5 Taken To Area Hospitals

(CBS/AP)  One of the nation's largest mobile cranes collapsed at a Houston oil refinery Friday, killing four workers and injuring seven others in the latest of several fatal accidents that have raised concerns about the safety of construction cranes.

The 30-story-tall crane, capable of lifting 1 million pounds, fell over at a LyondellBasell refinery in southeast Houston about 2 p.m., said Jim Roecker, the company's vice president for refining.

The massive, deep red crane lay on top of a smaller, bright yellow crane on the grounds of the refinery. Ambulances and fire trucks were lined up outside.

The casualties were in the area of the crane, but officials still aren't certain whether they were on the crane or under it, Roecker said.

Three of the injured were treated and released at the scene, said Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria. Two severely injured workers were taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center hospital and the other two injured workers was taken to a hospital by ambulance.

The crane was there for refinery maintenance work, but that work had not been started at the time of the collapse, according to CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston.

“We were actually preparing to do some major maintenance activities there. That’s why the crane was placed where it was,” a company spokesman said. “At this point, we’re very unsure as to the cause of the failure of the crane.”

The crane belonged to Deep South Crane & Rigging. Roecker described it as one of the nation's largest mobile cranes, at 300 feet tall with a 400-foot boom. Construction cranes run taller, but they are not mobile.

"This is a traumatic experience for all of us. We have to focus on the safety and health of our employees," Roecker said.

Deep South spokeswoman Margaret Landry issued a statement from the company's headquarters in Baton Rouge, La., saying it was investigating "to determine the root cause, correct it and ensure that this type of tragedy does not occur again."

Aerial views of the site weren't immediately available; air space around Houston was restricted because President Bush was in town raising funds for a congressional candidate.

Near the scene of the collapse, Mattie Graham stood with her husband, Deep South worker Horace Graham.

"I'm thinking about their families. He could have been there today," she said, gesturing to her husband.

The refinery has about 3,000 LyondellBasell workers and 1,500 contract workers, Roecker said. He said all personnel at the plant were accounted for, and the plant was operating as usual.

Crane safety has been getting extra scrutiny in recent months because of an alarming number of crane-related deaths in places such as New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

In New York City, two crane accidents since March have killed nine people — a greater number than the total deaths from cranes over the previous decade.

An Associated Press analysis in June found that cities and states have wildly varying rules governing construction cranes, and some have no regulations at all, choosing instead to rely on federal guidelines dating back nearly 40 years that some experts say haven't kept up with technological advances.

Texas led the nation with 26 crane-related fatalities in 2005 and 2006, according to federal statistics. Cranes in Texas operate without any state or local oversight, leaving that job to federal regulators.

The crane at the refinery had been delivered in pieces and assembled on site within the last month. It was brought in to remove the roof of the coker unit so large drums could be removed from inside, Roecker said. Cokers convert crude oil to petroleum products.

East Texas Crane Academy president Joe Bob Williams, whose company has certified crane operators for Lyondell, said it's unusual for such cranes to fail because of the number of people involved in their maintenance.

"It's really odd for these cranes to have any issues because there are so many eyes looking in," Williams said.

Cameras are mounted around the plant and Roecker said the company hopes that video from those cameras will help it figure out what happened.

"As far as what happened today, we'll get there. Right now our focus is on the families and victims," Roecker said.

The Houston refinery is one of the world's largest for processing high-sulfur crude oil. The facility itself covers about 700 acres along the Houston Ship Channel at the city limits of Houston and Pasadena.

Texas is one of 35 states that do not require crane operators to be licensed. Earlier this year in Dallas, city officials found that eight of 23 cranes being used across the city had uncertified operators at the controls.

OSHA standards require cranes to undergo annual inspections, but it is a self-policing mandate for crane owners. Federal law requires that inspection records be kept, but not submitted.

Roecker said OSHA and other regulatory agencies had been notified of Friday's accident.

Lyondell Chemical, a U.S. company, and the Dutch firm Basell were rivals until they announced a $12.1 billion deal last July to create one of the world's largest chemical companies.

On the chemical side, Lyondell produces ethylene, a crucial precursor to a range of other chemicals, as well as propylene oxide, which is also used in producing a variety of chemical products. Basell focuses on polyolefins, common types of plastic.

[nssherlock1]

Another attack of these terrorist cranes? Let''s invade Iran!

[wardoglrs]

As a construction contractor myself this is by no means an accident..
it is just plain stupidity of workmen that have no other thought other than wanting to go home and not having the skill to be putting together this kind of crane.

There is no excuse for the city inspector to have signed off on this cause obviously it was not assembled properly. So his job is done hands down.
the other thing there not telling you is that there are illegals putting these cranes together and have no experience in it''s assembly.

Some inspectors will take bribes from contractors
cause they know that a inspector can create hell for them.
in other words tweak the paper work and hope for the best

[txgrouch2006]

OK, so WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CRANES IN THIS COUTNRY?

Why are cranes suddenly collapsing all over the place?

Did the Democrats deregulate the crane industry when nobody was looking???

[underdogus71]

crane collapse,crane collapse,crane collapse,dollar collapse,crane collapse ..bad omen folks....

[whiskyrocker]

There lucky they didn''t fall on some major active lines. Could have been a lot more casualties.

[yankeerebel7]

Dang how many cranes have collapsed so far this year? There was just a one that killed a couple people in NYC. What''s going on?

[yankeerebel7]

Maybe bush will want to invade Texas and get those terrorist.

Posted by rharrin1 at 06:23 PM :

============================

Seriousy.....Don''t take this the wrong way, but seek help. There''s professionals out there that can help you.

[pensacola88]

Years ago, the maximum crane size was limited by the softness of the soil , which is especially softer near Buffalo Bayou where most of the refineries are. The size limit clearly specified that the tons per square foot was a much lower number than most users had hoped for. The modifications needed to improve the size restriction was considered cost restrictive, so the ideas were abandoned in favor of using smaller cranes to perform more lifts that were needed.

I suspect that this very accident has ties to the soil softness under the crane.

Shell even saw this safety limitations of soft soil and built their famous Bullwinkle deep drilling rig in Ingleside, near Corpus Christi.

The Texas San Jacinto monument nearby had a huge challenge to make a single continuous concrete pour for the monument base, but ran into soft soil that limited the amount of concrete carried in each rail car to the pour site.

[canyoutellme-2009]

Don''t you guys get the big picture here? Crane collapse at an OIL REFINERY. The speculators are going to have "fears" that supply will be "disrupted" and OIL will shoot up 10 dollars a barrel on Monday due to this news... shortly thereafter, we''ll have an announcement of another huge surplus of oil.

The fact that this is making news the past few months is great. Being in the industry, upper management is now carefully reviewing and taking extra precaution to make sure this doesn''t happen at their sites.

Regarding the guy with 99.9% statistic..thats silly. And none of them are safe unless used properly

The fact that this is making news the past few months is great. Being in the industry, upper management is now carefully reviewing and taking extra precaution to make sure this doesn''t happen at their sites.

Regarding the guy with 99.9% statistic..thats silly. And none of them are safe unless used properly

[cfin5]

There''s no way anyone is gonna get me to believe that these "accidents" are as such. It''s sabotage,.....engineered at that.

[latrocinor-2009]

Maybe bush will want to invade Texas and get those terrorist.

Posted by rharrin1 at 06:23 PM :
.. .. ..

BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) strikes again.

[cbsblogger]

This represents more of the Bush years of the USA.

Bad times when everything is going to hell in a handbasket because there is no regulation of the laissez fairre capitalists that will do everything on the cheap if given the chance. That is everything from an unnecessary war in Iraq that was fought on the cheap, to a subprime mortgage crisis due to no regulation, to an energy crisis that is due to investors who can control the commodities market for penneys on the dollar, and corrupt trade policies that benefits the Chinese.

Vote for McCain and get 4 more.

[eddom949]

Truss analysis should be a major part of any engineering curriculum. These accidents could have been prevented.

[stick1770]

Hey CBSblogger ****. You have no idea what you speak of. I work for a large refinery and we just got done with similar work with just as large of a crane. You have no idea what kind of independent inspection and procedures are followed before anything is even started not to mention as the work is happening. This has nothing to do with our Government regulation. It has to do with human error or corruption on the local level. IDIOT!

[stick1770]

Same goes for you Canyoutellme ****. You are wrong. Prices of oil down yet again. The story even says production is normal at the refinery. Opening your mouth talking smack just to get something going is stupid. IDIOT!

[mark46n]

It would interesting to know where these cranes are made. Sounds like they crossed the line when it came to size. Apparently the engineers calculations of the cranes stability was flawed.

[cyberus-2009]

---
This only goes to show another reason not to drill off the California coast...
Mis dos centavos...

Posted by nrgmizer
---

What does a *mobile crane* collapse have to do with offshore drilling?

[sunseeker6]

Most Steel Mills in the US have gone bankrupt so is it possible that inferior steel from China is being used on small but important parts like the bolts?

[amher21]

WarDogLRS You Have no IDEA what you are talking about! These cranes have a crew that follows them every where they go and puts them together. If you were any real construction worker you would be mourning the loss of our brothers today instead of that *** you are spewing! This is a horror story. You don''t even know the details. Sit back and shut up til you know what you are talking about.

[rushlimpdrug]

1. I have worked with one of their cranes and they have people from the company with the crane while putting it together, while using it and while taking it apart.
2. Go back to your backhoe and keep quiet.
3. These are much bigger cranes than you have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by rharrin1 at 06:09 PM


Ah, rharrin1 - I believe you mean you worked
in a carnival not a crane.

[whatinthewld]

cranes should not be legal.....

More people are being killed in cranes, than ever were in car accidents before seatbelts were made law

[whatinthewld]

make the workers haul all the building materials to the top by hand...........there are lots of migrant workers looking for work. Cranes are just too dangerous.........0.00000001% of america''s cranes have collapsed. That is just unheard of!! We can''t allow that!!

[whatinthewld]

That is 0.00000000000001% of all causes of death in america!
For crying out lout!! The murder rate in america is much, much, much higher than this.

The bridge collapse in MN caused more deaths than all the crane collapses in history!!

I don''t see the news media questioning whether we should outlaw bridges!!

[whatinthewld]

Looks like big mouth - rharrin1 - has gone to bed too

[shameonbush]

I know a young man that lost his leg a few months ago amongst other things, because of a faulty crane in Texas. This is a 19 year old who''s kidneys are now failing, who''s lost most of the feeling in his body from the waist down. These construction companies better get it together and stop subjecting their employees to such hazardous working conditions. It''s 2008, surely we can create a safer crane.

[sistatee-2009]

s it possible that inferior steel from China is being used on small but important parts like the bolts?

Posted by sunseeker6 at 09:07 PM : Jul 18, 2008

More likely "corner-cutting" to save TIME.

[slim1h2o]

I see Bush shows up in Houston, and Cr@p starts falling apart, no surprise there. Or news either, been going on for 8 years now.

[apndrgn]

I wonder if these were the same people who put the air conditioner on backwards for building 15 here in area 51.

[crebeca-2009]

I can''t believe how people argue on these comments. How silly. :)
Facts are the crane collasped and 4 people died and 7 injured. I just pray for those 4 people that died, their families and the injured! Two of the most seriously injured workers were life flighted.... I hope all is well.

Sure TX doesn''t require require crane operators to be licensed and Cranes in Texas operate without any state or local oversight, leaving that job to federal regulators, but what is arguing about Bush and such going to prove?!!!! Nothing!
And that comment about migrant workers... that''s just rude!
"make the workers haul all the building materials to the top by hand...........there are lots of migrant workers looking for work. Cranes are just too dangerous.........0.00000001% of america''''s cranes have collapsed. That is just unheard of!! We can''''t allow that!!"
Posted by whatinthewld at 10:23 PM : Jul 18, 2008

Those are people too... just because they are "migrant" people, doesn''t make them any less human!

SOAP BOX, but I just don''t understand all the negative comments, esp when this is an on-going problem. TX is the 3rd state to have this happen!! Not the 1st, the 3rd!

~TX born and raise~

[txgrouch2006]

cbsblogger wrote
everything is going to hell in a handbasket because there is no regulation of the laissez fairre capitalists
-------------
Well, I see this discussion degenerated into partisan politica almost immediately. With that said...

LACK OF REGULATION is NECESSARY TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. There are no regulations in Asian countries, which is why businesses relocate there.

But God forbid we should apply any kind of "protectionism" to PROTECT OUR BUSINESSES FROM THE COST OF SAFETY PRACTICES WITHOUT BEING DRIVEN OUT OF BUSINESS BY FOREIGN COMPETITORS who have none.

Americans - always want SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. Demanding the safe workplaces we deserve - but not willing to PAY THE PRICE for it.

[newsjunky5]

Ya gotta use tie-down straps if yer gonna move somthin'' that big.

[demwatcher]

"I see Bush shows up in Houston, and Cr@p starts falling apart, no surprise there. Or news either, been going on for 8 years now.

Posted by slim1h2o at 08:03 AM : Jul 19, 2008"

You mean how President Bush has been BEATING the Liberals for the past eights years?

You are correct, no news there.

[denialator]

by rharrin1 at 06:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You said..."These are much bigger cranes than you have ever seen!"

I agree...these are probably bigger cranes than most "crane inspectors" have ever seen, not to mention there was none involved in this incident.

I noticed the comments about the State of Texas has lax policies on crane operators and rules. Well, the operator may not have been involved in this incident. Not only that, but if he was, no doubt he could have been from the original point of dispatch in another state where the crane crews and support people are deployed. It has nothing to do with Texas law or standards.

That said...it is doubtful operator error is any different for a geographical origin. You just don''t go down and pick up one from the local labor pools for this piece of equipment. Operators for these types and sizes machines are highly trained by the manufactures and only allowed to operate them after being given proper certifications, physicals, and other rigorous tests, background checks, etc. due to the liability and responsibilities which go along with this type of job.

Thanks for clearly making the point that these arm chair general managers of the universe can be a real pain in the butt. If we could just think about more important things and stay in our own fields of expertise, the world would be a much safer place altogether.

rwb