WATCH: View Of A Crane Operator, High Above The City

(CBS) -- Many Chicago workers take an elevator to get to work, but operating engineer Michael Femali has a different kind of experience – and a view of the city few ever get.

That's about to change, thanks to mobile video technology.

CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reports on city efforts to keep construction sites safe.

A Go Pro camera attached to Femali's hard hat shows his surreal commute, atop a 500-foot crane.

Building Department Commissioner Felecia Davis says for every large crane there are about 1,000 new jobs that come to the city. Her department inspects equipment weekly, shutting down sites failing to meet requirements -- doing so as recently as last year.

Regulatory changes go into effect in September. Workers say the extra cost should have no impact on the current pace of construction.