OSHA Has Cited Bigge Crane Company 17 Times In Last Decade For Safety Violations
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - In the past decade, OSHA has cited the Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., the owner of the crane that collapsed killing a woman in Dallas Sunday, with 17 safety violations.
Some of those violations the company is still contesting.
OSHA is heading up what's referred to as the forensic investigation regarding the crane accident.
Investigators are trying to figure out why the crane snapped and toppled over on the Elan City Lights Apartments.
The crane operator, Bigge Crane and Rigging Co., based out of California, flew a team out to Dallas Sunday night.
The company told CBS 11 the team is in Dallas to help answer questions for OSHA investigators.
The model of the crane that fell is the Peiner SK 415. According to its specifications, the crane is designed for winds of 95 miles per hour.
The high wind speed at the time of the collapse was between 75 and 80 miles per hour.
In 2013, Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. was involved in a fatal crane collapse in Arkansas. OSHA cited the company with four serious violations and issued at $28,000 fine for that incident.
The type of crane that fell in Arkansas was not the same as the one that collapsed in Dallas.
Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. said it currently has 74 cranes in operation across the country.
In a statement released Monday evening, the company said:
Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. is saddened by the accident involving one of its tower cranes that collapsed at a construction site during Sunday's storm in Dallas. Tragically, it was confirmed by emergency responders that there was one fatality and others were injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with those directly impacted by this incident, their families and loved ones, and with those who suffered property damage.
Bigge supplied the tower crane and operator to the project as an equipment rental provider. The crane was not in service when the storm arose.
Bigge mobilized personnel to the site and is fully cooperating with the independent, third-party, investigating authority (OSHA) who have yet to determine the cause of this accident. When authorized by OSHA, the tower crane will be removed and examined.
