Again, a major construction crane collapse has taken lives, this time at the LyondellBasell oil refinery along the Houston Ship Channel. Four workers were killed and seven were injured in the Friday afternoon accident, the third fatal construction crane collapse in America this year.

The Houston tragedy involved a VersaCrane TC-36000, which was 30-stories or 300 feet tall, along with a 420-foot boom. Owned by Deep South Crane & Rigging of Baton Rouge, La., the crane reportedly was able to lift more than a million pounds. But on Friday afternoon it toppled over, falling on top of another, smaller crane.

LyondellBasell has about 3,000 employees at the refinery, as well as about 1,500 contract workers.

Construction crane laws are loose

The Associated Press has reported that laws governing construction crane safety vary widely from state to state and from city to city. Some laws rely on dated federal guidelines which don’t take today’s larger cranes into account.

In Texas, cranes operate strictly under federal guidelines, since there are no local or state regulations governing them.  Texas also is among 35 states which don’t require licensing of crane operators. In Dallas recently, a survey found that eight of 23 cranes in use had uncertified operators.

In 2005 and 2006, Texas led the nation with a total of 26 construction crane fatalities, the AP reported.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires annual inspection of cranes, but at  the LyondellBasell refinery, the crane which collapsed was a new arrival. It had been delivered in pieces in the past month and then assembled on the site.

Set to be used to remove the roof of a coker unit, where crude oil is converted to petroleum products, the crane  was not yet scheduled to be in use when it collapsed, but had been operated in test runs, lifting 800,000 pounds.

Chemical company worth $12.1 billion

LyondellBasell is among the world’s biggest chemical companies, having been formed last year via a merger of U.S.-based Lyondell and Dutch company Basell. The firms’ union was a $12.1 billion deal.

Stretching across 700 acres along the Houston Ship Channel, LyondellBasell’s Houston refinery is one of the biggest in the world for processing high-sulfur crude oil.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction crane collapse, Jim S. Adler & Associates can help. After a free case review, the firm’s construction crane accident lawyers can help protect your legal rights.