The changes come as the DOB is in the midst of conducting a $4 million analysis of high-risk construction activities, including crane operations, to develop a Construction Analysis and Oversight Plan, which LiMandri discussed last week at the BuildingsNY real estate trade show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where he served as the keynote speaker. The changes outlined below will be implemented in phases, and over the coming months, the DOB will be working to draft regulatory notices and rules to mandate the changes. The DOB will seek further changes to make cranes safer as the Construction Analysis and Oversight Plan continues.

• The agency requires disclosure of the crane's condition, where each time a tower crane is transferred from one party to another—whether owner to equipment user, equipment user to owner, or equipment user to equipment user—a safety meeting must now be held to review and document maintenance records and service history.
• The DOB will mandate labeling requirements for critical crane components and will develop a universal system of labeling each structural component of the crane in order to track it throughout its lifetime.
• The DOB will impose additional requirements for testing of critical crane components including the climbing frame, machine deck, engine, cab, a-frame, and turntable as well as connections, joints, pins, bolts, tiebacks, and collars.
• The agency will institute new filing and permitting requirements. Prior to the issuance of a permit for the installation of any tower crane in New York City, the DOB will require the crane to undergo a review of its maintenance records by a qualified third party.
• The DOB will increase tower crane maintenance and crane history record requirements. The department will require that all maintenance records for tower cranes—including inspections performed and repairs made by the owner in the crane yard as well as the daily and monthly records kept on the construction site by the equipment user, operator, or maintenance crew—be maintained throughout the lifetime of the crane.
• The department will expand the role of the crane safety coordinator, who will be required to be the operator's designated representative to both document that all required safety and maintenance checks have been made and that safety rules are followed in the erection, operation and dismantling of the crane.