Federal investigators yesterday displayed frayed nylon slings and other evidence showing the physical forces involved in the March 15 East Side crane collapse that killed seven people. Officials aren't saying anything about the investigation being led by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is expected to take months. But a construction-industry expert said the evidence suggests crew members working to raise the height of the 20-story crane at 303 W. 51st St. may have mishandled the slings they were using to lift heavy, steel crane parts. The slings - each rated to hold about 5,000 pounds - sell for about $60 apiece. The workers should have padded the sharp-edged steel parts being lifted by the slings, the expert said. Without the padding, the expert said, the steel edges could easily have cut the nylon. "It wasn't rigged properly around the sharp corners," the expert said. If the steel edges hadn't cut the nylon, the sling was more than strong enough for the job. The 5,000-pound safety rating of the nylon straps is just a fraction of their actual capacity. If the straps are in proper condition, they should have a breaking point of around 25,000 pounds, said the expert. The accident occurred while workers were hoisting a six-ton steel collar wrapped around the crane's tower. Once the collar was in place, it would have been secured to both the tower and the building. When the straps broke, the collar slid down the outside of the tower, smashing through other collars that braced the crane to the building. The crane then toppled across East 51st Street. Six construction workers were killed, including the crane operator and some of the workers involved in the operation. A woman was killed when the toppling crane smashed through an apartment building on East 50th Street. The workers involved in the dangerous "crane jumping" operation were required to be licensed by the city as climber/tower riggers. But some in the construction industry argue that crane-jump crews should also include master riggers, who are experts at hoisting heavy loads. City regulations do not require master riggers to be present during crane jumps. OSHA's display of evidence yesterday was aimed at lawyers and investigators involved in the case. "It was primarily an opportunity for other entities involved to take a look and have a chance to see it," said agency spokesman Ted Fitzgerald. Some who attended were reluctant to draw conclusions about what the evidence meant, and said more investigation of the tragedy was needed. "All we were looking at was a lot of rigging from various places in the construction layout," said Ed Steinberg, a plaintiffs' lawyer. "Do I see a strap that is frayed? Sure," he said. "But to say how all that worked in all, I couldn't grasp." The seven people killed in the crane collapse are among 15 who have died in construction accidents in the city so far this year.

More...