Care To Rethink That Stance, Representative?

We've read about several crane accidents in Illinois recently, including one in Normal and another in Champaign.  In light of these accidents, and others across the country, the International Union of Operating Engineers says we need more regulation over crane safety.

A spokesman for the International Union of Operating Engineers said state lawmakers should approve new rules to make cranes safer.

"Now, all of the sudden, we've had two in Illinois in the last week," said Todd Vandermyde, a spokesman for the union, whose members typically operate cranes.

Vandermyde said lawmakers should approve legislation calling for better inspection of cranes, as well as licensing for all crane operators. He said more frequent inspections could catch trends in crane problems and stop tragic malfunctions before they happen.

Of course, our elected officials had that chance earlier this year, but really blew it when they failed to pass the Construction Safety Act of 2008 (HB 2094).  This bill would have protected Illinois construction workers and pedestrians in numerous ways.

• It included critical safety standards for cranes, scaffolds, ladders
• Required that architects and draftsmen follow these standards in their designs
• Granted Department of Labor officials more authority to inspect dangerous sites
• Gave injured workers and their families the ability to hold negligent people accountable for their actions
• Held all worksite decision-makers responsible for preventable accidents, giving these people the incentive to make sites accident-proof

Our lawmakers had the opportunity to make construction workers and pedestrians safer, but they stumbled.  Knowing what we know now, do you think they would like a second chance?