Florida votes in safety standard

A new crane safety ordinance has been unanimously voted in by the City of Orlando in Florida, US.

It was drafted after City of Orlando building department officials met with the Florida Crane Owners Council (FCOC), the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Florida, the Associated General Contractors of Florida, the Construction Association of South Florida and the American Sub-Contractors Association.

The contents were further reviewed by individual company representatives at workshops hosted by the building department. "Finally some cohesive language was reached and the City of Orlando has done something that no other entity in Florida has been able to do - to initiate a sensible Crane Safety Ordinance," commented Bruce Witten, FCOC chairman.

He said it now remained to be seen if municipalities in Florida decided to adopt the ordinance and petition the state for a statewide crane safety regulation. The FCOC and the ABC of Florida have tried to bring a crane safety bill to the state legislature in the past.

"Representatives with the City of Orlando have stated that they want to help the FCOC and ABC of Florida bring their proposed bill back before the legislature in Tallahassee, Florida, because ultimately they do not want to have to enforce or regulate any stronger safety standards than what they have passed, as they feel that effort belongs to the state or the federal government," Witten added.