Hipster hot tub roof gets even heavier

Here's an update on the hipster hot tub from a couple of years back:

"Now these aO's have added a pool to the hot tub roof, with all them people and water the loading must be 10 times what that roof was designed to hold (a couple skylights, tarpaper and tar)."

Operator and contractor at fault in crane collapse

From Crain's:

A crane operator and a contractor didn't inspect equipment, failed to take proper precautions and ran the rig unsafely before it collapsed while building a New York City apartment tower and injured seven construction workers, officials said Wednesday.

Crane operator Paul Geer and contractor Cross Country Construction have each been cited with five violations stemming from the Jan. 9 collapse, which occurred as the crane tried to lift more than double its capacity, the city Buildings Department said. Mr. Geer and the company each face at least $64,000 in fines; the developer and a site safety manager also were cited with a violation apiece.

The developer, TF Cornerstone, and site safety manager Arthur Covelli have been cited with failing to safeguard people and property during construction, a single violation that carries at least $2,400 in fines, officials said.

Buildings Department records showed crane work at the site remained halted Wednesday, but TF Cornerstone said it believed the stop-work order and violation were being resolved. The company has said "site safety is always our first priority."

Lifting a load too heavy

From NBC:

A crane collapse in Queens Wednesday is being attributed to error on the part of the crane operator, officials say.

The crane collapsed at a construction site at 46-10 Center Blvd. in Long Island City Wednesday afternoon, behind the famed neon Pepsi-Cola sign, injuring seven people, including three construction workers who had to be extricated.

Buildings Department Commissioner Robert Limandri said it appears the crane operator attempted to lift a load of 23,900 pounds on the crane, more than double the weight capacity for the crane.

Limandri said the operator was unable to see the load being lifted and he was apparently trying to lift the materials outside the approved loading zone.

The operator's license has been suspended, Limandri said. A stop work order for crane operations at the construction site remains in effect while the investigation continues.

Heavier rigs headed our way?

From Fox 5:

Large trucks on America's interstates could become 20 percent heavier. The Coalition of Transportation Productivity, a group of more than 100 major shippers including Coca-Cola and The Home Depot, is supporting legislation in Congress that, proponents say, would increase efficiency and reduce emissions.

In 2009, nearly 300,000 trucks were involved in crashes in the United States, according to figures compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Safety advocates argue heavier trucks may cause more serious accidents. But proponents of the legislation say increasing the weight limit would actually reduce the number of trucks on roads, making them safer.

Either way, many state transportation officials worry about the impacts of heavier loads on their roads and their budgets.

The proposed legislation would allow individual states to opt out, leaving an open question as to whether the U.S. continues its patchwork of weight limits, or whether the heavier trucks become the new normal.

Do we need cops who are less fat?

From AM-NY:

New York City police officers are not required to take physical fitness tests, raising concerns that many on the thin blue line aren’t in the “finest” shape to protect the public.

Observers said fit cops are less likely to fire their guns in a chase. Further, the lack of fitness standards may bloat pension and disability costs, some contend.

City firefighters must undergo almost yearly physical exams, as do police in several other departments nationwide. And many NYPD officers concede that fitness tests are necessary.

NYPD officials would not comment, but law enforcement experts said fiscal constraints, the logistics of testing a 35,000-strong force, and discrimination concerns deter mandatory testing. Other city officials and former cops defended the status quo.