OSHA Inspections

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Overloaded Crane Topples Over in Ft. Lauderdale
(INSPECTION #311090880)
For more of OSHA’s accident pictures, click HERE.

On April 10, 2008 at a job site in Fort Lauderdale a crane moving a trash bin filled with approximately 8,000 lbs. of debris from the 4th floor to the west side of a building.  While the crane was moving the load to approximately 120 feet away, it toppled over the 4th floor of the building.

The lifting capacity on the load chart for a 150-ft boom with a jib of 45 feet and 15 degree offset, at a working radius of 120 feet, is approximately 7400 lbs.  The crane was overloaded with approximately 600 lbs (a clear violation of manufacturer specifications) which caused the crane to tip over.  Additionally, the Load Rating Chart was not posted conspicuously in the operators cab—a separate safety violation.

Beyel Brothers was fined $8,200 combined for both violations (cited as repeat violations, due to a separate inspection several months earlier), paid on May 21st, 2008.

Strangely, Danny Beyel admitted to the Sun-Sentinel newspaper that “the crane was overloaded and collapsed from the strain," but characterized this as a "freak accident." See more about Danny’s thoughts on safety below.

Beyel Crane in North Lauderdale Topples Over
(INSPECTION #311089361)
For more of OSHA’s accident pictures, click HERE

On February 19, 2008 a crane was moving a load of approximately 2,000 lbs at a boom angle of approximately 53 degrees.  The lifting capacity on the load chart for a 126-foot with a jib of 0 degrees, at a boom angle of 51 degrees (next lower boom angle of the chart), is approximately 2900 lbs.  The crane was overloaded with approximately 100 lbs, which caused the crane to tip over.  The crane was moving steel angles from the east side of the building to the west side. 

Beyel Brothers was fined $3,500, later negotiated to $2,625.

Overloaded Beyel Crane Collapses in Boynton Beach
(INSPECTION #308405729)
For more of OSHA’s accident pictures, click HERE.

On May 31, 2005, in Boynton Beach, FL, a Beyel Brothers crane was involved in an accident while moving an 8,000 lb portion of sheer wall.  As a “micro-burst” storm approached, the operator attempted to move the sheer wall off of a building (to prevent the wall from falling on employees on the roof).  As the wall was lowered, the boom was strained and collapsed on the north roof, causing several injuries.

After a report was submitted by the crane manufacturer, it was determined that the crane was overloaded beyond the maximum weight.  Beyel Brothers was cited and fined $500.

Highway Safety

Beyel Brothers is known as much for its heavy haul services as it is for crane rental, and the company’s heavy haul division operates in a much larger geographic area. Beyel trucks essentially operate nationwide, most frequently along the East Coast/I-95 corridor.

For a detailed look at Beyel’s highway safety record, see our new Beyel Brothers Highway Safety page.

See also our Beyel Brothers Litigation page for motor vehicle related lawsuits.

Danny Beyel on Safety and Training

The Boynton Beach crane collapse led to a lawsuit, Perez v. Beyel Brothers et al.  Danny Beyel was deposed in this case on June 30, 2009, and much of his testimony focuses on safety and training at Beyel Brothers.  The following are excerpts from Danny’s testimony; the full deposition is HERE.

Pages 12-13

Q. Do you train any of the crane operators who work for Beyel?

A. No.

Q. Who does that?

A. Actually, they come to work as an oiler, and they get trained in the field.

Q. By who?

A. By the operator, whoever's running the crane that they're oiling it.

Q. What does their training consist of?

A. Going out on the job, flagging the crane, helping set it up, and being there with the operator.

Q. How much time do the trainees spend with the operator before they –

A. Usually about a year, sometimes four months. It depends on how good they are, if they pick it up sooner.

Page 14

Q. Would you consider yourself a crane expert?

A. Yes.

Page 22

Q. Does Beyel have any practice or procedure for keeping track of operator trainees during the course of their training?

A. No.

Q. So how is it determined, then, that a trainee has gotten to the point where he can operate a crane on his own?

A. On-the-job training. The operator that's on the job teaches him, and then in the morning he might get in a crane and let him boom it up, swing it around a little bit. Then after so much time the operator feels he's ready to operate, we let him in the crane.

Page 39

Q. Do you know if the crane was overloaded at the time of the accident?

A. It wasn't.

Q. Do you know if Beyel received an OSHA violation associated with this accident?

A. I don't think so. I don't know.

Q. You don't know?

A. No.

Q. Who investigated this accident from Beyel?

A. I don't remember -- I don't know. I don't know

Page 44

Q. Would you agree that written tests and practical tests are the industry standard for crane operator training?

A. I don't know the answer to that.

Q. Are you aware that those industry standards require crane operators to be subjected to written and practical tests before they are able to operate a crane on their own?

A. No.

 

Beyel's Environmental Issues

Over the past few years the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has found a number of environmental issues giving rise to enforcement activities on Beyel Brothers' properties across the state. Click here for a listing of the affected properties and a description of the environmental issue prompting DEP intervention.

Safety-Related Lawsuits