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Case Studies >> UCSF Crane Lift
Construction video
Video of street scene shows construction safety procedures during crane lift.
At a Glance
Project Owner: University of California, San Francisco, CA

Project: Crane lift of 750 solar panels to Genentech Hall classroom building.

Cost of video: $10,000 over two weeks

Time saved: Eight hours of site visits and travel; one week for roof repairs; time for damage claim.

Money saved: $2,500 for site visits; $25,000-$30,000 for roof repairs; $3-$4,000 for car repairs.

Video of Crane Lift Prevents Multiple Claims

Cranes and objects falling from them or from rooftops can hurt people and damage streets, sidewalks, utility poles, light standards, wires, landscaping and adjacent structures. Traffic control and other safety procedures must be followed to the letter. 

For the UCSF crane lift, custom video on demand was used to document conditions on and around the site prior to the lift. All traffic and safety procedures were taped, as well as the actual lifting and stocking of the solar panels and associated tools and equipment. 

Years of experience had taught the project manager that working on a roof comes with liabilities of its own. Many roofs have leaks that are active but undetected or have been forgotten about. And one thing is certain: If a roof leaks is discovered and you were the last crew up there, you’re in the hot seat. 

In this case, a roof walk prior to the crane lift revealed several cracked walking pads, flashings and faulty membranes. The project manager ordered detailed videotaping of roof conditions and sent links to the building owner, operations and maintenance managers. 

Normally it would take 3-4 site visits to bring everyone up to speed on conditions. With links to construction video it was accomplished with no site visits, and liability for $25-30,000 worth of pre-existing roof problems was clearly established. 

The crane lift itself went off with only a minor hitch-- during the lift a pedestrian crossed the caution tape and walked under the crane before being pulled back to safety. If he had been harmed, roughly $600 worth of video could have provided invaluable protection against claims of negligence in securing the site. 

Two days after the lift, a man came running into the front office of Genentech hall, upset because he had nearly been hit by a piece of airborne cardboard. Fortunately he escaped serious injury, as the cardboard missed him and hit a parked car. 

Could stray cardboard from the solar panel boxes be to blame? Video showed the box labels clearly, and they did not match the cardboard that hit the car. Video also showed that no cardboard had been left on the roof after the lift. 

Video links were sent to the car owner’s attorney. The claim was dropped, saving $3-4,000 in car repair bills, several hours of administrative time and goodwill for the project and the contractor. Had the pedestrian been hit by the cardboard, there’s no telling how much money video could have saved.