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Crews Work To Secure 57th Street Crane That Collapsed As Sandy Picked Up Speed

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Work began on Saturday morning to secure a crane that collapsed seventy-five stories above 57th Street.

The crane had been blown over on Monday as winds from Sandy began picking up. The rig's arm dangled precariously and forced evacuations in the thick of the storm.

In the past concerns had been raised about the crane.

• On Sept. 21, the safety manager at the site complained to the Buildings Department that the crane was leaking oil onto an adjacent building;

• On May 18, the safety manager said while the crane was moving a panel, a gust of wind rotated it and the panel crashed into a 10th floor window.

• On April 19, the ball on the end of the crane came loose;

• On March 14, allegations were of misuse were issued when the crane was lifting beams over the sidewalk.

• On Feb. 27, unsafe crane conditions were reported;

• On June 15, 2011, there were reports that the crane was not installed properly.

By early Saturday afternoon the dangling crane had been moved closer to the building under construction.

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