“Accidents like this happen regardless—but I think there’s something to be said for the culture of cheap labor in this country and things like: training, safety/precaution, craftsmanship, and the avoidance of shoddy building practices taking a backseat.”
Having been. on the site of several crane accidents, most were due to sheer negligence by experienced union dudes.
One of our countries (2010) crane erection experts was an obnoxious drunken wife-beater.
Not to mention the prevalence of pot smoking amongst construction crews. (I don’t know this first hand, but I know someone who does).