FERNDALE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A lumbering construction feature in Ferndale will be subject to new safety rules passed by the state.

Crews recently set up a large tower crane off Main Street as part of work on the City of Ferndale’s new Civic Campus.

The city believes it to be the first-ever tower crane used for construction in Ferndale.

It comes weeks after the state Department of Labor and Industries filed new safety rules for cranes that will take effect next year.

Starting on Jan. 1, prime contractors will be required to get a permit and follow manufacturers’ instructions when operating, assembling or disassembling a tower crane.

They’ll also have to immediately correct any issues affecting the crane’s structural integrity or its safe operation.

The new rules were prompted in part by the 2019 collapse of a tower crane that was being disassembled in downtown Seattle, which killed four people.

Bellingham also has two cranes at the downtown waterfront.