How often does a construction worker loses his/her balance on a narrow steel girder and fall to his/her death? I know that often workers use harnases, but according to a TV show harnasses can’t be used at the highest point.
Any particular reason?
About two weeks ago, a painter(?) fell off the Throg’s Neck Bridge sometime about midday. They were still looking for the body the next day. It seems his harness failed.
I don’t remember the reason. I wish I did.
Sure you can. I’ve been through fall protection training when working as a construction inspector on a bridge (Richmond-San Rafael for California dopers), and there’s different ways you can rig something up. If you can’t, then you build something you can attach to before you go up.
In the year I was working on the bridge, there were two falls (neither a fatality) on nearby bridges. Just before I arrived, a worker took off his harness on the nearby Carquinez bridge and fell, losing an arm. A painter took off his on the San Francisco Bay Bridge and fell, suffering serious injuries. IIRC, both cases involved workers removing their fall protection system becasue it was quitting time.
–Patch
In 14 years of heavy construction work three people were killed by falling from girders on the sites that I worked at. I actually saw one man as he fell about 80 feet to his death, landing about 30 feet away from me. His crew had refused to install trusses on a building because it was windy and icy, and after calling his men assholes he decided to show them there was no danger. The very first truss that was lifted clipped him in the back, and knocked him down.
I cannot imagine a situation where you could not rig a truss.
Small hijack, but entirely related. During the making of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, there is the famous “rope bridge” sequence. Of course, the bridge was steel cabling covered to look dusty and ropy.
The Steadicam Operator was harnessed, and a Stunt Coordinator behind him walked at his pace, alternately releasing and reclipping two wires, one at a time. At no time was he standing on that “rope” bridge untethered. I can only believe that the Stunt Coordinator was tethered back behind him, to dry land. That rope bridge was hundreds of feet in the air.
Safety first. Finnie, that man died a senseless death. Pure accidents are bad enough, accidents born of arrogance and hubris are worse yet. How tragic.
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