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[cage-ind]

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Edited May 10, 2009 by cage-ind

[Hydraboss]

I will comment on the first item, but not the second as I have no idea what went on with your bank (nor do I care).

You are using a worker's death to whine that your ladder-cage idea flopped. I find this beyond disgusting.

To speak directly to the incident, I would ask you the the following (since you are obviously a seasoned incident investigator):

Would the worker have fallen to his death if he had worn proper fall-protection personal protective equipment as required?

No, he would not have.

Would the worker have fallen to his death if he had remained within the scaffold railings (without climbing the ladder)?

No, he would not have.

Would the worker have fallen to his death if he had fallen from the ladder while wearing fall-protection PPE?

No, he would not have.

Do you have proof of any sort that the worker fell to his death as a result of falling off the ladder?

No, you do not.

Will you continue to use any picture of a worker's death to bitch that you had a failed safety-related product, as long as the photo contains a ladder (even if not a contributing factor in the incident)?

Yes, you probably will.

[Molly]

Do you have proof of any sort that the worker fell to his death as a result of falling off the ladder?

No, you do not.

Fair enough, Hydraboss- this one is pretty much an off-topc topic- but take a look through those appendices, and draw your own conclusion. Where would YOU suppose the fellow was when he fell?

(That's a retorical question, btw.)

That paperwork is, to say the least, awfully interesting.

[Hydraboss]

I have my own ideas what happened, but they're strictly speculation. Being lead on more than my share of these investigations (any more than 1 is too many), I have learned that jumping to conclusions is often the quickest, most direct and wrong answer you can provide.

The OP is not concerned in the least for the death of the worker; only for his "ladder-cage" idea that industry/government wanted nothing to do with. Findings from the report state that the worker was not complying with the fall-arrest/protection rules as required, so regardless of where he fell from...he fell. That's what fall-protection is meant to prevent...falling.

Would you walk around inside a sky diving plane when the door is open without a tag-line? Of course not. Why not? Because you could fall.

[Hydraboss]

Cage Industries Ltd., Sexsmith

Peter Thiessen has spent more than 25 years in the

construction industry and has built all kinds of scaffolding.

His aching shoulders, and the repetitive strain injuries he and

his fellow scaffolders constantly battled, convinced him there

had to be a better way to do some of the work. He created and

designed a hooped cage system to surround scaffold ladders

that meets the requirements of Alberta’s OH&S legislation.

Up to now, the square or rectangular cages that surround

scaffold ladders have been stick-built out of scaffold tubes and

clamps. These cages require taking constant plumb lines and

careful measurements as they are being constructed, in order

to follow a zigzag pattern and include extra platforms at set

intervals. Scaffolders need to break the three-point contact

rule as they construct the square cages, and the corners of

the cages are too far out for a tired worker to lean on. The

clamps that attach the pieces are installed on the inside of

the cages and are therefore prone to catching hands, clothing

or toolbelts. These systems are also heavy, awkward and

time-consuming to build.

Thiessen developed an aluminum hoop arrangement that

slips over the top ladder pins at 1.6-metre intervals. Each

hoop has regularly spaced holes drilled in it so that a worker

erecting the ladder cage can see where the vertical tubes

align with the holes on the next hoop. That hole alignment

means that scaffolders don’t have to measure the distances

or check for plumb. Clamps attach the vertical tube to the

outside of the hoop to eliminate the potential for snagging.

The hoop system ensures that workers are held in if they lose

their balance or need to rest on the way up or down a ladder.

“I’d had the idea for developing this for a long time,” says

Thiessen. “My system is faster to build, it’s lightweight and

it’s classified the same as a fixed ladder cage. So there is no

need for the zigzag ladder pattern and extra platforms.”

Alberta OHS Go to page 20/24.

This has nothing to do with the safety of workers using ladders. It has everything to do with the safety of scaffolders building ladder cages...and saving time and money in the process.

Good idea. Too bad it didn't fly Peter.

[cage-ind]

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Edited May 10, 2009 by cage-ind

[cage-ind]

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Edited May 10, 2009 by cage-ind

[Hydraboss]

Hydraboss I don't think it was cool to put names and addresses in your reply and I don't appreciate your original reply or what I would call a personal attack. Your off handed remarks reminded me of the knee jerk response letters I would get from OHS and Ministers on the subject. Discretion would be appreciated in this conversation to those who actually want to create safer worksites and legislation and save lives.

First of all, I could care less if you think it's "cool" to post/link to information openly accessible on the internet. You are the one who used a defunct company name as your user name, so expect that some members here will do a simple search.

Second, I could care less if you don't like my original post or think any of my response was a personal attack. The attack was well warranted for anyone who would DARE use the death of an Alberta worker to SNIVEL about his poor, failed company.

The reason my answer sounds to you like a letter you may get from OHS, etc, is because my assessment makes sense. I notice you intentionally avoided answering any of the questions I posted. Were they in any way vague?

You want discretion???? Don't link to the report of a death of an actual person that you do not know, and then proceed to give some half-assed, non-educated guess as to what killed him. You're pretty damn quick to blame the government for submarining your ladder cage that should have been installed (in your opinion), and then WITHOUT FACT OR KNOWLEDGE, saying that the worker would still be alive if only "the government" hadn't "screwed" you over.

Been in Alberta 6 years you said? Bye.