this is a true Story about what happens when you fall 13m/ 39'
Andrew "Pugs" O is convalescing afteralmost losing his life falling from a follow spot ladder while working on Boyfrom Oz. He was climbing the 13 meter wire ladder and almost at the chair when he fell. He broke all the ribs on one side, punctured a lung, ruptured hisspleen and his diaphragm.
“I was conscious as I fell, and blacked out before I hit the ground. Then I woke a few seconds later. I almost died”, he told CX. The ambulanceguys cut the harness off him, and he was rushed to surgery. After fifteen days in hospital, he was sent home and remains in recovery and heavily reliant on pain killers which he says affect his emotions. He expects to be off work for six months.
The day of the accident Andrew was employed by Event Personnel Australia in Adelaide. He says that he was asked at the last minute to do follow spot up on the lighting truss on stage left, as the scheduled operator had not arrived. “I normally carry my own harness, I am a safety nazi. I didn’t have my harness that day since I didn’t expect to go up there. They were hurrying us along, and the band were tuningup. Someone hooked the inertial reel onto the back of my harness, because you can’treach the dorsal point when you are in the harness”. Andrew questions whether aclimb of more than 10 meters should be allowed. “There was a hoist and platformto get the star up to the piano, we, as an industry, could design something like that where the climb is more than 10 meters. I can climb ten meters, but the extra three meters really takes it out of you.” “A wire ladder is a stupid,old fashioned way to get up to heights”, he added.
Being injured and off work, sitting around at home all day and being cared for by his girlfriend, Andrew feels isolated. He says only one industry mate has actually called him, although plenty of people have sent texts. “It’s one thing being injured and off work, but in rehab terms people don’t realize the face to face side of it. People avoid talking to you(when injured) because they don’t know what to say or they think you don’t want to talk about it.” Work Safe SA are investigating the accident. Andrew just wants to get back to work. CX want to ensure that he remains respected as someone with a first rate safety culture.
Ongoing issues:
Incisional Hernias
Lower back pian
Wieght gain
PTSD
Reactive depression
Me in Hospital
Me at Home
FALLEN OPERATOR RECOVERING
“I was hooked up to the safety gear, which failed”
Andrew "Pugs" O is convalescing afteralmost losing his life falling from a follow spot ladder while working on Boyfrom Oz. He was climbing the 13 meter wire ladder and almost at the chair when he fell. He broke all the ribs on one side, punctured a lung, ruptured hisspleen and his diaphragm.
“I was conscious as I fell, and blacked out before I hit the ground. Then I woke a few seconds later. I almost died”, he told CX. The ambulanceguys cut the harness off him, and he was rushed to surgery. After fifteen days in hospital, he was sent home and remains in recovery and heavily reliant on pain killers which he says affect his emotions. He expects to be off work for six months.
The day of the accident Andrew was employed by Event Personnel Australia in Adelaide. He says that he was asked at the last minute to do follow spot up on the lighting truss on stage left, as the scheduled operator had not arrived. “I normally carry my own harness, I am a safety nazi. I didn’t have my harness that day since I didn’t expect to go up there. They were hurrying us along, and the band were tuningup. Someone hooked the inertial reel onto the back of my harness, because you can’treach the dorsal point when you are in the harness”. Andrew questions whether aclimb of more than 10 meters should be allowed. “There was a hoist and platformto get the star up to the piano, we, as an industry, could design something like that where the climb is more than 10 meters. I can climb ten meters, but the extra three meters really takes it out of you.” “A wire ladder is a stupid,old fashioned way to get up to heights”, he added.
Being injured and off work, sitting around at home all day and being cared for by his girlfriend, Andrew feels isolated. He says only one industry mate has actually called him, although plenty of people have sent texts. “It’s one thing being injured and off work, but in rehab terms people don’t realize the face to face side of it. People avoid talking to you(when injured) because they don’t know what to say or they think you don’t want to talk about it.” Work Safe SA are investigating the accident. Andrew just wants to get back to work. CX want to ensure that he remains respected as someone with a first rate safety culture.
Ongoing issues:
Incisional Hernias
Lower back pian
Wieght gain
PTSD
Reactive depression
Me in Hospital
Me at Home
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