Near death experience

Yeas, by feet I meant outriggers. Sorry, I didn;t know the correct term for them, but I thought that "feet" would get the meaning across.

I've always been told to clup my harness to the railing of the lift. Mind you, our lift is bigger than a Genie (room for three people). But, at other places where I've worked, they clipped themselves to the Genie.
 
yeah...feet gets the meaning across...i just wasn't sure if there was something really called feet that was separate from the outriggers...hehe.

when you clip yourself into the lift, how long is the lanyard? cuz if it's not long enough for you to be able to fall out of the basket to begin with, then that's fine...that's a good thing. it's when it's long enough to let you fall and catch you that you have problems. if you can almost tip it over from inside the basket, just imagine what would happen if you fell say....4 feet, and your anchor was the basket of the lift. the entire center of gravity would shift and the thing would likely come crashing down.
 
This thing dosen't tip. It's a pneumatic scissor lift with room in the basket for two people to work comfortably, but three can get in, but it's a little cramped. They've taken the lift up with several hundred pounds of curtain hangin on one side of the lift, and there wasn't a problem. The maynards are around six feet.
 
One can find OSHA regulations readily online, either at the www.osha.gov site or through an electronic code of federal regulations site http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/ . The OSHA regs are in 29 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) , and the ones most likely to effect technical work are in 29 CFR 1910.

Wading through the OSHA regs is not for the faint of heart – they are long and often wordy, but using an electronic version, you can search for particular words.

But getting to the recent topic – I took a quick look and it does not appear that the federal OSHA regulation require a harness and fall arrest system for the mechanical platforms. (A particular state program may, and there are specific working conditions that do require a harness. The fed OSHA website has links to state programs.) It appears that a only a body belt and lanyard is required on the mechanical platforms described. Now, if you are working from an unprotected platform/surface (That is, no railing or an unsuitable railing), then that appears to be a different issue and a fall arrest system/harness is probably needed, but I didn't have time to check that out.)

On the other hand, one must reduce the risks of falls and not put oneself in positions where the chance of falling is increased. This requires some conscious effort (and maybe even some training or reading) – Don't over-reach – move the ladder/platform. Or get a taller one. Go back down and get the right tool. Make sure you've set the ladder/platform so that its steady. Pay attention to where you step on a platform. Don't leave tools underfoot…(Sorry that degraded into a lecture.)

As for the hard hat – you're right – it provides the best protection for small things, and with a larger object, the protection is less. But what if it’s a glancing blow or you move just enough at the last minute. Also , the impact will be distributed. And the hat will deflect the object off your skin, so maybe the sharp edge or protruding bolt doesn't inflect any or as much damage. Wear the hat. (And aren't safety cables/chains used on lights?)


Joe
 
SuperCow said:
This thing dosen't tip. It's a pneumatic scissor lift with room in the basket for two people to work comfortably, but three can get in, but it's a little cramped. They've taken the lift up with several hundred pounds of curtain hangin on one side of the lift, and there wasn't a problem. The maynards are around six feet.
Click to expand...

ohhhhhhh, well a scissor lift is different. i'm not really sure as to whether or not you're supposed to use fall arrest equipment on a scissor lift, but if you've hung a curtain from one then i guess it works.
 
i cant see much point in wearing fall arrest when you are in the bucket of a genie. unless you are standing on the rails, there is no way you are going to fall out. I've been clipping my lanyard to the grid, or truss, or wherever else I'm working on. That way, if the genie falls, I dont fall with it.
 
I waded through the regs once more. I had forgotten that OSHA has a Construction Industry section 29 CFR 1926. (29 CFR 1910 is general industry and applies any workplace.) The two sections do not conflict, but 1926 provides regulations on construction sites and specific types of high elevation work. They also have a definition of "construction work" which is: "Work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating". (I have no idea where "general industry" ends and "construction" begins in technical theater work. [for example, is replacing one light "Construction" or just Maintenance".] However, I am sure this has been established at the professional level.)


But a couple interesting things of note from 29 CFR 1926.453 Aerial Lifts:

"…(b)(2)(iii) Belting off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment while working from an aerial lift shall not be permitted.

(b)(2)(iv) Employees shall always stand firmly on the floor of the basket, and shall not sit or climb on the edge of the basket or use planks, ladders, or other devices for a work position.

(b)(2)(v) A body belt shall be worn and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift.
Note to paragraph (b)(2)(v):
As of January 1, 1998, subpart M of this part (§1926.502(d)) provides that body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. The use of a body belt in a tethering system or in a restraint system is acceptable and is regulated under §1926.502(e)…"


There is a distinction between a "personal fall arrest system" and a "tethering" and "restraint" system. And it appears to come from the Fall Protection rules which include both railings, safety nets, and fall arrest systems. If the edge is protected by an OSHA railing or safety netting, then fall arrest is not needed. I'm pretty sure that all aerial lifts meet the railing regulations. Therefore, the fall arrest systems are not needed, just the short lanyard. (I don't know the rationale behind the lanyard use on a lift compared to working near a railing of a fixed platform. On the other hand, people do stupid things, like reaching too far, standing on the middle railing, etc.)

Note, these are a federal rules, and there may be different State rules. (A State rule, if present, may be more stringent, but not less stringent.)



Joe
 
hmm nothing really bad. One time i dropped a saifty while hanging lights. one time i was going up the latter and someone had their rench in their pocket and it almost fell on me, that would have hurt, but it just fell on the ground!
 
We did a production of Pericles, and our TD wanted Diana to fly (straight up, nothing fancy, but pretty cool fx-wise for our otherwise kosher use of pipes). I'm the smallest kid on crew (under 100 lbs), so guess who got strapped into a moutaineering harness that was aircraft cabled to an iffy pipe no one was certain was weighted right?

...yup. It was fun, though. Being the smallest has definite advantages. Except during hang and focus, when I've nearly fallen off the catwalk, kneeling and reaching way out (my waist was outside/past the railing) to gel/ungel. Whee.

Other than that, I've been okay, save one kinda nasty cut that bled for six hours. Broken glass mirrors on disco balls are a problem.
 
FALLING PIPE

O I have a story like this. On the first day that the actors were in the theatre for our school performance of Oliver they were sitting in the house listening to our director and 2 of the crew were trying to hook up a spot on our catwalks to use during the show. Anyhow in order to install the spot they needed to drill a hole to put a pipe into and then screw it down. There are platforms up there so you can drill the hole into the platform not the actual catwalk as the pipe would fall inot the house. Well it turns out that there was already a previously drilled hole in our catwalk that was covered by the platform. so when they inserted the pipe in the hole in the platform it continued to fall all the way into the house. Hitting the ground 4 feet from one of the actors. This was a 5 foot metal pipe. needless to say the kid almost crapped his pants and those 2 got yelled at afterwards for almost killing him. Although there were some times throughout the rest of rehersal when i wished it did hit him.
 
One time, we did an interesting version of Anything goes, where it was supposed the be the first rehersal, and the producers where figuring out whether it was a gangster. love, comedy, ets. movie. We had these triangular flats the rotated that needed to be set up before hell week. The hinge it rotated on was a length of metal pipe and casters. One of the pipes turned out to be cracked, and I happened to be standing behind it when it gave way. Three hardwood flats falling on you is nat the most plesant experience.

Also, the other week at my church, I was in charge of sound for the eighth grade graduation mass. I set up my JBL speakers (about 3 feet high by 2 feet wide) on these speaker stands. Well, the legs weren't extended enough, I realizedc this after the thing fell on top of me, and let me tell you, these things are not light. It took two of this to get them up there (my sister and I did it). We had the priest help us get it off of me, leaving me with a bruised rib.

The moral of the story, triple check everything before you do anything, and a lot less pain will come to you.
 
Anonymous said:
Just because you have hung a several hundred pound curtain on the side of your scissor lift does not mean it won't tip if a you fell out and were attached to it. The curtain would have taken up from the ground most likely, so the lift would have weighed the same. When a person falls out, the weight on the platform first becomes zero while the person is falling, and is then imeadiatly back to the full weight of the person. This would cause voilent shaking and could tip the unit depending on which side you fell. Scissors lifts are normally rectanglar, you fall on on the short sides, there is less of a chance of it tipping. You fall on a long side, the thing could easily tip.

Don't take the chance.
Click to expand...

I have seen two lifts condemned because people were careless with them. The Genie lift ran into a basketball basket and was tipped over. And our manual crank Hi-Jacker was condemned because it fell in serious disrepair.

I would never use Genie lift as a crane for stuff, even with the outriggers.
 
Genie lifts can be a great help but can also be deadly
this last fall i was using a Genie in my schools gym and reached out and grabed the meatal blechers (youd think sumthing tha suports 750 pepole would be wiered properly) whel me and the Genie created a ground and i got to dance on 220 volts for 30 seconds till someone unpluged the genie and then i got to spent the night of the home coming dance in Harborview medical senter. the moral becarful what you grab in a grounded pice of metal
 
some retard took a wrech up to the grid. for some reason he sat down up there... and it fell out of his pocket. nearlly missed one of our painter girls on the crew. omg i was crew head for that show and did i have a few words for him
 
one of my friends and myslef were over at another school across the road for a joint-schools production and, when rigging the lights, my friend manged to knock me off the ladder (a 3m one) and then because of how he knocked it, i fell and ended up with my hands going into, and then fortunately slipping straight back out of, a 230V lighting socket on one of the school dimmers...
obviously, i shared some expletives with him and my fingers, b ut we managed to stay friends *just* :roll:
 
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