BE CAREFUL !!!

[crs7200]

I took the name and address out for privacy.

You can't be too careful



CICERO, N.Y. -- A man has died from his injuries after falling from a tree.



Police say a 25, was helping out on someone else's property in Cicero when he lost his balance while cutting branches from a tree.



A safety harness kept him from hitting the ground, however he did strike a branch and was left hanging unconscious for more than half an hour before help arrived.



Firefighters did eventually get him down and take him to the hospital, where he later died.

 

[jdemaris]

I

A safety harness kept him from hitting the ground, however he did strike a branch and was left hanging unconscious for more than half an hour before help arrived.

Firefighters did eventually get him down and take him to the hospital, where he later died.

You never know - the safety harness might have killed him, and had he not been wearing it - he might have survived. Most saftey stuff goes by the odds, hoping in most cases it offers an advantage.

Closest I ever got to getting killed when I worked for the power company is when I was working 30' up in air from a bucket. I was half out of it on a tree limb with mandated harness on. The bucket malfunctioned and went crashing to the ground, dragging me through the tree limbs with it. Broke an arm and but it could have been a lot worse if I'd gotten hung up in a limb.

 

[LLigetfa]

You never know - the safety harness might have killed him, and had he not been wearing it - he might have survived...

I cannot help but notice a recurring tone whereby you seem to have a general contempt for safety devices.

I think, to sustain mortal injuries, the person probably didn't tie off properly and had too much free-fall.

 

[jdemaris]

I cannot help but notice a recurring tone whereby you seem to have a general contempt for safety devices.

No not a general comtempt, but I do have ill feelings for general mandates for certain types of safety equipment that do not fit all situations. Anybody who fails to use their own skepticism and simply follows rules forced on them - in my opinion - is being a bit foolish.

In reference to my nearly getting killed in the bucket when working for the power company. At that time, around 1970, we were ordered to keep the harness on, even when working out of the bucket. If we got caught with it off, part of our weeks pay got docked and so did the foremans. A few years later, after several bad injuries caused BY wearing the harness when out of the bucket, the rules got changed.

Not looking to start another war on safety stuff. For the record, I recognize some certainly save lifes and also some people have been killed because of it. Goes by the odds. Many people have been killed by airbags in cars, but overall the stats say there's more gain than loss.

 

[savageactor7]

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/man_injured_while_cutting_tree.html

 

[Sealcove]

You never know - the safety harness might have killed him, and had he not been wearing it - he might have survived. Most saftey stuff goes by the odds, hoping in most cases it offers an advantage.

That is a valid point. An improperly used harness or poorly rigged system are just as dangerous as working with no protection at all; perhaps more so because the user may have a false sense of security in a faulty rigging system. The solution to that is proper training, practice, and execution of such equipment and systems.

 

[jdemaris]

. . . the user may have a false sense of security . . ..

It's human nature to proceed at the perceived risk level. When more saftey equipment is added, often less risk is perceived and more chances can get taken. Same sort of logic applies to many newer cars and trucks. With air bags, quiet interiors, and excellent handling (as compared to 30-40 years ago), people tend to drive faster and have more high-speed crashes. Kind of makes me think of the Ford-Firestone "bad tire" debacle a few years ago. Harvey Firestone and his pal Henry Ford must be rolling in their graves.

My wife ran a living-history museum for many years. Dealing with the public was a huge problem.
The place is a preserved 1800s water and steam powered saw and grist mills. Extremely dangerous when in operation. Exposed flat drive-belts running all over the place, exposed saw blades and molding knives, exposed knob and tube wiring, two running steam engines, steam boiler, etc. Everything has barriers to keep the public from getting too close while workers on the other side are using the equipment. People constantly climb over barriers and act like complete morons with the stuff.
Especially true with some shcool teachers with school groups. The prevailing mentality often is - if the law allows the public in, then ALL must be safe and approved. It's a never ending battle.

As I've said before, I'm not against all safety equipment, but with it's potential gains, there are also many losses. Somebody with inate common sense is likely to be safer with it. Same person though, is often safer even with no safety equipment when compared to a moron that uses all that is available.

 

[Sealcove]

As I've said before, I'm not against all safety equipment, but with it's potential gains, there are also many losses. Somebody with inate common sense is likely to be safer with it. Same person though, is often safer even with no safety equipment when compared to a moron that uses all that is available.

I agree completely, and I have seen this in different forms across numerous endeavors.

 

[mtarbert]

I blew out three discs in my lower back when I slipped while painting a bridge. Had I not had a safety harness I would have hit the water 180 feet below. Glad I had the harness on