Nelly's back home

[Dean Lofthouse]

David:

 

Still got the machine, bought it back from the insurance company just in case I needed it as my passenger started legal action.

 

I still use the machine but only where it wouldn't matter if it went over and use a supplementary anchor and use it with legs on widest setting (Bomb proof)

 

Jason:

 

The machine was an Italian Basket RQG18, it was my own machine and was about six months old with 300 hours on the clock.

 

Because I had the leg settings on medium, it brought into play the technology and sensors to limit my outreach, especailly two up.

 

Now I only use the machine on full leg outstretch and only ever have me in the basket. That way, you don't have to rely on sensors and you have a huge safety margin. Unless of course you do something dumb like set it up on a manhole or over a shallow drain.

 

Don't get me wrong, if I had to buy another MEWP it would be the RQG18, it is in my opinion the most versatile MEWP on the market and has an incredible outreach of 33ft, stunning machine.

 

I do believe though that too much technology goes into machines as we get more and more demanding both safety wise and work wise.

 

I have always said, with a MEWP you have a thousand things that can potentially develope a fault or fail.

 

With a Rope and harness you can count what could fail on your fingers.

 

They have their place.

 

I could never trust one again fully and a few days after, I asked the MEWP firm I bought it from to let me go up in another MEWP, I got about 20ft and started crapping myself.

 

It also affected my confidence in the tree, it took a good twelve months to get my old self back to the fore again. I used to literally scare myself every time I went up a decent size tree and would force myself to go to the top and out to the tips.

 

I am back to one hundred percent now but one thing it has passed onto me is to not take chances with your equipment, if I'm not sure it doesn't get used and I change my harness every two years, along with ropes etc.

 

One thing I would like to see is a central data base detailing these accidents, it made the local rag but not the HSE statistics. Sad really.

[skyhuck]

 

FTR...... no, it could not have been climbed;

 

Caught this fool climbing an "unclimbable dead Birch" today:cussing:

 

Clearly he should have used a MEWP, the tree failed and the fool got his comeuppance:thumbsdown:

 

(please note this is a joke, and no climbers were injured in the making of this post:wave:)

[Jason James Gairn]

it made the local rag but not the HSE statistics. Sad really.

 

I do not as I have previously expressed have much faith in the HSE's interest in investigating anything. They have very little statistics on our industry, but still feel they can legislate it. Thanks Dean for sharing, very sobering account.

[David Humphries]

Caught this fool climbing an "unclimbable dead Birch" today:cussing:

 

Clearly he should have used a MEWP, the tree failed and the fool got his comeuppance

 

(please note this is a joke, and no climbers were injured in the making of this post:wave:)

 

That has set me up perfect for the day .

Tickled me in far too many unmentional places.

 

Great Post

[Dean Lofthouse]

Caught this fool climbing an "unclimbable dead Birch" today

 

Clearly he should have used a MEWP, the tree failed and the fool got his comeuppance

 

(please note this is a joke, and no climbers were injured in the making of this post)

 

I can see in picture two the reason for the failure, the foolish climber is putting far too much lateral pressure on an obviously dead and weak anchor point which is inviting potentail failure.

 

A note to all young climbers out there, he should have had a secondary anchor point incase the dead stem he was anchored onto failed

 

Is the Numpty ok. Probably survived by landing on his head :wave:

[skyhuck]

That has set me up perfect for the day .

Tickled me in far too many unmentional places.

 

Great Post

 

Glad it made you smile :wave: