130ft MEWP Fatality

[Rich2484]

Anything can fail. How do you know your rope or pulley or friction saver isn't going to fail? You don't, you can only minimise the chance by checking out your gear.

 

But if this machine had failed before why was the same boom even with repair back in service?

[tree monkey]

by what i had read the article its allegedly been repaired twice before!

it doesnt sound too good maybe it shouldnt have been in use.imo

[sandy2210]

atrical in paper I read at work to-day -think it was the daily record- shows pics of its previous fail -the company spoksman said it was a different part of the boom that failed this time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Frankie Lawrence]

Maybe we shouldn't speculate? Maybe we dont nor will ever know why it fAiled? What is speculation going to achieve except guessing our own conclusion unless you'll follow the whole case then well never know what happened ans why.

 

Rip and hope the other guys ok.

[Mark_Skyland]

R.I.P.

 

A terrible accident indeed.

 

I have heard of quite a few deaths from MEWPS usually the machine failing, but in most circumstances the operator falling to their death due to not being stropped in.

 

We hardly ever use MEWPS (prob 0.0001% of the time) but I always strop in.

 

If the bucket flips over it will catapult you to the ground so its always worth bearing that in mind!

[Dean Lofthouse]

Mewps definately have their place.

 

I survived a 45 ft fall from a mewp and still use them, even after hearing of another climber surviving exactly the same fall from exactly the same machine.

 

He was badly injured, but both he and his passenger survived, I came away with serious whiplash across the chest but my passenger was seriously injured

 

I really feel for the guys in this incident, the point of failure was around the 4th storey or 50ft mark so they came down a long way in a pendulum motion, which could have ejected them from the basket even of they had been anchored in

 

I hear of a lot more accidents in tree work not involving mewps

[skyhuck]

A MEWP is a relatively safe machine. To put it in perspective, how many have failed over the last 10 years?

I think there is a culture of hating them " because I'm an invincible rock hard climber". I am a recovering member of this idiotic group.

 

Nonsense, I openly admit that MEWP's scare me, I feel its less dangerous to use the tree.

 

The tree has been stud there for years, through wind and rain, a MEWP will be set up on the day of the job, realistically which is more likely to fail???

[skyhuck]

Anything can fail. How do you know your rope or pulley or friction saver isn't going to fail? You don't, you can only minimise the chance by checking out your gear.

 

But if this machine had failed before why was the same boom even with repair back in service?

 

Please give one example of an accident where climbing gear failed??

 

You own your climbing gear, you know its history and inspect it and decide if your happy to use it.

 

When you hire a MEWP, you are putting your life in the hands of the hirer, you know nothing of the machines history or how well maintained it is.

 

Even machines that are well maintained and tested can have unseen decay or some other fault thats not detected when tested.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Lol, I like your analogies Dave (-:

[skyhuck]

Mewps definately have their place.

 

I survived a 45 ft fall from a mewp and still use them, even after hearing of another climber surviving exactly the same fall from exactly the same machine.

 

He was badly injured, but both he and his passenger survived, I came away with serious whiplash across the chest but my passenger was seriously injured

 

I really feel for the guys in this incident, the point of failure was around the 4th storey or 50ft mark so they came down a long way in a pendulum motion, which could have ejected them from the basket even of they had been anchored in

 

I hear of a lot more accidents in tree work not involving mewps

 

Yes, but those are almost all down to operator error, not equipment failure.

 

I prefer to be in control of my own destiny, not hoping things won't go wrong.