Driver wanted

[Suggers]

[Rich H]

Sod that!

[Dave_L]

Where's the Safety Officer when you need him?

[James.Q]

jeez that guy must have the biggist pair ever. or no brain :p

[Pablo]

All that stress and weight through the one shackle I think I'll pass. I lived in Oz for a couple of years and did a stint with a demolition firm. I operated machines up to 12 ton for them and they used to crane ton and a halfs with peckers up onto the hard to reach parts of skyscapers. Was a cracking view there were usually 3 machines working all at once to bring the thing down level by level. Sometimes did a night shift which was amazing to look at the lights of Sydney from 20 odd stories up in a digger. Claim to fame is that I managed to get my digger down 5 flights of the fire escape of one place was in then back up again. It was a lot safer than than it sounds.

[matt h]

what no one heard of explosives:D Good job he's got a head for heights... my old gaffer would faint just thinking about it:D And I used to think working on the pylons was dodgy...

[hondacrm]

matt h, interesting to hear your comments about the pylons. That is my line of business. Nowadays, everyone accessing the towers has to be permanently attached (rope and rail systems plus double landyards). No free climbing since around 2000.

[enigmaenigma]

For all those with a head for heights, or that are like me and enjoy frightening themselves from the comfort of their keyboard, then there’s plenty of fascinating pre H&S type images like this one





Within this very long forum thread about steeplejacks Here, in fact I think the image in the first post and the details about it are in there as well

[matt h]

trouble is these harnesses can get in the way and cause accidents as well as stop them.. like them stupid flourescent string vests they used to issue when we were doing the bridges,,, one chap got caught on a divi bar and got pulled off the shutter..ended up slicing one of his nuts on another bar on the way down... the first time i ever heard a man squeal like a pig.. i still wince at the thought today

[matt h]

matt h, interesting to hear your comments about the pylons. That is my line of business. Nowadays, everyone accessing the towers has to be permanently attached (rope and rail systems plus double landyards). No free climbing since around 2000.

my old man fell off seven times and survived...broke both legs one three times in the same place, sliced the tips off his fingers when he got jolted out of the chair, and if he hadnt let go of the wires he woukd have lost all his fingers in one go. luckily the site was so wet that there was mounds of mud underneath..he only broke his arm and acouple of ribs that time. Another time he had to climb up and release a chap who had been pinned against the tower by an upearthed crane which had also chopped the cables which were jumping about all over the place. He carried the other feller down on his back.All he got was two lines in the local rag, and the sack a week later, as he was supposed to be the site ganger, and supposedly should have been able to stop the crane upearthing. At least the other fella survived, but never climbed again Havent climbed the towers myself for over ten years, but miss theviews and watching the cars going round brands hatch from our own free stand seats with perfect views

[seanandruby]

trouble is these harnesses can get in the way and cause accidents as well as stop them.

Can you name one? they are essential, as the biggest killer on site is from falls.

[lutonlagerlout]

i think most blokes dislike them because they hamper their workrate
i would be happy if work was twice as slow and no man ever gave his life for money(which effectively what work related deaths are)

i have read the whole thread at one man from garlic and there are some awesome pictures in their,i got the feeling mssr dibnah was not well liked amongst jacks

bit like peter kaye,everyone loves him except fellow comedians??

LLL

[enigmaenigma]

i have read the whole thread at one man from garlic and there are some awesome pictures in their,i got the feeling mssr dibnah was not well liked amongst jacks

bit like peter kaye,everyone loves him except fellow comedians??

LLL

I stumbled across it some time back and by accident as well


And as strange a topic as it seems, you can’t help but be drawn in to read more - in parts it’s like being sat in the corner of the pub vault whilst a group of old hands talk to themselves, the more you hear then the more you want to listen and hear

[lutonlagerlout]

there's 1 awesome shot from a guy looking down the side of the chimney
i seem to recall them saying that some of those chimneys took ages to build
very interesting stuff
LLL

[Pablo]

I'm 3/4's through that post bloody hell it's long but facinating. The stuff about Dibnah being a cowboy has blown my childhood memories to bits. Incredible skill and massive balls or something missing upstairs can't decide. It's like sitting in a pub corner on a sunday.