Accidents like these

[Klutz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFdAN6dFAZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IikX44f4ugA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbC9gc_Ylo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq0C1IGSMNk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RArgDFlTIjU

Is it that the situation is perceived as less dangerous from the operators perspective? These clips were shot at a good distance giving great overview and it certainly looks dangerous from the start.

[Dualie]

out of all those videos From the opening scene I could tell these were bad ideas in the making.

You can walk around a look at those from every angle and not find the view that DIDNT make that look like a bad idea.

[bear]

out of all those videos From the opening scene I could tell these were bad ideas in the making.

You can walk around a look at those from every angle and not find the view that DIDNT make that look like a bad idea.

I agree, it don't take a rocket scientist to know those were bad ideas waiting to happen. What gets me is did these people actually expect the buildings to stay up after taking away the botom? I belive in proving the laws of physics wrong but jeez that was expecting too much.

[Turbo21835]

Well guys, this is common in the demo business. A lot of the time you work from the bottom up, because it is your only choice. Combine this with unstable structures, this is going to happen. Hell, ive had a ladder on the side of the building fall in an completely unpredicted direction. That one cost me my job. Of those videos, #3 looked like it went off as planned. Its called a trip. You set the building up. Take out that last little piece. Gravity does the majority of the work for you. Yes, in most of those videos they had no business doing what they were doing. Other times, things just dont happen as planned. But you cant expect any difference. Most of the time you are tearing down a building for a few reasons. It is old, outdated. and not structurally sound. Sometimes it just ends up being a crap shoot.

This most important thing about demo is remembering the other side of the machine is the companies side. The side with the cab is yours. If anything is to fall on the machine, make sure its the companies side, not your side

[insleyboy]

Anyone know if there were Deaths from any of these....There are certainly some candidates....GEEZ!

[Demo_Andy]

I think although looking at these from an observers point of view you get a good idea of the overall situation its common for things to look worse than they are from the operator's perspective.

Its stands a chance that some of these operators were being supervised and dictated to on how to go about the job in which case the superior is at fault. Equally though as operators doing dangerous work they should have the balls to stand up for what they believe is the best way to do something.

Even if its going to add a few days to a job, for example having to move/adjust a ramp. In the death of a high rise clip, that situation could have been completely avoided by dropping more of the lower part of the building and adjust the position of the ramp.

A supervisor puts his reputation on the line but for the operator it can be his life on the line.

Andy

[Bellboy]

There is a 'power on' switch located at the back of the head...

[LOW BIDDER]

we use high reach demo excavators all the time. Qualified operator is key. The last job was for NASA with a 95' high reach shear on a steel structure.

[tctractors]

Klutz, I have looked at these links a few times now, and still cannot understand the brains that work the levers??? with the massive cost involved with High reach Demo kit + the usual tight site control, I cannot see this happening in the U.K. big Demo outfits here do a frequent check on long reach Booms for cracks/damage, plus a Demo boss would be watching all high work that would be of risk, any floors of a building that cannot be reached by a rig are knocked down by small (mini) excavators hoisted onto the roof that chop it out to a safe hight, the lift shafts are often used as a Demo shute for the rubble, it is so hard to get insurance (and expensive) in the U.K. that this level of "Dumbness" is not the common thing, anyhow thank you Sir for putting these links together, as they do make a frightfull experience log in the brain from a very safe distance.

tctractors

[Klutz]

Perhaps it's more difficult to judge the distance that the falling building will reach from the the operators viewpoint. Or maybe these are extremely incompetent operators.

tctractors: I think the same as you do regarding accident videos. The educational power of videos like these is huge! If you tell an idiot "to be careful" and "don't do this" and "don't do that" it will pass straight through.
But if John Doe just watched 12 videos of falling trees hitting cars on "Americas Funniest Home Videos" he will think twice before cutting down that big tree in his yard.
Ofcourse, safety videos is nothing new (some old classics can be found on cat.com) but the fact that they are for real give them extra weight.

[cannonman]

yup..every one of them videos started out like watching a guy in a cartoon sitting on the limb as he saws it off...you KNOW it's going south

[lgammon]

i would listen to my boss in any of these situations as long as he was standing next to me while he said it....heheh

[special tool]

You gotta be kidding me wth some of these.
The one wth the brick structure is classic.
For me to look at that, I have no choice but to think he is intentionally trying to see Allah and the 70 virgins.

Some of these turkeys have NO IDEA how a masonry building works/loads.
I think any demo operator should have some experience in CONSTRUCTING a concrete/masonry structure, before he is allowed to demolish it.:Pointhead