21.04.2023

DW by the seaside

Spotted last Friday on the Brighton seafront road in the UK, a man using a boom lift in the cycle lane with minimal precautions.

In the words of our correspondent “Seen this morning, blocking the cycle lane and the pavement, half in the road, no signage, traffic management or harness! I tried to attract his attention, but he resolutely ignored me.”

It likes a Niftylift HR21, working well within its capabilities, I suppose you have to says that it is better than a long ladder - but it is set up on a bend and blocks pedestrians, who if they try and pass around him on the same side of the road would be exposed to being hit by a vehicle or bike coming around the corner. It is hard to beleive that he has a road or pavement closure permit either.

While it might not be the busiest or fastest of roads, and most people would probably choose to pass on the other side of the road, we do think it qualifies for our Death Wish series – especially given the lack of a harness.

Have a safe weekend.

Comments

Eric_L
@Bagpuss, this is an international website, and in many countries around the world, harnesses are a legal obligation. And in any case, all manufacturers recommend harnesses, and it is clearly best practice across the industry.

Apr 27, 2023

Harry Sharp
Bagpuss: ‘… makes us all wonder…’ Not me that’s for sure.

Apr 25, 2023

vertikal editor
All good comments - thank you. the legality has notthing at all to do with it. You can have a death wish and not come close to breaking any laws.. Fact is if you use a boom lift, especially on the public road where it can be bumped by a passing vehicle, or you are working near a kerb, you significantly raise the risk of a fatal incident. Especially if you work on a blind bend.

We maintain our decision to 'put this one into the Death Wish' series even though it is far from being close to the worst we have received. We have seen enough fatal incidents involving even more benign examples than this not to.

Apr 25, 2023

Bagpuss
A harness is not a legal requirement in any type of mewp, it is just highly recommended. It is not exactly a deathwish situation and makes us all wonder which barrel you are scraping to find these so called deathwishes?

Apr 25, 2023

Eric_L
I'm not saying it's great, but to say no signage or traffic management is a stretch. He has made an effort to cordon off the work area with some ribbon tape. While not perfect, it should prevent people from going under or too close to the machine.

Apr 21, 2023