20.11.2009

Christmas Wish

A reader from New Zealand has sent us a photo of a lift in Wellington that qualifies as a Christmas Death Wish. The two men putting the final touches used a less than state of the art platform suspended from a mobile crane, while one of the men climbed out to reach remove the slings.
Please register to see all images

Topping out in Wellington

The platform was suspended from an auxiliary line while the tree was suspended from the main hook. Both hooks must have been up against the anti-two block? To be fair it looks as though the two men may have harnesses on connected to the crane hook.

The massive tree shaped structure, was erected in Frank Kitts Park and stands seven storeys high. Decorated with 37,000 lights it will include a spectacular light show once it is officially switched on at the start of December.

The structure which was used last year was designed by local designer Joe Bleakley, the lights have 16 million colour combinations and there are phone boxes around the base that provide a direct line to the North Pole. The voices of children using the phone will activate lights that travel up the tree to the star on top.

Visitors will be asked to leave children's presents under the tree for the Women's Refuge which distributes them to needy children in their homes for Christmas.

Vertikal Comment

This is clearly not the best or safest way to have carried out this job, ideally the two men would have been in a separate work platform. However the crane and the men were probably supplied free of charge as a charitable donation? And we need more not less of that.

It is hard to be critical especially when some safety steps have clearly been taken. However if there had been a slip-up and one or both men had fallen it would have really put a damper on the seasonal celebrations.