Features
Cranes
Safety & Risk Management
Locking out crane climbers
“If you want to go climb, go to a climbing gym. Don’t come to our sites," said Andrew Pariser, vice-president of RESCON
September 9, 2024 By Saul Chernos
(Photo credit: Bludesign, Adobe Stock) Late last summer, well before dawn, police in Kitchener, Ontario responded to a distress call at a residential construction site and spotted a man 16 storeys up in the air atop a tower crane.
Thankfully, no one was hurt. Waterloo Regional Police Service Constable Chris Iden told Crane & Hoist Canada that officers coaxed the individual down. Instead of laying charges, police took him to hospital for what they described as an assessment.
“We experienced an almost identical incident with the same outcome in October of 2020,” Iden said. “When police respond to a call that is similar to this, we utilize our trained negotiators to speak to the individual and have them come down on their own. For safety measures, we will always have an ambulance stand by in case a serious injury was to occur.”
These incidents are not isolated. This past May, officers in nearby Guelph persuaded a 49-year-old man to come down after two hours atop an eight-storey crane. In 2017, York Regional Police north of Toronto reported three separate climbing incidents in one week. “It seems almost crazy that we have to…warn people about the dangers of climbing construction cranes, but nevertheless here we are,” Const. Andy Pattenden told CP24 at the time.
Seeking thrills, courting danger
Clinton Connell, executive director of BC Crane Safety, said tower cranes attract climbers for many reasons. Some people, impaired by drugs or alcohol or experiencing mental or personal crisis, find the cranes and the vistas they offer alluring. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” Connell explained. “They might be doing it for a quick laugh or could possibly be entertaining self-harm.”
Climbing is high-risk even in legitimate circumstances when crews are trained, licensed, and following safety protocol. So, scaling cranes freestyle while under the influence is courting disaster.
Connell points to the 2012 death of a 29-year-old man who fell from a crane in Australia during holiday celebrations. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a fellow climber told a coroner’s inquest that he watched helplessly as his mate stumbled and bounced off the railing of the operator’s cab on his way down. A toxicology analysis showed a blood alcohol level equivalent to 22 standard drinks, along with traces of amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy.
The most notorious climbers, however, are people quite soberly seeking adventure and fame: “It’s about getting to the top of these things and that whole selfie and YouTube daredevil culture,” Connell said. “They’re looking for that prize, that money-shot of them climbing to the top.”
From Moscow to New York City, thrill seekers maintain legions of fans who follow their every move. A handful sell merchandise and offer guided tours of rooftops. Like BASE jumpers, they research their ventures with precision. “In most cases they know they’re breaking the law, but they do it anyway because there’s value in the achievement, whether it’s bragging rights or proof they’ve pulled it off,” Connell said.
Thrill seekers might willfully disregard their own safety or even relish an extreme challenge, but their activities show reckless disregard for other peoples’ lives, Connell said: “When it involves any type of high-angle rope rescue, they’re also putting first responders at risk.”
Connell said he hasn’t heard of trespassers damaging cranes, but climbers could even unintentionally touch levers or loosen pins or bolts, potentially endangering work crews later on.
Locking out climbers
Andrew Pariser, vice-president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), said he’s unaware of any deaths or injuries attributed to unauthorized climbing in recent years. Pariser attributes this to ongoing due diligence, including fencing, locks, alarms, security personnel, and motion-activated lighting and cameras, as well as regular checks for signs of possible breaches.
With cranes so alluring, security plans need to address both a site’s perimeter as well as the vulnerable areas inside throughout a project’s duration. “You obviously need to secure the whole site, but you also need to create additional security as you come out of the ground versus when there’s a deep excavation there,” Pariser explained. “As the risks change, your security plan has to change. You have to adapt to the hazards.”
Location also needs to figure prominently in security planning. “A site next to or close to bars in downtown Toronto will have very different risks than a greenfield site outside the city,” Pariser said. “Sometimes crane climbers get a little bit of liquid courage, so maybe have a bit more security on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. Perhaps have a live patrol around the time the bars close.”
Site managers bear the ultimate responsibility, but forming contractors and other crane personnel need to incorporate the risks into routine inspections. “If the crane operator comes to the site and realizes something’s not looking right, they need to flag that,” Pariser said. “Crane operators are incredibly skilled individuals and will know that crane better than anybody, so we really rely on them to identify hazards.”
For any would-be crane climbers, Pariser, has some sound advice: “If you want to go climb, go to a climbing gym. Don’t come to our sites.”
Securing the tools
Patrick Straw, executive director of the Canadian Security Association (CANASA), said his sector supplies a range of high-tech equipment, from motion detector systems to high-end cameras, to deter intruders. “You can have a completely, perfectly-clear picture in the dead of night with the infrared technology that’s used with video surveillance systems, and sites are usually well lit as well.”
Portable video surveillance systems, with multiple cameras equipped with real-time communication capabilities and independent power supplies, are gaining traction. “They can send live video back to a monitoring station,” Straw said, noting their popularity in the luxury car market.
“In the old days, dealerships would find out the next day. They would have video surveillance of the robbery, but by then the cars would be long gone. Now, the second somebody comes in and tries to steal something, the monitoring station contacts the police or whoever the car company wants contacted,” said Straw.
Technology has improved exponentially, but Straw says project teams need to focus on the basics. This is due to the trend of courts finding project proponents liable for injuries borne by intruders when barriers such as fencing have proven inadequate.
“Everybody sues everybody now,” Straw said. “If you have a crane […] and it’s easily accessible, and some drunk comes out of a hotel and decides to climb it and breaks their neck, you have to do a lot of due diligence to show you did everything you could to protect the site.”
Straw has visited construction sites where ladders used to access tower cranes are placed safely out of reach during off-hours. “It’s about making the site physically difficult to get in,” he added.
Security should also be highly visible. Guards can be highly effective, as can lighting and well-placed signs reminding potential trespassers they will be seen and warning them of every potential danger.
“Have a look at the whole scenario, and then come up with the most effective way of getting the protection you need,” Straw said.
Print this page