via Youtube
Cameras are EVERYWHERE these days. They’re on sites documenting the full construction process of your project, they’re on projects taking 360 degree progress footage, and most importantly, they’re in your pocket on your smartphone. Having a camera in your pocket at all times can be a good or bad thing, especially for employers, because not only can it make lives much easier for communication and documentation purposes, but it also gives people the chance to show the world when things go absolutely terribly.
Below are 18 of the best examples of people having their cameras ready in the right place (wrong place) at the right time (wrong time) in 2017 (depending on perspective). We can’t condone many of the things shown in the videos below, but they are still able to bring awareness or maybe even teach a lesson to the workers on your site.
18. Teen Runs over Police Car with Bulldozer, Chase Ensues
The Kankakee, Illinois Police Department said that the man has been charged with six felony counts, including attempted murder, driving under the influence, criminal damage to property and theft greater than $500. Fox 10 reported that the chase lasted for roughly 4 miles before an officer was able to pull the man out of the dozer.
Full story: Teen Runs over Police Car with Bulldozer, Chase Ensues | Construction Junkie
17. Angry Husband Fills Wife’s Car with Concrete
According to the Daily Mail, a husband in Russia was extremely upset after he found out his wife changed her last name in order to promote a supermarket chain. By changing her name to Veniy, the name of the supermarket, she would be paid 50,000 RUB, which is about $889 USD. The Daily Mail also reported the couple were having some other problems, as well, which “prompted” the husband to want revenge.
Full story: Angry Husband Fills Wife’s Car with Concrete | Construction Junkie
16. Construction Prank: Job Site Obstacle Course Has Surprise Ending
There’s no doubt that construction workers love a good prank and some of them get pretty creative. Our favorites in the past have included the seismic test prank, the fake bear on site prank, and the “staple in the finger” prank. Obviously, as far as messing around on the job site goes, the least dangerous as the prank is, the better.
Full story: Construction Prank: Job Site Obstacle Course Has Surprise Ending | Construction Junkie
15. Construction Workers Catch, Tie Up Alleged Thief to Scaffold
Last year, construction workers in Charlotte, NC allegedly saw a man breaking into one of their trucks. The workers were able to catch the man and then proceeded to tie him and tape him to some scaffold cross-bracing until the police arrived to arrest him.
Full story: Construction Workers Catch, Tie Up Alleged Thief to Scaffold | Construction Junkie
14. This Blimp-Like Aircraft That Can Transport Construction Equipment Is Incredible
The Lockheed Martin Hybrid Airship is a blimp/cargo plane/passenger plane that can not only get your staff to the hard to get to jobsite, it can also get your heavy equipment there, as well. With a 10 foot by 10 foot by 60 foot cargo bay and 21 Metric Ton capacity, you’ll be able to haul several pieces of equipment. It also has capacity for 19 passengers to sit comfortably.
Full story: This Blimp-Like Aircraft That Can Transport Construction Equipment Is Incredible | Construction Junkie
13. Crane Suspending Skid Steer During Demolition is a Bad Idea
Last year, a video surfaced of a crane operator suspending a skid steer operator mid-air while he used the jackhammer attachment. Fortunately for this crew, it didn’t result in another flipped crane, but if something went wrong the skid steer operator would have been seriously injured. In the video, you can even hear the crane operator yell to the man below not to “push” the machine, because he was worried that the crane would start to rock.
Bottom line: don’t try this at your job site.
Full story: Crane Suspending Skid Steer During Demolition is a Bad Idea | Construction Junkie
12. Construction Worker Rescued After Suspended Scaffolding Fails 15 Stories High
Amazingly, this wasn’t the only rescue of a construction worker on a failed suspended scaffold that took place in Sarasota, Florida last year, as a separate occurrence happened just a few weeks after this one.
In the video above, two construction workers in were trapped 15 stories in the air after one of the lines on their suspended scaffolding snapped. One of the two men was able to be pulled to safety by some co-workers on site, but the second was stuck on the scaffold for an hour before the fire department could rescue him.
Full story: Construction Worker Rescued After Suspended Scaffolding Fails 15 Stories High | Construction Junkie
11. Roofer Amazingly Escapes Burning 6 Story Building By Hanging On to Crane Hook
A six story building under construction in Rødovre, Denmark caught fire, trapping 2 workers on the roof. The second worker ended up being backed into a corner by the smoke, explained TV2Lorry.dk, leaving the team on-site with limited options to save him. A crane operator on site then hopped in his cab and was able to get the lifting hook close enough to the trapped worker for him to grab onto it.
Full story: Roofer Amazingly Escapes Burning 6 Story Building By Hanging On to Crane Hook | Construction Junkie
10. Semi Hauling 50 Foot Long Prefab Concrete Beam Tips Over in Intersection
In early October, a flagger narrowly avoided a gigantic prefabricated concrete beam, estimated at around 50 feet in length, from falling on him as it tipped over while being hauled through an intersection in Atlanta, Georgia.
Full story: Semi Hauling 50 Foot Long Prefab Concrete Beam Tips Over in Intersection | Construction Junkie
9. Construction Workers Chase Down Alleged Thief in High Speed Chase
On one construction site in Dallas, an alleged thief thought he was going to snag a tool from the site and drive away safely, but several construction workers had a different thought in mind.
After seeing the suspect grab something from the site (reports are conflicting about what was actually taken), a worker in a safety vest runs after him and hops on the hood of his car. The suspect then reverses at a fairly high speed and another worker chases after them in his truck. Several seconds later the car and truck come flying back into the view of the security camera and the worker in the safety vest IS STILL ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR. It’s been reported that the man on the hood was not injured and that the suspected thief was able to get away. Crazy.
Full story: Construction Workers Chase Down Alleged Thief in High Speed Chase | Construction Junkie
8. Horizontal Directional Drilling Goes Off Course and Into Innocent SUV
In a video posted to Facebook, you’ll see what happens when directional boring goes wrong. Apparently no one was spotting the end of the drill and it broke through ground to daylight and attempted to drill its way through an unsuspecting SUV. Not a great day for the drilling company or the owner of the SUV.
Full story: Horizontal Directional Drilling Goes Off Course and Into Innocent SUV | Construction Junkie
7. Construction Vehicles Swallowed by Massive Amount of Muddy Water After Dam Failure in Loas
In this terrifying video , you can see workers scrambling as they notice the nearby water start to rage and 2 run to their vehicles to flee. A grader ended up blocking their path and the two trucks were lifted up by the muddy water.
Amazingly, no injuries or deaths were reported from the flooding, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA). RFA also reported that the minister of Loas’ Ministry of Energy and Mines is blaming the contractor’s building the nearby hydropower dam for the incident and will be “legally responsible repairing the damage to electrical networks andwater supplies, because the reservoir’s construction was ‘not standard.’”
Full story: Construction Vehicles Swallowed by Massive Amount of Muddy Water After Dam Failure in Loas | Construction Junkie
6. 11 Story High Rise Falls on Excavator During Demolition
A nearby office worker caught video of a dramatic demolition that showed the remains of an 11 story building collapse on top of the excavator performing the demolition.
As the crews weakened the base of the building, they used an excavator to break down the final supports, causing the building to fall. What they didn’t plan for was for the building to fall on top of them. The neighbor who caught the collapse on camera was concerned for the safety of the worker inside the excavator.
This video also made our lists of 2017’s Best Demolition Videos.
Full story: 11 Story High Rise Falls on Excavator During Demolition | Construction Junkie
5. Massive Landslide Swallows Construction Site in India
Dramatic footage of a landslide that hit a construction site in Himachal Pradesh, India was caught on video and recently shared on Youtube. In it, you can see small chucks of earth start to fall off the adjacent cliff, which very quickly increase in size, causing panic in the workers. It’s unclear if anyone was injured in the incident, but we certainly hope everyone was able to escape.
Full story: Massive Landslide Swallows Construction Site in India | Construction Junkie
4. Oakland Concrete Form Collapse Injures 12 Construction Workers
#Breaking: Construction worker captures co-workers dangling from rebar after floor collapses during cement pour pic.twitter.com/FXq90CPkXr
— Juan Carlos Guerrero (@JuanCarlosABC7) May 26, 2017
While placing concrete on the second floor of a future seven-story mixed use building in Oakland, California, the concrete forms suddenly gave way, sending around 20 workers 10 to 15 feet below with the wet concrete. News reports explain the job site went into a panic, understandably so, and co-workers rushed to the scene to help.
Thankfully, the 12 workers that had to be transported to the hospital only suffered minor injuries, including sprains and bruising, but the injuries could have been much worse. As is good practice, nobody was below the forms during the concrete placement above.
Full story: Oakland Concrete Form Collapse Injures 12 Construction Workers | Construction Junkie
3. This is Officially the Most Terrifying Construction Site on Earth
Construction workers are busy building a walkway alongside a vertical cliff in mountains some 5,577 feet (1,700m) in the air, according to the Daily Mail. But, don’t worry, there are some super sketchy looking planks spaced around 12 inches on center to keep your footing. That should do it. For those in need of additional safety measures, just tie some rope around your stomach.
Full story: This is Officially the Most Terrifying Construction Site on Earth | Construction Junkie
2. Demolition Crew Accidentally Destroys Adjacent Building
In May of last year, a rowhouse, which was occupied by a laundromat, in Baltimore, Maryland was mistakenly destroyed as demolition crews were working on tearing down the building next to it, according to the Baltimore Sun. Thankfully, no one was injured, as police occupied the area the night before demolition to keep people away.
The building that was supposed to be demolished had developed a large crack, estimated at several inches at its widest, and one of its exterior walls had started to bow. After city inspectors determined the building was unstable, an emergency demolition was ordered.
Full story: Demolition Crew Accidentally Destroys Adjacent Building | Construction Junkie
1. Crane Flips While Lifting Large Section of Viaduct
A crawler crane collapse in Northern Italy could have been much worse as the crane, carrying a large section of viaduct, crashed to the ground. Workers on both sides of the crane began to run as you could hear several others screaming as the crane began to tip. According to Vertikal, no injuries were reported. That includes the operator, who they report was able to jump from the crane before it collapsed.
Full story: Crane Flips While Lifting Large Section of Viaduct | Construction Junkie
On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.