If you need to get some heavy mechanical equipment on the roof of your project, you could use a boring old crane – or you could gas up the bird and make that equipment take literal flight. Alright, so cranes aren’t actually boring, but some times a helicopter makes more logistical sense, either because it reduces total lift time or, in some cases, makes economical sense. Either way, there are some important safety precautions to take in case something goes wrong.
During a recent helicopter lift in Oakland, California, something did go wrong, but luckily, it appears that no one was injured – at least not until someone found out what happened to their large, expensive industrial cooling tower.
According to The Mercury News, a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane was being used throughout the week to lift mechanical equipment to the roof of a construction project on Clay Street in Oakland, when a cable suddenly snapped, sending what appears to be a large cooling tower made by Baltimore Air Coil (BAC) back towards the earth, ultimately landing on the pavement below.
The event was captured on video by a local artist named Rudi Tcruz, which he shared on Twitter. According to Tcruz, there were no injuries to anyone on the ground. He also shared a picture of the damaged cooling tower after it was loaded onto a flatbed after the fall.
Closer look at the cargo that the helicopter dropped. pic.twitter.com/fXGPftPxEu
— Rudi Tcruz (@meatisburger) January 9, 2021
One thing to note in the video is that you can see several people on the ground near where the unit fell running out of the way. While the roads had been properly closed, according to reports, it’s still important that nobody should be underneath a suspended load, unless absolutely necessary to load and unload the cargo.
OSHA also has regulations for using a helicopter to lift, specifically 29 CFR 1926.551. Due to the wind, noise, and potential struck-by hazards that are inherent when using a helicopter, there are some unique requirements to remain safe during the process, including the use of hard hats secured by chinstraps, eye protection, a means of communication, and tag lines.
Full story: Video: Helicopter drops huge air conditioning unit onto downtown Oakland street | The Mercury News