Building London before Health & Safety

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My dad did a bit of steel erecting and never worried about heights or safety gear. He reckoned that whether you were 50 feet or 500 feet in the air, the consequences of a fall were likely to be much the same!
 
It would be interesting to know the date of the clip. It looks 1960's and we had health and safety then and some of those activities would be frowned upon, and particularly the unguarded edges.
 
I'm scared of heights , and just can't watch that !
 
Well all this is like being a late Fred Dibnah from Wigan.
One slip and its half a day with the Undertaker.

Met this bloke after he first became famous on Look Northwest when I worked for Leyland Motors. He & his side kick were eyeing a disused steam engine in the Leyland parts factory in Chorley .
Tuerca Viejas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg
 
Well all this is like being a late Fred Dibnah from Wigan.
One slip and its half a day with the Undertaker.

Met this bloke after he first became famous on Look Northwest when I worked for Leyland Motors. He & his side kick were eyeing a disused steam engine in the Leyland parts factory in Chorley .
Tuerca Viejas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3-YwDZrzg

What was he like?

There was something about him that I wasn't keen on, I have no idea why.
 
The "lack" of safety equipment probably helps concentrate the mind. Modern day guard rail, harnesses etc can lead to complacency.

I'd be more concerned about dropping a wrench than falling off...

Love the closing comment "There won't be any traffic jams in tomorrow's city" !!
 
What was he like?

There was something about him that I wasn't keen on, I have no idea why.

Oh easy
He was a Wigner--All Lancashire people think Wiganers are a bit strange!
Coming & confirmed from someone from Gloucester! :dk:

Seriously though he was funny and had a good sense of humour but absolutely obsessed with the UK of yesteryear.

It wasn't the good old Glory days as often portrayed.
T/V
 
Working at those heights - and not even enough breeze to blow the flat caps off.
 
Am I the only one thinking that ffs! Times have moved on.. There are many more scary **** than this...
 
With health and safety its not the obvious physical risks you can see that are likely to kill you, its the ones you can't see. They won't kill you right away either but in twenty/thirty years time. Industrially acquired diseases such Asbestosis and Pneumoconiosis were almost par for the course in some occupations and communities back then. Closer to home there is the rather eye watering tie up of scrotal cancer and mineral oil contact.
http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/4/5681/443.full.pdf
So get those disposable gloves on! ;)
 
Pontoneer said:
I'm scared of heights , and just can't watch that !

Me too, as soon as I clicked my heart sank. I'll give it a miss...
 
I'm scared of heights , and just can't watch that !

Me too, as soon as I clicked my heart sank. I'll give it a miss...

You wouldn't fancy this one then? The guy unclips his line to climb onto the very top platform :eek:

[YOUTUBE HD]hFMHjDqHL_Y[/YOUTUBE HD]

Climbing down even more scary!! Fancy a job as a tower crane driver?

[YOUTUBE HD]LHn2A48xtxw[/YOUTUBE HD]
 
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No, no, a thousand times no! I went to Riga (a beautiful city) and purchased a ticket to go up the spire of the prominent church there. The lift stopped, the passengers got out - all except me. I just couldn't do it.
 
You wouldn't fancy this one then? The guy unclips his line to climb onto the very top platform :eek:

[YOUTUBE HD]hFMHjDqHL_Y[/YOUTUBE HD]

Climbing down even more scary!! Fancy a job as a tower crane driver?

[YOUTUBE HD]LHn2A48xtxw[/YOUTUBE HD]

That's the first time I've ever had an adrenaline rust from watching a video. :eek:

Guy in the 2nd vid is a total loon. Fast forward to 7:20s.

And how much do footballers earn? Guys like this deserve double.
 
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There is a saying that is something like,

"To be scaffolder you need the strength of a Shire horse, the speed of a race horse and the brains of a rocking horse"!
 

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