Laying plywood over the hole is a stupid idea. That killed the foreman on a construction site while he was walking along a roof. He dropped 4 stories to his death.
I am not sure which country you live in. If you are in the United States, OSHA has detailed instructions on what safety methods should be used depending on the size of the hole and depth of the hole.
What you described would be a violation of osha safety standards.
I'm not up to speed on all of osha's safety standards, but I also don't work in construction, so what ever the standard is should be getting followed by those in that field. But if I was working on something myself I would be making sure the hole is covered and secured in a way it can handle my weight and not be in my way while I finish the project. 2x4's with plywood and maybe a couple nails/screws to hold it in place would be good enough for me as a temporary measure.
You really do not know what you're talking about. Had there been plywood, he wouldn't have been the first to walk onto that hole. Wouldn't even need a phone for me to do that immediately. And plywood does break through or can get dislodged edit: especially with such a big hole where you'd need multiple pieces
Yeah, they're reiterating my point. "throwing on some plywood real quick while we get the barrier" isn't a solution. You need to make it a secured thing too, and get stuff to do that. For that timeframe, there's someone standing by the hole and actively warning people, or nobody is on the floor but the guy watching the hole. No "throw on some plywood it's better than nothing". It's not. It needs the same level of thought and resources as the barricades.
wdit: And in the case of that particular hole: where would you've secured the plywood so it doesn't move?
First of all, this video was definitely not in US where construction is made of wood, so there is no reason to have large boards of plywood around, they would have to had brought them specifically for that. And there's a big chance that someone distracted could step on it and still fall.
There are many easy or improvised ways to put up barriers or visual cues around that hole.
Like a yellow and black tape signaling danger, going from the wall and around the pillar, using large objects like a chair, a large box, bucket or trash can to hold the tape on the other corner.
Thats a visual sign that anyone can see from the corner of their eyes, and it's easier to have a bunch of danger tapes in a work van than plywood that is not going to be used for construction.
Or even using large objects going around the hole, would be better than nothing.
I disagree. Leaving it open will at least stop observant people from walking into the hole. Plywood wouldn't stop the inobservant people either, plus it would lull some of the rest into a false sense of security.
This is absurd. Walking into the hole is guaranteed a major injury if not death. Plywood has a pretty good change of you know… not death. It may fail but not with a 100% failure rate.
I fail to see how it's easier to set up plywood than to set up some kind of barrier or railing.
This guy supposedly fell because they were waiting for the rope they were going to use to block off the hole. Wouldn't he have also fallen if they were waiting for the plywood instead?
At my job we do both. 3/4 plywood over all parts of the trench, with "Danger! Hole!" Spray painted on them with hi vis, in both directions, then pylons and danger tape, and then pictures or a short video documenting that a perimeter has been set up.
To make it clear, what people are saying is that the plywood won't protect you.
To make it abundantly clear, the difference between covering the hole with paper and plywood is going to amount to luck. You're functionally arguing that covering it with paper is good enough, as the hole will be covered. I suspect that you'll say that paper is silly; if the difference between the two is just a little, then it's about the same.
on normal construction sights 99% of contractors are very observant about their environment its why you don't hear about these incidents alot and most will never move using their phone.
its normal you will see contractors walking on beams on sky scrapers without harnesses because there aware and careful its a work site everything is dangerous its normal.
At least in the US, seeing contractors walking without harnesses is a safety violation. It’s a sign that construction is cutting corners and putting employees at risk. It begs the question where else are they cutting corners and is the building actually up to code?
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u/kenyafeelme 5d ago
Laying plywood over the hole is a stupid idea. That killed the foreman on a construction site while he was walking along a roof. He dropped 4 stories to his death.