# - The Maddow Blog

Chris Boese

Window washing at the Times?

3 votes

#1 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:39 AM EDT

D. C. Sessions

Thanks for the reminder!

Some years back I was in Bangalore and working in a fairly tall building -- perhaps twelve stories. Another section was under construction, and the scaffolding was made entirely of something that looked like rattan held together with rope. Not the usual construction in the USA, that.

3 votes

#2 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:52 AM EDT

Paul S. Campbell

Bamboo is as strong as steel yet flexible. They also know how to tie those sticks together a lot better than whoever makes that cheap patio furniture.

4 votes

#2.1 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:12 AM EDT

D. C. Sessions

It's the "flexible" that would worry me if I were eight stories up on a scaffold when the wind blew. I'm not particularly afraid of heights (I train on ski towers for lift evacuation) but still ...

3 votes

#2.2 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:27 AM EDT

Paul S. Campbell

Well I personally hate climbing on a chair to change a light bulb-no,not fear just common sense,when you are as uncoordinated as I am you best keep both feet on the ground.

2 votes

#2.3 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:25 PM EDT

paulytheoldcarpenter

Paul,

At my house we have two simple rules: We don't stand on chairs and we don't sit on tables. Neither of these pieces of furniture were designed for those specific uses.

1 vote

#2.4 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:33 PM EDT

Dennis Mac Namara

I see a metaphor, perfect for these political times. Safety and
Community born of unsafe risk. It's obviously a large undertaking, a
major renovation of a sizable building. The decision to do it, putting
workers and money at risk is itself risky, a walking out into the great
unknown with no assurance of safety or of success. But once the die is
cast, the ones who will accomplish the task are in need of the
proverbial safety net, the structures that will provide support and
keep them from life threatening danger. Those who work within that
structure understand that they are all in it together and that with
mutual cooperation and trust and support the process will move forward
and the goal of improving the environment they all share will be
achieved.

That's the Democratic vision I grew up with. No aversion to risk but an
embrace of it knowing that it drives us all forward and leads to
innovation and "progress" while at the same time an embrace of
community and mutual aid. I do not hesitate to say that I believe
Barack Obama's vision of the right path forward for our country is
contained in this photograph.

Dennis

8 votes

#3 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:31 AM EDT

oncearepublican

Do you see any safety harnesses or hardhats? So if one of those guys falls of, does anyone care?

Is this what the Republicans want for our workers? Are we all "expendible" so that the ultra-rich can get even richer?

1 vote

#4 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:45 AM EDT

D. C. Sessions

Do you see any safety harnesses or hardhats? So if one of those guys falls of, does anyone care?

Yes. You can clearly see the seat harnesses on most of them (look at the straps from hips to crotch of the dude in light-colored pants at center right.) The guy with the bucket at center left clearly has a short safety line from his belt harness to the bar above him to the right. The guy to far right center has a short safety line to the bar just above and to the right of his head.

It's been a long time since anyone did high steel construction without strict safety gear; the OSHA limit is basically anything above head height, although going up a ladder to a roof is often overlooked. The gear itself is a lot better than it used to be, too, with limits on the length of lines (can't drop too far), serious harness belts, and some rather clever energy-absorbing knots tied into the line at the end so that the jerk at the end of a drop isn't so abrupt.

2 votes

#4.1 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:15 AM EDT

oncearepublican

OK, I see the harnesses but I am not sure how they are "anchored", however that scaffolding STILL does not meet OSHA regulations:

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9720&p_table=standards

Part of what I did when I worked at a nuke plant was OSHA inspections - and this is DEFINITELY non-compliant!!

I tried to search the image to see where it was taken, but the tags have been removed - I'm betting it wasn't taken in the US!

3 votes

#4.2 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:23 AM EDT

Rob Berman

If you go to the full sized image you can easily see their tied off.

Just because you can see a hook doesn't mean there aren't two hooks.

Now, assuming this picture was taken someplace in the United States (see my post below),

I see two tools in this picture, a cordless drill and a Magnetic Base drill. Since this appears to be a modern building the facade would be aluminum or stainless, n ot all stainless is austenitic, but you never trust a mag base on sheet metal ... but it can be trusted on structural steel which the "gridwork" is constructed from, leading me to believe this structure is in the "set up" phase and not all OSHA standards apply.

#4.3 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:27 PM EDT

oncearepublican

Come on, RobDon,

Now you are just being "argumentative". I can't tell for my life what "kind" of tools they are using.

This building looks like 60's construction - hard to tell from here what kind of steel or aluminum was used on it - or even on the scaffolding, for that matter. I only "assume" the scaffolding is steel because of the joins.

Oh, YEA, OSHA does too apply in the "set up" phase because often that is the most dangerous part of scaffold work! For one where are the anchors attaching it to the building? the diagonal bracing (what little they have there isn't legal)? planking and ladders? And oh, yes, those hard hats?

#4.4 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:20 PM EDT

oncearepublican

Sorry RobDon and Rob Berman- I gotta start paying attention to the headers!!

#4.5 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:47 PM EDT

Angel#77

Maybe The New York Times is starting to see things more clearly, Maybe people are starting to see more clearly The New York Times.

1 vote

#5 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:10 AM EDT

Paul MittDeleted

huntre

Earl: "Romney sure picked one Hell of a time to tell us we've been outsourced!"

#7 - Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:27 PM EDT

Ray in VA Beach

Rachel, I know you did a segment about former Virginia Beach Republican Party Chairman David Bartholomew in 2010 and then again a few months ago. Did you know he is heading up a group of local candidates called the Conservative Coalition and is spending 10's of 1,000's of dollars to try to get his coalition elected? Did you also know that one of his candidates actually used the "n" word while addressing people at a predominantly African-American church? Here's the link to the story. http://www.wavy.com/subindex/news/local_news/va_beach

#8 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:06 AM EDT

newbob-423999

I think it's time to show "These People" our representing Government asses that "We're tired as hell and ain't gonna take it any more". When are We The People, The 99% or at least the majority going to put our foot down and say NO MORE??? The political machines have to be broken. People like Karl Rove have to be put in prison. The Supreme Court has to be taken to task for selling our Constitution to the 1% and then giving the 99% the leftovers. Something has to be done. It was done in the 60's and needs to be done again. I know for myself and my family there has to be protection. The American Dream must still be there for my Grandchildren. I am 65 but I'll fight for my familyies health and happiness. Take the dream away, as the Republicans are doing and you have Revolution on very large scale. The wealth are messing with the wrong peoples. Now they have fake ministers who listen to their God, become millionaires, drive around in limos, saying women do should not hold down political office??? Hell they should be burned at the cross for the crap they spew. Sure you have many people who hold onto the hope these people give. But it's not their intent. Someone has to institute the fear in the mind and why not the fear of God?? Wins many many sheep and Benjamin's. God forgive them all and God bless the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

#9 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:56 AM EDT

Paul MittDeleted

Rob Berman

Why would I care about a scaffolding in Malaysia, or Mexico City, Or Toronto?

This photograph well illustrates egocentrism and pretension, I know when the picture was taken and what camera took the picture, how about what spot on the face of the globe this picture was taken? Building name would be nice.

I googled MSNBC Studios, it came back 30 Rock, street viewed 30 Rock, not 30 Rock ... Could be South Africa for all I know which makes the talk of OSHA regs Idiot Babble, whats OSHA got to do with .... Germany? Italy?

Is this picture a Photography 101 submission for the assignment on repetition? If so I would give it a B.

I looked at this picture on Friday and wondered 'So?'. The point of every other picture on at least the first page of the stream is obvious, or has a descriptor.

But "Gridwork"? What makes this special, why should I care? Because this picture could be anywhere. Those of us who don't exist within whoever's bubble will never know.

#11 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:51 AM EDT

RichMJones@rcn.com

Robot Window Washers, Robot tree trimming, Robot fruit picking, Robot tool caddy, Robot Golf caddy, Robot leaf raking, Robot Pets, Robot bring me the hammer, Robot get the ladder, Robot making Robots?

#12 - Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:24 PM EDT

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