Second Ave. Sagas

Link: Anatomy of a SAS construction rescue

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

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On Tuesday night, Joseph Barone found himself in a life threatening situation as he trapped in a pit of mud and freezing water in the Second Ave. Subway construction site, 100 feet below street level. For first responders and construction crews, danger similar to that Barone faced has been rare during this subway project as safety has increased over the past century. When the city first built the IRT, 16 workers died, but for the SAS extension, no one has lost a life yet. Tuesday was, in fact, the closest we’ve come to a fatality so far.

Today, The Times goes underground to profile the Barone rescue mission. The worker found himself stuck in mud and pinned beneath plywood as his co-workers struggled to improvise. Using a rig, they braced Barone; using a ConEd suction cup, they tried to clear the mud. Meanwhile, the hours ticked away.

After four hours, Barone was freed, but he suffered ligament damage and hypothermia. One firefighter involved got stuck in the same muck and broke an arm. Two others suffered minor injuries, but all four are expected to make a full recovery. The photos we see of the construction sites are breathtaking, but there’s a human element involved. These workers put themselves at risk every day, and on Tuesday, one narrowly escaped. [The New York Times]

Comments

8 responses to “Link: Anatomy of a SAS construction rescue”

  1. Nyland8

    I find it funny that the “solution” is to make everyone wear a harness – so they can more easily pull them out after they’ve fallen into a place they should have been protected from to begin with.

    Why are they walking along open planks? The “solution” to the problem is to build temporary bridging or scaffolding that conforms to standard practices and includes handrails.

    Who do they work for? Cirque du Soleil ??

    Reply
    1. Tim

      I’m thinking you’ve probably never worked construction…

      Reply
      1. Nyland8

        LOL … Well … that’s true. I never have worked construction.

        But I do have a separate wallet just to hold all the credentials required to work on construction sites around the city, including Supported Scaffold, Suspended Scaffold, Confined Space, OSHA 10 and a 40 Hour Site Safety Manager. I own my own harness, my own lanyard and my own rope grab, all of which are less than a year old, and a month doesn’t go by when I don’t use it on some inspection job … so … there’s probably more than a little qualification behind my opinions.

        Reply
  2. superbuff

    They should also make construction sites 75 feet below the ground handicap and wheelchair accessible. That way all people will have the opportunity to work and not be denied the right to make a living.

    Reply
    1. Someone

      As far as I know, handicap people don’t usually want to work down there, because studies show that construction workers who have a disability may have a much higher risk of suffering injuries in an accident compared to nondisabled workers. Although it may be a good way to make money theoretically, it’s hard for those handicapped construction workers to work if they’re disabled.

      Reply
      1. Nyland8

        I can’t be sure, but I suspect superbuff’s comment was meant to be an editorial comment on the strictures of ADA compliance. Clearly there are places below ground where one is lucky to be able to squeeze even without a wheelchair. You can’t go down a manhole with it.

        It is no place for the handicapped.

        Reply
        1. Someone

          Yeah, but superbuff said, right afterwards, That way all people will have the opportunity to work and not be denied the right to make a living. Which is why I said what I said.

          Reply
  3. DavidDuck

    This is probably a clueless suggestion, but it sounds like they need some kind of lance connected to an air compressor. push it down near the feet of the stuck person and s l o w l y pump some air down there to loosen up the mud and maybe even help push the person up… I don’t think you would have to be in exactly the right spot to be helpful.

    Reply

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