Scaffold That Fell Should Have Been Attached To A Crane

Remember the scaffold in Boston that crashed to the ground last week killing two workers and a motorist below? Seems that the manufacturer of the scaffold had recommended that a crane be be attached when dismantling:

The scaffold's maker, Fraco Products Ltd. of Montreal, said that the company's safety standards state that, as a precaution, a construction crane should have been attached to the scaffold while it was being dismantled Monday. A crane could have prevented the platform from toppling, even after the last tie attaching it to the building was gone, said Armand Rainville, Fraco's chief executive officer.

A spokeswoman for Bostonian Masonry, the East Walpole contractor that employed the workers who were operating the scaffold, acknowledged there was no crane at the site, but disagreed that one was necessary.

"There does seem to be some dispute as to whether a crane was required for this operation using this type of equipment," said spokeswoman Karen Schwartzman.

You see, companies don't need burdensome regulations and laws and penalties and confrontation; all they need is information about hazards and best practices and they'll do the right thing.

Sometimes.

Anyway, "required" or not, sounds like it might have been a good idea.

Oops.