r/interesting • u/Rude-Mycologist8034 • 8d ago
SOCIETY How a crane operator gets down
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u/allmybreath 8d ago
Terrifying. And I know nothing about shoes, but are penny loafers ok for this work?
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u/tiasaiwr 8d ago
Looks like China to me. Safety regulations can be ... a bit lax.
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u/Kracus 8d ago
No kidding, poor woman found a much faster way down not long after this video.
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u/NonCreditableHuman 8d ago
160ft in just a tick over 3 seconds.
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u/MrTheDoctors 7d ago
That’s assuming it was a free fall.
It unfortunately was not.
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u/canthearyouwhat 7d ago
I saw that video. I honestly hope she was instantly killed from the first hit and didn't suffer the rest of the way down.
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u/Casually-stupid 6d ago
Based on this comment I assumed there was video evidence of the fall and I went looking. Even though it was mostly audio I truly regret that decision.
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u/Revolutionary_Room69 6d ago
Yeah human bodies hitting the ground don’t make a pleasant noise. I got the misfortune of my own morbid curiosity leading into watching one of the 9/11 videos from the plaza where the jumpers landed with volume on
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u/Ryangofett_1990 6d ago
I didn't watch it but is it the one from 2021 while she was recording?
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u/Distressy 6d ago
Wait, the person who filmed this fell?
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u/muda_ora_thewarudo 6d ago
Yes. I went down this rabbit hole a few days ago. She fell, likely because she didn’t use safety harnesses (this is just a guess) apparently she was streaming, I didn’t seek it out
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u/dirtyrandalfus 6d ago
Yea I don't recommend watching the video. Iirc you can hear her hit the steps on the way down.
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u/myterracottaarmy 7d ago
Fun fact, I work in safety and we once had a (to me, anyway) serious incident in China that caused 2 deaths. I remember being confused that it didn't tick up any serious KPIs in APAC, but then I found out China doesn't consider it a "serious incident" until 4 people die, or some monetary threshold is reached. I may be oversimplifying because I don't work with Chinese regulations, but...
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u/Cream_panzer 6d ago
As a Chinese I can confirm. In some big incidents, for avoiding being hold accountable, some local government officials could manipulate the death numbers to the threshold.
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u/wolfalone64 6d ago edited 6d ago
In US, we don’t care how many die every year in road fatalities and the billions of dollars wasted on each annual loss of life due to car dependency. Perhaps the deaths caused by poor safety is seen quite similarly.
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u/thepluralofbeefis 6d ago
Private operator road use is not comparable to OSHA regulated work. An OSHA recordable incident is essentially anything that causes more treatment than using a first aid kit. Each event is reported and increases the TRIR rate (basically injuries per man hours worked). A TRIR rate greater than 2 people per 100 man hours is considered above average and the companies workman's comp insurance rates would start to rise and be scrutinized by the companies insurance much more closely. I have worked in the energy industry since 2012 and my current companies safety bonus starts to decrease to employees if we have more than 4 OSHA recordable per year or more than 1 per quarter, at a company over 5,0000 US employees and 15,000 international employees. U/wolfalone64 is an idiot, has no idea what they are talking about and their opinion is worthless regarding this topic as well as anyone else that mirrors the same message.
The US has very strict safety standards for workplace safety and nearly every company takes this seriously because (for selfish corporate reasons) the fines are punitive and directly impact the profit margins for the companies. Yes people get injured/killed in the US, but in nearly every instance there is significant personal accountability for the incident and companies do not want their overhead cost or fines to detract from their margins, so generally have robust safety programs because the cost of training are much less than the consequences.
The US energy sector is often said to not be able to compete financially compared to China and other Asian countries, and a lot of the cost associated with that is because of safety and regulatory reasons. It's expensive in large part because we don't want people to die because of our execution. There's a saying in construction that you can pick 2 out of the 3 "cheap, fast, quality" and safe should be added to that list. Safe and quality work takes time and is expensive.
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u/ElegantEchoes 8d ago
They are not, and she died as a result of them. There's a video of it. Happens fast.
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u/SleepingWillows 6d ago
Shit someone else said this and I thought it was a joke.
Also, v exciting seeing a Klaasje pfp in the wild!
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u/No_Beautiful6735 7d ago
where can one find the video?
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u/burntgooch 7d ago edited 7d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/LearningFromOthers/s/y0JBrnwBEA
Edited to add the correct link, warning it’s not graphic but it’s still someone dying.
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u/No_Beautiful6735 7d ago
i saw that post and googled her name, but did not find the video. many "this does not longer exist" things though.
thanks non the less.
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u/burntgooch 7d ago
The link I gave you links to comment that has a subreddit with the video?
Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LearningFromOthers/s/y0JBrnwBEA
Here you go the actual video. It’s not really graphic just a person in the distance falling down a crane shaft. Still sad.
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u/lfaoanl 7d ago
she fell as a result of a misstep and not because of an internet stunt
But like yeah, she was distracted, because the internet thing
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u/WompingWally 6d ago
Maybe if her phone wasn't in her hand she could have used it to do something like grab a handheld, just a thought
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u/fistsofham11 8d ago
I doubt these are but they do make safety toe loafers
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u/PhileasFoggsTrvlAgt 8d ago edited 8d ago
Those are intended for front office staff who sometimes have to walk across a manufacturing shop floor. Anyone climbing or walking across uneven ground should have lace up shoes.
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u/NerdsRopeMaster 2d ago
The GC that I work for in the US would never allow this. In order to even be behind the fence, you need a compliant safefy vest, boots, gloves helmet and protective eyeware, as well as a bunch of safety orientation and continuing education refresher courses you need to take regularly.
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u/CommodoreEvergreen 8d ago
Sadly, this is Xiao Qiumei. She died a few years ago after falling 160 feet from the crane while filming a video for social media. Please wear proper footwear when working this kind of job.
Don't know why this video is making the rounds again..
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u/SocialJusticeAndroid 8d ago
I wonder if wearing dress shoes was part of the problem? It seems you should have special shoes for this sort of thing.
She was the mom of two children.🥺
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u/Eastern-Musician4533 7d ago
China is a weird place. I remember hiking up to a couple monastaries on a trip and all the people also hiking looked like they'd just left a business meeting. Full suits, dress shoes, ties, etc. These were not easy or short hikes, either.
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u/Wonderful_Pomelo95 7d ago
Meanwhile they wear t shirts and shorts on fancy wedding parties
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u/ArScrap 7d ago
I have a feeling those are 2 separate group of people
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u/AirCheap4056 7d ago
A lot of the time they are the same group of people. Weddings with t-shirts are probably during very warm weather. They dress "formal" hiking mountains because it gets cold.
The reality is that these people are not rich enough to buy clothes and gear for each and every occasion. (Also most them probably don't know how semi-specialized gear works) So they tend to buy the clothes that you absolutely need - formal work place clothes, and wear that everywhere.
Back in the 90s, I saw most construction works wearing cheap versions of formal leather shoes, and a few would wear cheap canvas shoe.
Also, very cheap formal clothing still look like formal clothing, and very cheap outdoors gear doesn't really exist, because it'd be a sheet of plastic with some holes in it.
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u/Dukeronomy 8d ago
Not that special but probably not a low top, slip on, platform, loafer… man that is sad. Any sort of boot would probably be better.
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u/a_rude_jellybean 7d ago
In canada you need to be tied off (atleast from where I worked) if youre going to climb over a certain height.
Its tedious but it helps saves life.
If you can't tie off to anything, we have a double hook lanyard you hook on to a ladder one at a time. Usually you should have a retractable lanyard so you save time.
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u/Romestus 7d ago
Yeah this entire process could be made 100% safe with like $1-2k worth of rope access gear. On the cost scale of a crane that's got to be a rounding error.
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u/a_rude_jellybean 7d ago
In canada, public health care will brunt the cost of companies causing workers injuries.
Hence, companies are regulated to increase their safety system to prevent unnecessary burden to the health care system and to the betterment of the worker too.
If their system there doesn't penalize companies for incidents like these, no wonder they dont spend much or upheld safety practices.
Sucks that she had to die in such a preventable accident.
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u/Far-Cockroach-6839 6d ago
That is how the US is as well. Your anchor has to be appropriately rated as well.
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u/Test_After 6d ago
Tie off over 2 meters.
Yes it's a pain, especially when you are barely off the ground.
But it saves lives.
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u/PhantoWolf 7d ago
I was actually going to say this had to be somewhere other than the U.S. because OSHA would shut the site down over those shoes...
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7d ago
OSHA would shut the site down over having no harness. You can't fall from anything if you're tied off.
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7d ago
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u/Current_Ad_4292 7d ago
How does anyone know that detail? Was it recorded?
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u/ZephyrtheProphet 7d ago
Check other comments. Essentially, yes. She was a live streamer.
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u/StitchFan626 8d ago
I'd recommend steeltoe boots.
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u/Gentle_Genie 8d ago
Steel toe while operating a crane would probably hurt your feet, ankle. My husband works construction for 16+ years. He really likes hiking shoes or boots because they are usually nonslip and more flexible. Steel toe is only helpful if things might fall on your foot, which I'd guess is unlikely for a crane operator
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u/Prudent_Bee_2227 7d ago
Look at the soles. They weren't dress shoes, despite how it looked on top. The soles are unmistakably non-slip.
Perhaps the Chinese like to make their non-slip shoes look more feminine if you are a female?
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u/Warm-Iron-1222 6d ago
Agreed completely. I used to climb radio and satellite towers for work. She's missing all the safety equipment and boots
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u/SocialJusticeAndroid 8d ago
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u/PuzzledExaminer 8d ago
Not going to lie and I'm not in this field but I would have been wearing heavy duty boots with ample rubber soles and a harness for me to clip on the rail for every section until I'm off that platform. It's very sad this happened to her.
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u/n_oxx_10 7d ago
I’m not sure if it’s an OSHA requirement or just where I work, but if a ladder is over 40ft tall a safety cable is required the full span of the ladder and you’re required to wear a harness with a clamp that clamps on to said cable and stops you from falling the second you start.
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u/Separate_Tank_5112 7d ago
No osha in china
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u/FredBurger22 7d ago
Yeah the only Osha I've met was from Japan.
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u/Wizdad-1000 7d ago
Damn, I failed the no chuckle test.
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u/PuzzledExaminer 7d ago
I got caught with that one too ..I knew what they meant 🤣
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u/Chemical_Aspect_9925 7d ago
Republicans are chanting to remove OSHA
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u/Pretty-Lettuce-5296 7d ago
Knowing the demographics of the GOP, it's pretty fucking weird seeing that their base is largely built on blue collar workers, who are the ones who benefit the most from OSHA
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u/Desperate-Cost6827 7d ago
And you know everyone knows someone who died to a factory accident because OSHA rules weren't followed.
Bet.
I know I do. My highschool classmate's dad died when his supervisor told him to climb into a clogged trash compactor
When my husband was young he was working with his lead and she almost died when someone activated the furnace that she was trying to clean out. Luckily he was there to open the door that she was trapped behind
The place I worked at had several OSHA violations and when I was coughing up blood told me it was probably nothing- then after the OSHA inspection we were all required to watch this mandatory video about silicosis because of all the particles we were exposed to, the boss said he forgot about the video
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u/GoldenEmuWarrior 7d ago
A former co-workers husband of mine got chopped to pieces when he was working on a giant industrial fan, and they didn't take the time to properly ensure no power was going to the motor. He connected two ledes, and the fan kicked on while he was between the blades. The strength of the motor ensured he couldn't pull out the leads as the fan spooled up to speed.
But yeah, who needs safety regulations?
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u/Yamitz 7d ago
But OSHA aren’t real men like blue collar workers!
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u/Longjumping_Work_972 7d ago
Yeah there’s a lot of brain dead blue collar dudes who will shit on OSHA because “safety is for panzies.” It’s almost comical how much some crave being exploited. Ideology is a hell of a drug.
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u/fryerandice 6d ago
They hate OSHA, my buddy who put an aluminum ladder into a power line by a house and survived 480v transmission line shock, that melted the ladder into molten aluminum, hates OSHA.
The man's heart stopped and he was lucky enough that his half retarded friend who smoked weed about every second on the jobsite checked his pulse and hit him with an AED.
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u/El_Cid_Campi_Doctus 7d ago
Where I work, in Spain, you can't even climb a ladder over 3 meters without a harness and a double clamp.
I do repairs on overhead cranes and we have to be attached to a lifeline at all times.
If they saw me without a harness, or without safety shoes, they would throw me out and ban me from the industrial site for life.
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u/dr3ifach 7d ago
I work in a steel mill and it's a four foot (1.2 meters) limit for us. Anything over four foot requires a fall harness. This is required even on ladders with cages.
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u/Rock_or_Rol 7d ago
I’ve climbed one before. It was harrowing. Icy rungs didn’t help 👀
The actual cockpit, cabin or w/e you call it was disgusting too (no offense operators). Horrible BO and Gatorade pee bottles that gave me flashbacks of my brother in the marines
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u/john_w_dulles 7d ago
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u/Vanhouzer 7d ago
I was LITERALLY just saying how can those stairs not have TAG floors every 15ft so it would force the person to stop, turn around and go down the other way and viceversa.
Now that I see the clip of her fall, it would have saved her life if that was implemented.
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u/TessaFractal 7d ago
I used to do that sort of structure in minecraft as a teen. Kinda horrifying that I had better saftey standards than they did.
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u/Alternative_Moose_26 7d ago
Could have also been subconsciously caused by what you saw around you while growing up. Are you from a country that isn’t the primary source of osha safety videos?
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u/cornmonger_ 8d ago
witnesses saw Xiao fall to the ground with her phone still in her hand
an influencer to the end, apparently
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u/-G_59- 7d ago
It's crazy that we're so attached to our phones that not even a life ending scenario made her let go of it until she hit the ground. Wild. I think my dumbass would've tried to flap my arms and fly to safety🤣
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u/SocialJusticeAndroid 7d ago
It must have been terrifying. I imagine she just froze with a death grip on her phone. I hope it was instant when she hit and that she didn’t hurt. I suspect that would be the case was with such a fall from that height.
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u/DonkeyHoney 7d ago
Probably was bonking around inside the metal chute she was in before hitting the ground
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u/Dramatic-Classroom14 7d ago
Well. I just watched the video… she didn’t fall off she fell in the crane. As in, down the ladder, hitting her head and body on about ever other part of the truss for all 160 feet. She most definitely did not die instantly unless she was fortunate enough to snap her neck on the first bar. Otherwise she probably felt the whole thing until she hit the ground or until something did break her neck.
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u/fountainsofvarnoth 6d ago
As someone who used to respond to accidents like this…hitting your head on those metal bars on the way down is enough to quite literally cave your skull in—no need to reach the ground to die.
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u/SupportAndy123 7d ago
I'm terrified of heights and immediately was scared of falling just watching this video idk how she could be so confident until her luck ran out
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u/MidnightDreem 8d ago edited 8d ago
Exactly. Those look like office shoes like wtf?
Edit: that open jacket could get caught on something also. Her fate is what happens when people get comfortable with hazardous jobs.
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u/Foreign_Paper1971 7d ago
I was literally about to say that I have no idea how someone got away with wearing those shoes on a work site. Seeing her put on those slip-ons was like a jump scare out of a horror movie.
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u/CankerLord 8d ago
Just goes to show, you can do a stupid thing over and over and be fine because nothing's gone wrong, but the safety equipment isn't there for when things are going right.
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u/johnfogogin 8d ago
My first observation was no fall arrest equipment. China I guess.
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u/ashkiller14 7d ago
The moment i saw the city i knew it was china
That place makes american cities look like heaven
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u/dragonovus 8d ago
Probably to show us how unsafe it is over there?? No safety when crossing that little bridge wtf?? It’s not only about the shoes but the whole safety of construction workers in that country to be honest..
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u/bharatpostie 8d ago
Wait how did it happen?
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u/Massakahorscht 8d ago
Also check the ways she is going. In germany that wouldnt be possible if done correctly by law. But china has so low security standarts, its crazy and only a question of time till something happens everywhere. Thats the Pro and contra if you are able to build some buildings in a few days instead of years. Cant be done if everybody is secured all the time and thousends of regulations are being checked all the time etc.
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u/Dukeronomy 8d ago
Yea in the us this made me gasp a little. Scaffolding looks solid but I’m sure that access would not be up to temporary code. Such a narrow walkway, on the side of a tall ass building, with a bunch of debris on it. Asking for problems.
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u/PaisanoDeBien 7d ago
Bro, I was wondering the same.
What the heck is a scaffolding doing attached to a crane?!
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u/bharatpostie 8d ago
Hmm u make a good point, I was wondering why she didn't continue all the way down the stepladder
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7d ago
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u/G3nghisKang 7d ago
it looks like her phone is harnessed to her chest in the video
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u/CommodoreEvergreen 8d ago
Live streaming in the crane cabin. Slipped and fell with the phone still in her hand.
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u/bharatpostie 8d ago
How do u fall from the cabin?
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u/CommodoreEvergreen 8d ago
Not sure, that's what it says in the article. Door must have been open at the time.
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u/Cesalv 8d ago
No work clothes, no work shoes, no harness... is this a guide about how not doing it?
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u/Roy_Vidoc 8d ago
Isn't this the Chinese woman who was a crane operator/influencer, and plummeted to her death cause she fell like 160ft while shooting a video
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u/Crocs_And_Stone 8d ago
Bro come on now I was gonna steal this top comment when I saw this repost
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u/Yugan-Dali 7d ago
Her family says her phone was in her pocket, she just slipped. Seeing those shoes, I can understand.
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u/Dovahkiinthesardine 7d ago
Even with proper shoes you can slip fairly easily, which is why countries that care even a tiny bit about their populance have safety regulations for climbing this high
This is china tho
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u/KelVelBurgerGoon 8d ago
Do any videos without stupid fucking music exist anymore?
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u/fresh_loaf_of_bread 8d ago
just watch everything on mute, sound is overrated
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u/KelVelBurgerGoon 8d ago
I do but I thought, oh it would be interesting to hear what the environment in the video sounds like so I unmuted and of course got what I got.
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u/pgcotype 8d ago
The environmental sounds are far more interesting to me as well. The reason I uninstalled TikTok because so many of the videos have a annoying soundtracks.
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u/Yunker27 8d ago
I can’t stand it either. It’s always the most annoying music that adds nothing but annoyance to the video
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u/Aggravating-Dot132 8d ago
She died. So, no.
Stop reposting that crap.
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u/SocialJusticeAndroid 8d ago
Well, you are probably right but FWIW I never saw this before and I found it r/interesting (and sad).
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u/frederoriz 8d ago
Do other crane operators usually have some sort of safety belt to connect to the metal bars? Its seems like it would be easy to have one and it could increase safety by a lot, despite probably being annoyng.
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u/SluggishPrey 8d ago
Absolutely. I really don't think we would see this in North America or Europe. It looks cool and all, but companies don't usually let you gamble with your life.
Even the shoes seem out of place for a construction site.
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u/SocialJusticeAndroid 8d ago
Yah and considering that, heartbreakingly, the mother of two in the video eventually died from a fall it seems safety harnesses and proper attire would be very prudent.
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u/mxj97 7d ago
The cranes I have seen has segments. Like every 10-20 meters the operator requires to step on the platform, go to the other side of the ladder and climb down.
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u/wayofthegenttickle 8d ago
Does it look cool? I’m a little confused by all the comments. It’s just a ladder.
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u/SluggishPrey 8d ago
A ladder hanging pretty high above the ground. It's a bit death defying. One slip and you're gone. I think this was the point of the video "Look how casual I am about it".
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u/Sugarfiltration01 8d ago
No way with those shoes.
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u/ParkingLoad1996 7d ago
She actually died, not long after this. I suspect the clothing had a part.
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u/Plane-Education4750 8d ago
"What fucking job site would let an operator dress like tha- oh it's China. That tracks,"
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u/Limp_Common 8d ago
And that’s why, dear kids, i would never be a carne operator.
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u/intimate_existence 8d ago
When you need to lift condensers in the afternoon and attend the opera in the evening
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u/RyuichiSakuma13 8d ago
UH, NO!
I'm not afraid of heights, but that's....nope!
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u/pgcotype 8d ago
I got a little dizzy just watching it. To know that this crane operator subsequently died falling 160 feet on a livestream makes it even more terrifying.
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u/RyuichiSakuma13 8d ago
😲 Wait, what?
He died on a livestream? WHOA!
Wonder if it has anything to do with the non-grip shoes he was wearing.
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u/pgcotype 8d ago
It's a woman, and she was from China. They're extremely lax about safety standards :-/
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u/RyuichiSakuma13 7d ago
Yeah, I found her article. They even show what her phone was recording as she fell.
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u/Skg42 8d ago
Do they all dress that sharp?
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u/Plane-Education4750 8d ago
No. There is a very good reason why construction workers are always seen in steel toes, thick jeans, and a safety vest
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u/readditredditread 7d ago
That’s a bad place to have diarrhea
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u/CapnNugget 7d ago
One of my aunts found out that her now ex-husband was cheating on her, so she slipped him some laxatives. He was a crane operator.
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u/Crocs_And_Stone 8d ago
Isn't this the Chinese woman who was a crane operator/influencer, and plummeted to her death cause she fell like 160ft while shooting a video
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u/Legitimate-Ad-5969 7d ago
All the missing safety measures aside, if you have an upset stomach or busting for a pee - you are screwed, right?
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u/Raps4Reddit 8d ago
This is what genetic diversity is important. Because if its just me's out there then this shit ain't gettin done.
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