Things-To-Do-Now

Every worksite has debris. Junk and litter and broken things and things that are used up seem to grow wild wherever construction or destruction is taking place. Usually it is dealt with as part of the natural order of things. But debris in high places can rain down death and destruction. Debris netting can prevent expensive and even fatal accidents.

Tall structures are more affected by wind than are projects closer to the ground. Sudden powerful gusts of wind have been known to blow objects and even people off of structures with no warning. Wrapping a building in strong, fine mesh netting will minimize the effect of wind on the work site. It can even limit the penetration of rain while still allowing air to circulate.

Golf netting, placed horizontally below and at the edges of the work site will prevent falling people and objects from falling far enough to damage themselves or whatever they might land on. The holes in the mesh should be small enough to prevent small items like nails and rivets from falling through.

One of the most historically significant construction projects in the United States was the Golden Gate Bridge. The wisdom of the day predicted that there would be one man killed for every million dollars of construction costs. It was a thirty five million dollar project and the workers wondered which of them would be among the thirty five who would lose their lives.

Their fears were not unjustified. Bridging the entrance to the San Francisco Bay was considered by many to be an impossible task. Citizens of the day recalled that the project was first suggested by the crazy-as-a-loon old eccentric known as Emperor Norton. Between that strong winds that gusted through the narrow passage and the frequent attacks of fog that would impair visibility and make steel girders slippery chances of survival looked poor.

But Strauss could see that in this unique situation the standard precautions would not be enough. He had a giant safety net installed under the bridge and extended ten feet in all directions beyond the work areas.

Critics might have considered the enormous net a somewhat extreme measure but it quickly paid for itself. Before the bridge was completed in 1937 nineteen men had joined the ranks of the Half Way To Hell Club. The members were so called because each had been saved from certain death by falling into Strauss’s net.

Former bridge workers remembering those days opine that the net paid its dues. It did not just benefit those whose lives were saved. Strauss, the city and the company benefited from money saved in lost time and the associated expenses of fatal accidents. They also basked in positive PR that money could never buy.

One of the bridge workers recalls that work on the bridge moved ahead faster after the net was installed. While not an invitation to carelessness having a net under them gave the workers confidence and allowed them to move and work more efficiently.

The safety net provided Strauss, the city and the company the added benefit of good publicity. The bridge was controversial. Many people thought it never should have been started. Strauss was not popular in many circles and had no reputation as a humanitarian. Some workers even questioned Strauss’s motives, saying he was actually concerned more about his own reputation than about the safety of the workers. However whatever may have motivated Strauss to provide a safety net the results were clear. The project came in under budget and ahead of schedule. Nineteen men whose lives could have ended before the bridge was completed lived to tell their tales. Credit goes to one man who decided not to scrimp on netting. Debris netting might not net such exciting results but it is likewise something worth not scrimping on.

Custom Netting Contractors