Notre Dame bans use of lifts

[IrishLax]

Notre Dame accident: School won't use hydraulic lifts to film football practice - ESPN

 

[Old Man Mike]

This continues to indicate to me that the University is handling all of this properly.

 

[anarin]

At the end of the day it will actually be an improvement to have all angles covered from a booth for recording, rather then a handheld camera from someone.

Now thats putting a positive spin on this

 

[GowerND11]

Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes an accident to make things safer. This is a sure step in the right direction, and as long as everyone remembers what happened they will all use caution and safety as the focus in how to tape these practices.

 

[IrishLax]

Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes an accident to make things safer. This is a sure step in the right direction, and as long as everyone remembers what happened they will all use caution and safety as the focus in how to tape these practices.

The irony? There was only one other incident in the past 15 years and the person walked away from it. Scissor lifts are not the death traps people are making them out to be.

It's borderline comical to me, as a structural engineer working in construction who has taken all kinds of OSHA training and seen all kinds of safety statistics, that this accident has gotten so sensationalized. Americans just love hindsight.

Over a hundred of people die each year in forklift accidents. They know how to be safe, they are trained but it still happens. Does that mean we should get rid of forklifts?

One scissor lift accident of this nature happens in 15 years. Was Declan Sullivan trained? That is the big question. If not, shame on Notre Dame. If he was, then why did he go up? Especially when he was tweeting about how dangerous he perceived it to be? Was he ordered up by a supervisor? Were there any supervisors?

There are a lot of unanswered questions (duh) but the important conclusion to be drawn is that the scissor lift wasn't unsafe it was just improperly used. The good news is with the new camera system we will never have to worry about human error causing a tragedy like this again.

 

[GowerND11]

The irony? There was only one other incident in the past 15 years and the person walked away from it. Scissor lifts are not the death traps people are making them out to be.

It's borderline comical to me, as a structural engineer working in construction who has taken all kinds of OSHA training and seen all kinds of safety statistics, that this accident has gotten so sensationalized. Americans just love hindsight.

Over a hundred of people die each year in forklift accidents. They know how to be safe, they are trained but it still happens. Does that mean we should get rid of forklifts?

One scissor lift accident of this nature happens in 15 years. Was Declan Sullivan trained? That is the big question. If not, shame on Notre Dame. If he was, then why did he go up? Especially when he was tweeting about how dangerous he perceived it to be? Was he ordered up by a supervisor? Were there any supervisors?

There are a lot of unanswered questions (duh) but the important conclusion to be drawn is that the scissor lift wasn't unsafe it was just improperly used. The good news is with the new camera system we will never have to worry about human error causing a tragedy like this again.

Well I think the problem lies in the fact that we are all very reactive instead of proactive. I have worked around that kind of equipment myself and know that proper training is a necessity. This new system takes out any human error which is why I applaude it as a safe step, though as you said, it is amazing how one accident can change everyone's mind set.
And you are right. Forklift accidents do happen more frequently. I feel that the reason it is not as "popular" with the public about safety is because of where this occured. Everyone either LOVES or HATES Notre Dame this made the accident so much more newsworthy.

 

[irishpat183]

The irony? There was only one other incident in the past 15 years and the person walked away from it. Scissor lifts are not the death traps people are making them out to be.

It's borderline comical to me, as a structural engineer working in construction who has taken all kinds of OSHA training and seen all kinds of safety statistics, that this accident has gotten so sensationalized. Americans just love hindsight.

Over a hundred of people die each year in forklift accidents. They know how to be safe, they are trained but it still happens. Does that mean we should get rid of forklifts?

One scissor lift accident of this nature happens in 15 years. Was Declan Sullivan trained? That is the big question. If not, shame on Notre Dame. If he was, then why did he go up? Especially when he was tweeting about how dangerous he perceived it to be? Was he ordered up by a supervisor? Were there any supervisors?

There are a lot of unanswered questions (duh) but the important conclusion to be drawn is that the scissor lift wasn't unsafe it was just improperly used. The good news is with the new camera system we will never have to worry about human error causing a tragedy like this again.

People aren't blaming scissor lifts....they're simply deflecting the blame off themselves. I agree that it's not scissor lifts, just like it's not guns that kill people. People want to blame anything but themselves. If they can avoid pinning it on human error, and tag it to an object they will. You see it everyday.

 

[JadeBrecks]

I am a construction worker. The one thing that was emphasized the most when I started was "you are the person responsible for your safety" You can make anything as safe as possible. You can remove all foreseeable dangers. It just takes one bad call to make it all go bad. Dont trust others when it comes to your life's safety. If you feel its wrong then you must stop it. Until this happens accidents like this will unfortunately happen.

P.S. This statement was not meant to bother anybody. Im just trying to help those who can learn. If it starts a fight I will remove my comment.

 

[BGIF]

I am a construction worker. The one thing that was emphasized the most when I started was "you are the person responsible for your safety" You can make anything as safe as possible. You can remove all foreseeable dangers. It just takes one bad call to make it all go bad. Dont trust others when it comes to your life's safety. If you feel its wrong then you must stop it. Until this happens accidents like this will unfortunately happen.

P.S. This statement was not meant to bother anybody. Im just trying to help those who can learn. If it starts a fight I will remove my comment.

Interesting commentary from a former college football videographer.

A Tribute to Declan Sullivan From a Videographer Alum | The Collared Sheep - A Cubicle Community

3/9/11

Believe it or not, I’ve already had a dream job in my lifetime. And believe it or not, I’m not being sarcastic.

During my glory days (college obviously), I worked full time as a student videographer for a nationally ranked football team. Since I write anonymously, it’s probably best I keep my alma mater secret too. (hint: The university’s bird-ish mascot rhymes with “pokie”; and Michael Vick may donated a lot of money before his infamous dog incident).


Rest in peace, Declan.
Every practice, every game, and early mornings/late evenings during off season were all spent grinding away with my coworkers as if we were just as important as the scouted athletes. If technicality is the question here, we were on NCAA scholarship, so in a way – we were part of the team. I even have a blinged-out conference championship ring. Even more, I signed a waiver saying I can be drug tested at any point. So basically, this dream job was being a the nerdiest athlete ever.

I often reflect back to my four years of working an average of 40 hours a week on top of my undergraduate classes, and think, “How the hell was I so freakishly happy?” The majority of my time in college was spent behind a camera or in the editing suite, and yet I have little complaints. I somehow managed time to be active on campus and have a social life. But the phrase, “Sorry, I have football practice” became a regular part of my vocabulary. Working on the weekends, working on Christmas and Thanksgiving, working while your friends were all tailgating and creating memories without you was all part of the package … and that was OK in my book, thanks to the tight-knit, creative, thrilling environment that I was chosen to work in.

I recently got really nostalgic when I heard the news of 20-year-old Declan Sullivan, a student videographer at Notre Dame who passed away after a fatal fall from a scissor lift he was filming on. I felt an odd connection with him. The tweets he wrote moments before the crash are similar to conversations my former colleagues and I had jokingly on walkie-talkie radios (we were charged $1 every time we were caught with a cell phone).

One thing I learned as a “video guuuuuuirl” (coaches/players often had a hard time learning names), you were always expected to go above and beyond with no complaints. Instead of wasting time with questions, you just figured it out: survival of the fittest. It’s a tough industry, so you have to stay on top of your game. I imagine that Declan Sullivan wanted to speak up to someone of authority, but just by the nature of everything, decided to suck it up, as we all do when we are unsure of how to approach a problem.

As tragic as this this situation is, it’s a great reminder to all of us out there to never take work too seriously. At the end of the day, nothing is as important as life. Football is football. Life is precious … don’t forget about that while you’re swamped at work

 

[BGIF]

Details on ND's Remote FB Video System

Details on ND's Remote FB Video System

ND Newswire
Notre Dame to install remote video system on football practice fields
Dennis Brown • Date: March 08, 2011
Posted In: Athletics and Campus and Community

Notre Dame to install remote video system on football practice fields // News // Notre Dame News // University of Notre Dame

Construction will begin March 8 on a remote video system for the Notre Dame football practice fields that will eliminate the need for elevated scissor lifts such as the one that fell Oct. 27, taking the life of Notre Dame junior Declan Sullivan.

“I said in the days after Declan’s death that we would do everything in our power to make changes to ensure that such an accident does not happen again – here or elsewhere,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “This system puts safety at the forefront in a completely new and innovative way.”

Designed by XOS Digital, the first-of-its-kind outdoor remote video system includes four Panasonic cameras mounted on 50-foot poles – one on the south ends of each of the three LaBar Football Practice Fields, and one on the north end of field No. 1. The cameras will be housed in temperature-controlled units, and a fiber-optic network will transmit video to a control room in the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, where members of the athletics video services department will be able to edit and produce various materials for coaches and players.

Video department personnel will continue to manually operate cameras from the two permanent structures on the sidelines of the practice fields.

“In bringing its tremendous technology expertise to the table, XOS has worked hand in hand with our football program to form a partnership that now provides a new method of obtaining the video materials that our coaches and players utilize,” said Jack Swarbrick, vice president and director of athletics.

XOS Digital is a Florida company that provides audio and visual systems and services for more than 900 professional teams and collegiate programs worldwide. It has installed various systems in several Notre Dame facilities over the past decade and soon will begin work on state-of-the-art audio/visual technology in the new Compton Family Center ice arena.

The poles were manufactured by StressCrete, the oldest manufacturer of spun concrete poles in North America, with locations in Ohio, Alabama, Kansas and Ontario, Canada.

The system is expected to be fully operational when the football team begins spring practice March 23.
In addition to designing an innovative new system, XOS will make a donation to the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund.

“We appreciate this wonderful contribution by XOS to the Sullivan family’s memorial fund,” Swarbrick said. “Our staff remembers Declan fondly, and our prayers remain with his family and friends.”

Notre Dame officials are in discussion with the Sullivan family to determine how the University can best honor Declan’s legacy.

“We are committed to memorializing Delcan’s zest for life and presence at Notre Dame in a meaningful and lasting way,” Father Jenkins said. “Our conversations with his family members will shape Notre Dame’s memorials of Declan in a manner that give authentic and proper tribute to their son and brother.”

Two investigations into the accident – one by Notre Dame and another by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration – are ongoing.

 

[BGIF]

WSBT Reports ...

WSBT Reports ...

new system will cost $350,000 and be in operation for the first football practice on March 23rd.

 

[Ironman8]

DS's Uncle's reaction to the ban, per ESPN:

Notre Dame camera plan supported

Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- An uncle of a Notre Dame student who died filming the school's football practice when a hydraulic lift toppled last October says the family is pleased the school is installing remote-controlled cameras to make sure such an accident never happens again.

Mike Miley says the family of Declan Sullivan hopes other schools will follow Notre Dame's lead.

Notre Dame announced Tuesday that it will no longer use lifts for videographers at football practices. The Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating what caused the lift holding Sullivan to fall as he filmed practice Oct. 27.

Miley says the family also is pleased with the university's efforts to memorialize Sullivan, saying they have been in talks with school officials. Notre Dame has said the school is committed to memorializing Sullivan.

Uncle of Notre Dame student killed in fall says family backs school's remote camera plan - ESPN

 

[Riddickulous]

This is the right move.