Bridge work - a risky business.For the better part of six years, Bill Watts Bill Watts, (born May 5 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew has been thinking about bridges; how to maintain them and how to protect the crews that work on them. Sandblasting Sandblasting or bead blasting[1] is a generic term for the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds; the effect is similar to that of using sandpaper, but provides a more even finish , painting and performing routine repairs on towering suspension bridges is often work the general public pays little attention to, says Watts, the founder of Bridge Vail International Inc. It's only when tragedy strikes, such as in last year's fatal scaffolding collapse on the Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is a privately owned suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada.[1] The bridge is owned by the Detroit International Bridge Co. in Windsor, that people and legislators suddenly take notice. "Abridge TO ABRIDGE, practice. To make shorter in words, so as to retain the sense or substance. In law it signifies particularly the making of a declaration or count shorter, by taking or severing away some of the substance from it. Brook, tit. Abridgment; Com. Dig. Abridgment; 1 Vin. Ab. 109. is one of the toughest environments to work in," says Watts, who also runs a small engineering firm on the side and has * started a half dozen companies since graduating as a mechanical engineer from the University of Toronto Research at the University of Toronto has been responsible for the world's first electronic heart pacemaker, artificial larynx, single-lung transplant, nerve transplant, artificial pancreas, chemical laser, G-suit, the first practical electron microscope, the first cloning of T-cells, in 1970. "There's wind, rain, height, traffic and lead dust from the paint - all kinds of different hazards." Tapping into the knowledge of one of his early business partners, bridge worker Wilf Vaillancourt, he designed a scaffolding that was easy to install or dismantle, would shield workers from the elements and easily roll along a bridge deck without impeding traffic. His Mobile Workstation, designed for suspension and girder bridges, has landed him contracts to work on the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge The International Bridge, or, more properly, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. and the Seaway International Bridge at Cornwall. Bridge Vall offers a fully integrated, lightweight modular platform, for sale or lease, which can be custom-fitted for any size of bridge structure. Winches move the workstation into place along the bridge deck where it's secured with heavy cables. Crews are not required on the platform during moves. "We've had a number of learning experiences early on,", laughs Watts in recalling his experiences with the first prototype on the International Bridge in 1996. High winds played havoc with the large sections of tarps enclosing the work platform, forcing him back to the drawing board. But a trip to the annual Structural Steel and Painting Council convention in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. allowed him to confer with Verb 1. confer with - get or ask advice from; "Consult your local broker"; "They had to consult before arriving at a decision" consult ask, enquire, inquire - inquire about; "I asked about their special today"; "He had to ask directions several times" competitors and refine his modular design switching from manual to air-powered winches to move the platform more easily. To avoid worker inhalation of dust and other particles, he added chutes draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. to the ground with a vacuum to suck debris down to a recycler. Only a handful of companies in North America specialize in this type of work, with most bridge scaffolding projects being very labour intensive with large crews putting up and taking down entire sections as the platform is moved into place, says Watts. His platforms are fully integrated, lightweight and require no special rigging or crane for transporting. "But the biggest mistake that everyone makes is having men directly on the platform when they move it," says Watts, alluding to the Ambassador Bridge fatalities. With a Ministry of Labour report on the accident still pending, Watts suspects when the platform gave way some workers were not tied off with lanyards and safety harnesses. Watts' winch system eliminates that possibility since workers are not on the platform during moves and the modular design makes the scaffolding much more balanced and stable. He anticipates the safety of his system will resonate this year when he bids on another contract this pring at the Safety International Bridge and for the centre span at the Mackinaw Bridge in upper Michiganto. |
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