May 24, 2024

By Lane Kimble

NEENAH, Wis. — Work on an I-41 bridge stopped for about two hours Thursday morning, not because of an accident but in hopes of preventing one.

The crew on that site formed a semi-circle around Patrick Harel and his custom-fitted pickup truck for a fall prevention “stand down.”  It’s the kind of demonstration Harel gave 27 times last week alone.

“I never get tired.  It’s invigorating, I love this, I’m passionate for this,” Harel said.  “I want to send guys home every single day.”

Over the course of about 45 minutes, Harel used harnesses, ropes, weights, and pulleys to demonstrate new technology and standards, while hammering home his main point: safety starts and ends with you.

“It’s up to them to make sure they go home.  Nobody else,” Harel said.  “We come to work because we want to provide for our family, but we’ve got to make sure we go home to them.  Don’t cheat safety.”

It’s a point well taken.  About 35% of all construction site deaths happen because of falls.  Of those, Harel says 25% are falls from ten feet or less.

“When you’re three-hundred feet up, yeah I’m going to hold on, I’m going to use my gear.  Six feet?  Not a big deal… We don’t have that fear of that height.  We don’t realize how dangerous it actually is,” Harel said.

Despite contracting with 3M for safety gear for years, this marked the first time Lunda’s safety team brought Harel on-site for a demonstration in Wisconsin.

Regional Manager Brad Diener expects to hold the training again.

“Kind of combat that complacency that you get when you’re so used to a risk that’s out there that sometimes you might not take the (proper) steps, so this is a great opportunity to kind of see the consequences of not following the proper procedures,” Diener said.  “Any fall can be disastrous.  You can fall off a step ladder and have serious consequences.”

Harel made sure to spend plenty of time talking about what happens after a fall, too.  He says technology has come far enough along that most people will survive the initial fall, but hanging in a harness for too long can cause blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks days, weeks, and even months later.

When he was finished, Harel packed up his truck and headed south for an afternoon session with crews in the Milwaukee area.  Behind him, Lunda’s crews climbed back up ladders onto girders and got back to work.

“They will (remember this) for the rest of the day,” Harel guaranteed.  “Tomorrow is a different story.  Hopefully they take it home.”