Emergency BMU incident highlights importance of safety measures

Oklahoma City Fire Department were recently forced to secure an out-of-control building maintenance unit (BMU) containing engineers working near the top of a 50-storey tower in the downtown area of the city.

The crane supporting the BMU became unstable, causing it to swing wildly back and forth in the high winds at the top of the tower, smashing a number of windows.

Authorities closed streets around the building to traffic and pedestrians for their safety. Emergency responders stabilised the crane, before lowering the BMU safely to the flat part of the tower’s roof. Engineers were tethered into the unit, as they should have been, which was vital for their safety.

This was an international news story, as reported by the BBC, which resonates with Integral Cradles, one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist access solutions.

Working at height, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), remains the main cause of accidents in the workplace. While mechanical and human error can give rise to accidents, taking a systematic approach to safety in every project, as Integral Cradles does, can vastly reduce the risk of accidents and injury.

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