And by 'field' I mean the roof of Union Station
Part of the initial survey to turn this
Into this
Nice pictures & cool video!
What will the scans be used for?
Will they use the point cloud or do you deliver line work to work with?
Christof.
We just scanned and registered the building exterior and parts of the track area. A subcontractor mobile mapped the rail yard, and another sub scanned the building interior.
The company that did the interior is going to create the full 3D model of the building and create the line work, the mobile mapping company will create the base topographic survey off our control
Someone needs to chop down the flag pole in the first picture as it is violation of the law that nothing can be taller than the Washington Monument.
Very Nice
It looks like a very nice project to land and an even better one during the winter time. Although it looks a bit breezy on top of the station. It is much better to do it now than to try to do it in the summer. Those roof tops are not very forgiving to the heat. Thanks for the pics.
James,
Having mapped several rooftops in my day, I suspect that 50 foot ladder was the means to getting to that rooftop. Most times, I have to hand carry stuff up one of those.
A colleague of mine and I joke about how that "safety" cage will act as a series of opportunities to temporarily stop and re-orient one's body on the trip down. The instrument box would most likely make it to the bottom unobstructed.
Nice day in late December, however. Thanks for the pics.
JA, PLS SoCal
I am not one to be scared of heights, but there is NO WAY I would willingly be your I-Man on that 4th picture down. I cannot count the times I have moved my feet or swung my leg over one of the tripod legs, while looking through the instrument.
If I was forced to do it, I would take out a nice big life insurance policy the day before that field work, so my wife and kids would know I cared.
What would OSHA have to say about the absence of fall protection in those shots?
Once the scanner is set up you can operate it remotely with an iPad
One question I have is how did you get control up there? I didn't see any targets right off hand and I couldn't tell by the picture is you used markers or some sort of paint for control.
> One question I have is how did you get control up there?
1. Transferring control from the ground and the top of an adjacent parking garage
2. The DC height limitations means that GPS works great on rooftops.
Jim-
I agree with Christ but would not volunteer for "Roof Duty".
Cheers,
Derek
> What would OSHA have to say about the absence of fall protection in those shots?
How did I guess you would bring up OSHA?
FWIW - employees making an inspection, investigation or, assessment prior to or after construction are exempt from fall protection requirements under 29 CFR Part 1926.
But if I needed them to make a clarification, the Department of Labour headquarters is three blocks away.
> FWIW - employees making an inspection, investigation or, assessment prior to or after construction are exempt from fall protection requirements under 29 CFR Part 1926.
I looked this up before I posted, and I question the above interpretation. Here's the actual language from the OSHA site (though I didn't check to see if it's verbatim per the statute):
"The rule covers most construction workers except those inspecting, investigating, or assessing workplace conditions prior to the actual start of work or after all work has been completed."
One could, as James has, read this to mean that the exception applies to workers doing inspection or investigation work prior to or after completion of construction, and to those assessing workplace conditions prior to or after completion of work. One could also -- and I think this is more in line with OSHA's function -- interpret it to mean that the exception only applies to those inspecting workplace conditions, investigating workplace conditions, or assessing workplace conditions prior to or after completion of work.
Common sense says that you don't needlessly expose employees to serious (in this case deadly) fall hazards. My bet is that OSHA wouldn't approve.
P.S. to Ralph: It's just my nature. Most people enter a building and think, "What an interesting structure." I enter a building and think, "Where's the fire exit?" (Thus my abhorrence of Ikea stores.) Yet I spent most of the morning repeatedly climbing chain link fences that had the barbs up, though I did wonder if a 60-year-old guy should still be doing stuff like that.
You would never be able to do that in NYC without a Harness, tieback or some sort of railing. Even if it's OK with OSHA, it won't be ok with the fire department or the Building dept.
You'd get shut down the minute someone drops a dime on you.
Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. It is interesting to see what others are doing. This is a surveying job that is very different than what I do ever day. But I did survey the inside walls and support post of an old odd shaped factory once for an Architect who was changing it into a restaurant.
As for those posting OSHA concerns, "lighten up". Whats the big deal about walking up to the edge of the building, setting up the scanner and walking away. He is not standing there all day in gale force winds. He was in more danger when he jay walked across the street to the truck for whatever piece of equipment he forgot on the first trip.
Scott
It seems like that the rule should apply evenly, if for nothing else, demonstrating proper safety practice. I'm not sure the laws of gravity apply equally in DC or lower Manhattan.
> It seems like that the rule should apply evenly, if for nothing else, demonstrating proper safety practice. I'm not sure the laws of gravity apply equally in DC or lower Manhattan.
Unfortunately RJ, that's not the case. Take for example the 10 hour OSHA card. Nationally (I believe) once you take the course, it's good for life. In NYC you have to renew it every 5 years. You will not be allowed to work with an expired OSHA card in NYC.
If caught smoking on a jobsite (by the building dept) in NYC, it is mandatory termination. No questions asked. The building department will make the contractor comply or the Contractor will face the consequences.
There are several other rules which might even border on unconstitutional, that I can't remember right now. But out here they don't play around too much with safety, particularly after the Crane collapses of a few years back.