June 1, 2005 • A tower crane held hostage made news last week in Atlanta, Ga. A homicide suspect wanted in Florida, who had stormed the tower crane May 25, was finally subdued after a 56-hour standoff.
Carl Edward Roland reportedly told police he was contemplating suicide while on the crane.
It seems the man didn't give construction crews much of a chance when he charged the site, making verbal threats. The incident should serve to heighten awareness that tower cranes attract a lot of attention. Construction crews need to anticipate the unexpected and sometimes bizarre behavior of private citizens when tower cranes go up on a project. We've reported in the past about another incident involving two boys making it to the top of an idle tower crane.
The confrontation in Georgia brought the nearby retail district to a standstill for more than two days, shutting down Peachtree Road, the main drag through the district, disrupting traffic and drawing spectators. In addition to the original charges, Roland will face charges of criminal trespassing, reckless conduct, and first-degree criminal damage to property, according to the Fulton County sheriff's department. For CBS news coverage of this story, go to CBS 46 Atlanta.
Perhaps this story will encourage job site supervisors to take another look the security measures they have in place.
Rick Raef is a heavy construction safety consultant for Willis Group Holdings, San Francisco, Calif., a global insurance broker. He is currently the editor of WCSN-The Willis Construction Safety Network, an electronic safety bulletin distributed to contractors in the United States and Australia. Contact Rick Raef at raef_ri@willis.com.
