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More details on laundry chute death

Boilerman
Boilerman
Mar 26, 2016
8:27am
Block User
Please list the accidents that have happened in Las Vegas due to Laundry chute issue, and then we'll talk. Spending money to solve a non-existent problem is silly.

Last year an Indianapolis woman drove her car into a retention pond, and died. Some folks argued for railing around lakes. Oh my. How about railings next to hills? Maybe railings between all lanes with opposing traffic?


Quote
Originally posted by: O2bnVegas
Quote
Originally posted by: Boilerman
Oh god, I saw this coming. We now need to suicide proof the World?


Quote
Originally posted by: O2bnVegas
Maybe she was looking for more towels.

Seriously, I can't believe it wasn't required that the chute room be locked.

If this lady could wander in there, drunk or sober, so could a curious little kid.


Not suicide, but prevention of accidents.

Hotels, hospitals, etc., have the working side of the house and the visitor side.

Curious (or stupid) visitors (including kids) will 'investigate' nooks and crannies, places they have no business going into. Human nature.
They don't know the risks, which can include laundry chutes, trash chutes, dumbwaiters, equipment, etc.

Every housekeeper should have keys to unlock these areas when performing their duties.
Leaving those rooms unlocked is asking for trouble.
A slide lock that can be opened from the outside...are you kidding me?


O2bnVegas
O2bnVegas
Mar 26, 2016
9:06am
Block User
I don't have that data. Probably quite a low number. One, at least.

When something bad like that happens, management should take a look.
If it happens once, it will happen again.
And that could be somebody's child.

A year or so ago a small kid climbed over the barrier to the cheetah pit at our zoo.
The parents had looked away for an instant.
He was attacked by the animals before someone could do anything.

Had it happened before? Not in all the years. But once was enough.
They re-designed the barrier.

You do what you can to protect your customers.

surf87
surf87
Mar 26, 2016
9:34am
Block User
An easy fix would be to have a lever at each floor to open a hatch. It could prevent accidental fall ins. The D must be seriously looking at fixing it due to liability issues. They'll probably get sued for this death.
jatki
jatki
Mar 26, 2016
1:05pm
Block User
Quote
Originally posted by: O2bnVegas
I don't have that data. Probably quite a low number. One, at least.

When something bad like that happens, management should take a look.
If it happens once, it will happen again.
And that could be somebody's child.

A year or so ago a small kid climbed over the barrier to the cheetah pit at our zoo.
The parents had looked away for an instant.
He was attacked by the animals before someone could do anything.

Had it happened before? Not in all the years. But once was enough.
They re-designed the barrier.

You do what you can to protect your customers.


That's definitely not the first time that's happened at a zoo. I know I've read several incidents like that. At some point, people have to start taking responsibility, it's not up to others to provide a nanny management, govt. or whatever. Of course reasonable precautions must be taken, a gate with no lock to the tiger pit would be reckless, a reasonable fence that nobody could easily climb is reasonable.

Something mew comes to mind as of late. "Selfie-free zones". People are actually falling off cliffs and such now. I believe India has a couple dozen of them, they lead the world in no selfie zones. Should a small railing be put up and destroy part of the natural beauty of the place so a few idiots don't walk off the edge? I don't think so, but it will probably happen.
When we went 4 wheeling in the bottom of the Grand Canyon the half way point was a spot overlooking the Colorado river and was absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We were about half way down in the canyon, couple thousand feet? There was one woman who was peering over the edge, scared the crap outta me, I thought she was falling for sure. The spot would've been absolutely ruined if railings were put up there.


Boilerman
Boilerman
Mar 26, 2016
3:13pm
Block User
It wasn't a mistake, but instead an intentional dive. O2bnVegas suggests that we suicide proof the world? Please let me know of all of the folks who accidently fell down laundry chutes, and then let's talk.


Quote
Originally posted by: O2bnVegas
I don't have that data. Probably quite a low number. One, at least.

When something bad like that happens, management should take a look.
If it happens once, it will happen again.
And that could be somebody's child.

A year or so ago a small kid climbed over the barrier to the cheetah pit at our zoo.
The parents had looked away for an instant.
He was attacked by the animals before someone could do anything.

Had it happened before? Not in all the years. But once was enough.
They re-designed the barrier.

You do what you can to protect your customers.


Boilerman
Boilerman
Mar 26, 2016
3:16pm
Block User
So there have been zero unintentional falls down laundry chutes in Vegas, yet we need to change things? How do you suggest that we suicide proof the world?


Quote
Originally posted by: surf87
An easy fix would be to have a lever at each floor to open a hatch. It could prevent accidental fall ins. The D must be seriously looking at fixing it due to liability issues. They'll probably get sued for this death.


O2bnVegas
O2bnVegas
Mar 27, 2016
5:40am
Block User
Quote
Originally posted by: Boilerman
It wasn't a mistake, but instead an intentional dive. O2bnVegas suggests that we suicide proof the world? Please let me know of all of the folks who accidently fell down laundry chutes, and then let's talk.
Quote



Boilerman, I'm sorry you don't read very well.
My initial post said nothing about suicide, didn't use the word.

The article didn't conclude the fall was suicide. Apparently you did.

My reply to you was that I'm not suggesting anybody "suicide proof the world".
(How would that be possible at all?")

But sharp managers (hotels, hospitals, zoos, parks/attractions) look at 'adverse events' and determine if reasonable action is indicated to prevent recurrence.
Have you heard? People are lawsuit happy, even if the lapse is their own.

Humans can be careless (and curious) when out of their regular environment.
We look up and down and all around when walking the Strip, or a zoo, a museum, the grocery store, wherever people roam.

If that were my hotel, you better know I would be grabbing my managers to go with me to have a look, and ask why, how did a visitor/customer get into my laundry chute room, and what is needed to make sure it doesn't happen again?

I agree with jatki, I hate to see a lovely natural vista marred by construction.
I hate that City Center ruined my view of the South Strip from Bellagio. But that is a whole 'nother conversation.

chefantwon
chefantwon
Mar 27, 2016
10:27am
Block User
An easy fix would be to have a lawyer at each floor to warn you about possible lawsuit issues if you open a hatch. It could prevent accidental fall ins. The D must be seriously looking at fixing it due to liability issues. They'll probably get sued for this death.
Don
Don
Mar 29, 2016
8:38pm
Block User
Quote
Originally posted by: jatki99

Something mew comes to mind as of late. "Selfie-free zones". People are actually falling off cliffs and such now. I believe India has a couple dozen of them, they lead the world in no selfie zones. Should a small railing be put up and destroy part of the natural beauty of the place so a few idiots don't walk off the edge? I don't think so, but it will probably happen.
When we went 4 wheeling in the bottom of the Grand Canyon the half way point was a spot overlooking the Colorado river and was absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We were about half way down in the canyon, couple thousand feet? There was one woman who was peering over the edge, scared the crap outta me, I thought she was falling for sure. The spot would've been absolutely ruined if railings were put up there.

When DonDiego visited the Grand Canyon some years ago he purchased a book, Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon at the Gift Shop. It occurred to poor old befuddled DonDiego that the presence of the tome in the Grand Canyon Gift Shop, . . . among the snow globes, rubber hatchets, and "bags o'gemstones", . . . seemed a mite off-putting with respect to the anticipated hiking excursions. Nonetheless, upon returning from his day touring the Canyon Rim and a bit inside the rim, DonDiego purchased the book.
It confirms jatki99's trepidation about those who get jes' a mite too close to the edge.

Although there's lots of ways to die in the Grand Canyon - dehydration, airplane cash, even drowning - the most common means is falling over the edge. DonDiego's personal observation that day suggested the avid amateur photographers were pr'bly most at risk, . . . jes' trying to get that perfect photo and overestimating their ability to jump, balance, or stretch safely. He supposes the ever-present selfie-stick has become a major contributor by now.
The book also documented several instances of "gentlemen" falling to their deaths while urinating into the Canyon; DonDiego cautions the overconfident young males and those females with sufficiently strong bladder muscles to attempt this feat not to do so.

Anyway, the book documented over 500 deaths in the canyon, and that was some years ago. Aside from unpredictable occurrences like plane crashes the average remains something like around a dozen deaths per year.

Nonetheless, DonDiego proposes the fewer safety railings, warning signs, and other obstructions, the better. The Canyon is too beautiful to spoil. Besides, Death-by-Canyon is one of Nature's ways to improve the human species.


From The Las Vegas Review Journal:
"At 2:28 a.m., a porter in a third-floor laundry-collection room heard a 'thud'. When he looked inside the 6-foot-deep laundry bin at the bottom of the chute — meant to catch guest-room linens tossed from each of the hotel’s 30 floors above — he saw the body and called for help."

Regarding excessive safety precautions applicable to hotel laundry chutes, the reader is referred to the improvement to the human species comment, above.

Besides, DonDiego sorta hopes he goes out with a "thud"; it'd be nice to be noticed.
O2bnVegas
O2bnVegas
Mar 29, 2016
11:50pm
Block User
Quote
Originally posted by: DonDiego
Quote
Originally posted by: jatki99

Something mew comes to mind as of late. "Selfie-free zones". People are actually falling off cliffs and such now. I believe India has a couple dozen of them, they lead the world in no selfie zones. Should a small railing be put up and destroy part of the natural beauty of the place so a few idiots don't walk off the edge? I don't think so, but it will probably happen.
When we went 4 wheeling in the bottom of the Grand Canyon the half way point was a spot overlooking the Colorado river and was absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We were about half way down in the canyon, couple thousand feet? There was one woman who was peering over the edge, scared the crap outta me, I thought she was falling for sure. The spot would've been absolutely ruined if railings were put up there.

When DonDiego visited the Grand Canyon some years ago he purchased a book, Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon at the Gift Shop. It occurred to poor old befuddled DonDiego that the presence of the tome in the Grand Canyon Gift Shop, . . . among the snow globes, rubber hatchets, and "bags o'gemstones", . . . seemed a mite off-putting with respect to the anticipated hiking excursions. Nonetheless, upon returning from his day touring the Canyon Rim and a bit inside the rim, DonDiego purchased the book.
It confirms jatki99's trepidation about those who get jes' a mite too close to the edge.

Although there's lots of ways to die in the Grand Canyon - dehydration, airplane cash, even drowning - the most common means is falling over the edge. DonDiego's personal observation that day suggested the avid amateur photographers were pr'bly most at risk, . . . jes' trying to get that perfect photo and overestimating their ability to jump, balance, or stretch safely. He supposes the ever-present selfie-stick has become a major contributor by now.
The book also documented several instances of "gentlemen" falling to their deaths while urinating into the Canyon; DonDiego cautions the overconfident young males and those females with sufficiently strong bladder muscles to attempt this feat not to do so.

Anyway, the book documented over 500 deaths in the canyon, and that was some years ago. Aside from unpredictable occurrences like plane crashes the average remains something like around a dozen deaths per year.

Nonetheless, DonDiego proposes the fewer safety railings, warning signs, and other obstructions, the better. The Canyon is too beautiful to spoil. Besides, Death-by-Canyon is one of Nature's ways to improve the human species.


From The Las Vegas Review Journal:
"At 2:28 a.m., a porter in a third-floor laundry-collection room heard a 'thud'. When he looked inside the 6-foot-deep laundry bin at the bottom of the chute — meant to catch guest-room linens tossed from each of the hotel’s 30 floors above — he saw the body and called for help."

Regarding excessive safety precautions applicable to hotel laundry chutes, the reader is referred to the improvement to the human species comment, above.

Besides, DonDiego sorta hopes he goes out with a "thud"; it'd be nice to be noticed.


So a laundry closet/chute is a lovely vista that should be protected from locks, signage, etc. to protect the drunk/sleepwalking/stoned adult or curious kid from an unlikely (but has happened) but tragic accident? Keeping in mind that there is no reason for a hotel patron to have access to that closet/room/chute, how does this compare with known Grand Canyon accidents?
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