長野縣建廟社遇工業意外

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

長野県下諏訪町の諏訪大社で行われている御柱祭は、８日に大木の柱を建てる際に柱から転落した２人が死亡したことを受けて、落下を防ぐ安全ベルトを付けて柱に乗ることを徹底し、９日も柱を建てる行事が行われました。
長野県下諏訪町の諏訪大社春宮の境内では８日、長さ１７メートルの大木の柱、御柱を社殿の隅に建てる行事を行っていたところ、柱を支えていたワイヤーの１本が外れて、柱に乗っていた男性の氏子３人が転落し、このうち２人が死亡しました。３人はいずれも落下を防ぐ安全ベルトをしていなかったということです。春宮では９日も午前と午後に分けて、２本の御柱を建てる行事が行われ、祭りの関係者らが安全ベルトを付けて柱に乗ることなどを改めて確認しました。柱に乗る人は全員、安全ベルトを付け、このうち午後の１本の御柱はやや揺れましたが、乗っていた１３人の氏子はバランスを崩すこともなく、行事は無事終わりました。諏訪大社の御柱祭は１０日、春宮で最後の１本の御柱が建てられ、秋宮でも４本の御柱が社殿の隅に建てられます。

During the Onbashira Ceremony of the Suwa Great Shrine in the Nagano prefecture Suwa town, setback was suffered on the 8th when two people fell from a pillar (Onbashira) and died while trying to put in place the pillar which was made from a gigantic tree, and on the 9th using life saving belts that prevented falling, the construction work of erecting the pillar was held.

On the 8th, in the precincts of the Spring Shrine of the Great Shrine of Suwa in Nagano prefecture, during the Onbashira Ceremony, one wire that supported a gigantic wood pillar of 17 meters long to be built as one corner of a shrine building came off, three parishioners who had gotten on the pillar fell to the ground, and among them two died. Some how these three people had not hooked up the life saving belt that prevented falling. At the Spring Shrine on the 9th, changes on how the people that had connection with the festival should use life belts and how to stay on the pillars etc. were confirmed, and the event was held again in which two Onbashira were built separately in the morning and the afternoon. 13 parishioners who had gotten on it did not tip the balance and people who got on the pillar had life belts on, and the event ended safely although the Onbashira in the afternoon shook a little bit. On the 10th, during the Onbashira Ceremony of the Great Shrine of Suwa, the last pillar of the Spring Shrine was built, as for the Autumn Shrine, the four Onbashira used as the corners of a Shinto building were built.

If building safety standards were strictly observed, the death of the two people could have been avoided, I think.