Western Specialty installs 1,000-pound wreath

Western Specialty Contractors - Sheet Metal Division in Kansas City recently installed a 1,000-pound, lighted wreath on the North Kansas City Hospital in Kansas City, MO.

The 20-foot-wide, green painted wreath with red painted berries and a bow, is constructed of .090 mill finish aluminum. Western was contracted by Pro Electric of Kansas City, Kansas to install hangers on the hospital’s façade to secure the wreath and to check the wreath’s approximate 1,600 light bulbs and paint for any damage.

Western workers were lowered via a swing stage from the hospital’s roof to the wreath’s designated position on the side of the building where they installed 36 lag bolts and shields in the brick façade. The wreath, which was constructed in 16 sections, was then hoisted into position by the workers and secured. The project took two days to complete. Western workers will remove the wreath on January 6, and it will be stored onsite until next November.

Rod O’Bannon, branch manager of Western’s Sheet Metal Division in Kansas City, said its best to use an experienced contractor to hang any holiday decorations from a building’s façade due to safety concerns.

“When hanging any lighted décor, the first thing to check prior to install are the lights, sockets and structural integrity of the fixture,” he said. “The façade should also be checked for any fasteners that may have come loose, and the integrity of the wall that it will be mounted to should also be checked thoroughly to make sure it will safely hold the fixture in place. A fixture that is not hung properly could fall and damage structures or injure people below and damage the façade on its way down.”