All in a Day's Work

Bridge construction began in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression, when unemployment was 25 percent and jobs were much sought after. With the exception of highly specialized jobs, the bridge was built by local labor. Besides the pay, the men working on it had a special incentive: they knew they were building more than just another bridge, but one of the greatest works of modern engineering. The weather was often cold, windy, and foggy, and work had to continue inside cramped spaces and high atop the structure, where climbing and walking were both dangerous and frightening. Safety was a priority, and workers wore helmets, special wind goggles, and headlamps for dark, enclosed areas, a first in bridge construction. The undercoat of paint, the primer, contained lead to prevent the steel from rusting, and workers wore respirators to protect themselves from lead fumes released during the installation of red-hot rivets. Today, the paints used on the bridge contain no lead. Another first in bridge building was the installation of a safety net during construction. The 19 men who fell and were saved by the net called themselves the Halfway to Hell Club. The bridge had only one fatality until February 1937, when a heavy scaffold fell through the net and caused 10 men to fall through to their deaths. Although tragic, the number of lives lost was very low compared to the size of the project and the dangers involved.

San Francisco, California · United States