A construction crew in Halifax had a surprise Friday morning when they arrived at work.

They found a man in his 20s, unresponsive and locked inside the cab at the top of a 30-metre-tall construction crane.

The man, believed to be intoxicated, had fallen asleep after scaling the crane overnight on Joseph Howe Drive, a busy stretch of road connecting the Armdale roundabout and the Bedford Highway.

Brad Connors, district chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, said the construction crew called 911 around 7:15 a.m. AT after the crane operator had unsuccessfully tried to rouse the man.

"[This situation was] very dangerous," said Connors. "Construction crews are trained in climbing techniques and safety procedures and the operation of the crane itself.... there's many hazards that civilians are not trained for."

Rescue technicians were sent to the scene and managed to wake up the man.

Once they determined he did not require immediate medical attention, they created a plan to get him safely back on the ground.

The man was placed in a harness with ropes attached to anchor points on the crane and managed to climb down himself while rescue technicians monitored from above and below.

"Our rescue technicians did a fantastic job," said Connors.

If the man had been unable to climb down on his own, the technicians could have put him in a basket or harness and tethered him to their own bodies.