| Saftey is the 1st Priority From what I've read here, safety was not enforced.
Just think if your the company that holds the $2M+
insurance policy what your rates will be hiked to after an
accident ewh? You would price yourself out of business
just paying the premiums. Send a Supervisor to every
climb. Send your climbers to safety class at least every
2 years (If nothing else to keep them on their toes).
For instance, this climber is an idiot and if a supervisor
would have inspected the job this job would have been
denied. Might I add the engineer would have been terminated
for not adding the safety floor. The tower owner never should
have allowed the install without the service floor.
WHAT NOT TO DO
God Bless the Families of the departed climbers.
God Accuracy to all current & future climbers. |
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Roop
join:2003-11-15
Ottawa, ON | I knew someone that used to climb towers. He got paid really well and spent much of it on cocaine which seemed to defeat the body's natural request to stop climbing. |
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| its not that bad, once you get past 30' your gonna die anyway so why not keep going up, the higher you get the better the view and breeze, and longer breaks when the groud monkeys are hauling your gear up.
All regulations aside I honestly believe that in good conditions, 100% tie-off is more dangerous. on a long climb of 300+ ft, I(free climbing) can get to the worksite, finish the job at hand and make it down without fatigue, while someone who is practicing 'safe' 100% tie-off will have arms that feel like rubber by the time he gets to the top.
I honestly dont feel sorry for people who fall and die unless a tower component failed, its YOUR safety gear, if you want to misuse and neglect it....ill be making overtime during your funeral. |
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| reply to MindBender
Mindbender, what are you saying is wrong with that picture? I am unsure as to what you are seeing. |
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| Do you see the steel mesh "floor" on the equipment arms above the one where the guy is working? That is a safety feature which allows the worker to climb the tower then stand safely while working with the equipment on each arm.
The guy in the picture is sitting on and has his legs wrapped around one of the arms and is trying to balance himself while opening and working on a piece of equipment tied to the same arm he is wrapped around. Imagine trying to remove a card or unscrew wires and hookups that have been attached with power tools while trying to sit on that small round bar with your arms wrapped around it. Not only that but the "thing" you are working on is offset and outside the bar by a foot or two enclosed in a box that you can't turn around to face you.
Now imagine if, like the arms above, there was a steel platform for him to stand on that allowed him to essentially stand completely safely while working from above on the same piece of equipment. See the difference? |
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3 edits | Thats what I figured the poster was referring to.....
I still do not see how that is an "OMG LOOK!!!111!" as one might say. Monopole structures without work platforms are very common all over the world. A lot of times companies will use a boom truck to get to the arrays for PM's (Preventative Maintenance), installations, and removals. There are always the instances where you cannot get your boom truck into the site to lift a man in a bucket up and in those cases you just climb it and work it.
I've worked countless times on antennas out on side arms/frames like that. There are no rules or regulations about it that I know of. You just have to mind your limbs and be aware of what is going on. You must also be attached to the structure using your fall arrestor and work positioning lanyards. Ensuring that the structure is 100% secure for climbing is also important. A lot of times things that seem secure and not going to move or break are not. There ARE regulations about this (selecting points and areas for tie off) and they MUST be followed. Without seeing more of that structure I cannot comment on how safe that man is.
And FWIW there are no "cards" and no "opening" devices. Everything that you see in that picture (without looking closer and knowing what is on the tower) is just a non-active component, aka its an antenna. There are probably only two coaxial connectors on there for a cross-polarized array and those are large connections which are easy to grab and work with. The nuts and bolts that attach that antenna to the steel are large (usually 7/8's-inch or larger) so ultra-fine dexterity is not required. Any "repair" work done on the antenna means you remove the thing off the tower and lower it down to the groundhand and do a complete swap out. No field repairs required.
Not to get off topic though. My heart goes out to the techs that have perished in these accidents. Those of us in the tower industry feel a close bond to our brethren much like power linemen do. It's a dangerous job, stress runs high, but you always are your brothers keeper.
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"No job is so important, and no service is so urgent that we cannot take the time to do it safely."
-- AT&T
--Safety One Tower Rescue Certified
--LLigetfa:"Wimax is like teenage sex. Everyone talks about doing it." |
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