An old ppt on tower climbing safety that was presented during an OSHA mtg in 2010. I would like to update it in the next five years. John Newquist johnanewquist@gmail.com

2. Climbing with Tree Belts
Before 1995 Reforms
Waist belt
with a saddle
to sit and
rest in
Adjustable
Rope Lanyard
3-6 feet

3. • Implemented in 1995
• Safety Standards in the tower industry
led to organization of
– Response to burden put on tower
companies to become compliant
– Most companies had to buy expensive
equipment that was sometimes not suited
for tower work

4. Full Body Harness 1995
Fall Arrest
Connecting
Ring connected
to antenna
boom with a
Shock
Absorbing
Lanyard
Leg Straps
Shoulder
straps to
prevent
coming out of
belt when
upside down

6. – Wireless Estimator has been keeping track
of fatalities since 2003 but many still only
apply to those in communication business
13
10
7
18
10
12
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Fatalities by Year from
WirelessEstimator.com
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

7. Prior to 2003 NIOSH
studies estimated
- The estimate was considered a
minimum and averages
over this period
There are studies to date of
tower climber injuries

8. • More and more antennas
are being placed on
crowded towers
• Increases the likelihood of
injury to workers

9. • In 2008, one half of the
Fatalities were linked to AT&T
Mobility expansion
- 100% of the deceased
climbers had proper fall
protection but did not use it
properly
• April 2008- 5
climbers died within a
12 day period!

10. • Incredible demand is placed on tower
companies to begin work on carrier
sites
– They want workers on the ground even
when supplies for jobs are not yet present
– Increases frequency of Free-Climbing in
order to finish jobs faster

11. Work speed-up leads to worker
error
• Damaged, overused, and improper
equipment
• Not rigging safety lines on horizontals
• Men pushed to work without proper
gear

12. Rigging Errors
Rigged with one
choker in the center of
the ladder (steel was
fracturing here)
Weld was broken by
the weight of 120 feet
of T-line Ladder
Other Factors
- Rigging with
lanyards, not chokers
- Homemade Blocks
and Tackle

13. Fire Station Monopole
Oswego, NY 2003
Steve Yablonski

14. Working Long Hours
• Climbers have to
work on
Broadcast towers
at night
• Cell Switchovers
also occur at
night
Work often goes on during the day at
other sites

15. Extreme
Weather
- Getting caught in
thunderstorms
- Extremely muddy
conditions
- Excessive heat on
compound stones
- Sites are not
prepared for
climbers in advance
(usually there are no
buildings or shelters
to get out of the
weather)

16. Remoteness of Sites
• Four wheeled
vehicles are needed
to reach most sites
• Occasionally,
helicopters are used
and equipment is
hauled up by Log
Skidders
• Many are located
on mountain tops
with winding,
washed out roads

17. Structural Concerns- T-Booms
- Many T- Booms are NOT
designed to support the weight of
a climber
- Some companies built towers
with warnings on the climbing
ladders that it may not support
the weight of a person
- Climbers have died hooking into
the top of these pipe mounts,
which have rotated from their
weight causing them to slide off
the mount
WirelessEstimator.com

18. WirelessEstimator.com

19. At least he has a hard hat
WirelessEstimator.com

20. Oversight & Accountability
• The fatality rate hasn’t changed much
over the years
• Many companies claim to comply with
the OSHA blaming their problems on
“The other guy”
• Fatalities get the media attention but
many more workers are badly injured
from falls, crushed limbs, and
repetitive strains

21. Watertown Daily Times 2007
This gentleman was polite enough to
pose for a news photographer and not
the slightest bit concerned about being
fined by OSHA (he wasn’t, it went
unnoticed)
How many ways could he
be risking his and the lives
of other workers?

22. OSHA Violations!
1. Broken Safety Gate on
hook
2. Hook connected by Cable
Clamps instead of a
Wedge & Socket
3. Man and Tagline hanging
from Insulator Shackle
4. Tree Climbing Harness
5. No Fall Arrest line while
riding a winch line
6. No Hardhat
Who knows what lingers
elsewhere on the site?

23. Culture of Free-Climbing
This man is using his Fall Arrest to
pull down the winch line coiled on
the ground
Taken November, 2005 in Pulaski,
NY

24. July, 2008
Positioning
Lanyard
Fall
Arrest
Device
Still
hooked on
the
harness
Rigging the tower
to lower the
microwave dish
below. Free-
climbing, no hard
hat.
2008 Pierrepont
Manor, NY
Worker below
working untied
taking off hangers
for the transmission
line.
2008 Pierrepont Manor,
NY

25. RF Radiation

26. Loaded
Towers
Climbers may be unaware
being over exposed to RF
Climbers are not always
notified of “Hot FM Antennas”
(FM Broadcast) and are told
that the antenna is dead
when it is not
I climbed this tower in
2001- We turned off our RF
monitors because they were
beeping as soon as we
turned them on

27. Washington State Takes Action
http://www.king5.com/video/index.html?nvid=30
7560
- After losing two climbers in 2008, a news station
investigation exposed ignored warnings within OSHA
- North Carolina & Michigan have successfully implemented
communication tower safety standards in an attempt to
improve worker safety

28. What Next?