Tower Climber Safety

• A look at the tower worker industry.• What has been done and what has

not been done

Climbing with Tree BeltsBefore 1995 Reforms

Waist belt with a saddle to sit and rest in

Adjustable Rope Lanyard 3-6 feet

100% Tie-Off • Implemented in 1995• Safety Standards in the tower industry

led to organization of National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE)– 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

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

Fatality Statistics –Wireless Estimator has been keeping

track of fatalities since 2003 but many still only apply to those in communication business

02468

101214161820

13

10

7

18

1012

3

Fatalities by Year from Wire-lessEstimator.com

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Prior to 2003 NIOSH studies estimated 188 deaths between 1992 to 1998- The estimate was considered a

minimum and averages 31.3 fatalities yearly over this period

There are no studies to date of tower climber injuries

• More and more antennas are being placed on crowded towers

• Increases the likelihood of injury to workers

Wireless Demands

• In 2008, one half of the Fatalities were linked to AT&T Mobility expansion

Wireless Industry Boom

- 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!

Work Speedup• 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• Crews are split up while climbers are

sent to other jobs to climb alone (often at remote sites)

– Increases frequency of Free-Climbing in order to finish jobs faster

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

Rigging ErrorsRigged 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

Fire Station Monopole Oswego, NY 2003

Steve Yablonski

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

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)

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

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

WirelessEstimator.com

At least he has a hard hat

WirelessEstimator.com

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

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?

OSHA Violations!1. Broken Safety Gate on

hook2. Hook connected by

Cable Clamps instead of a Wedge & Socket

3. Man and Tagline hanging from Insulator Shackle

4. Tree Climbing Harness5. No Fall Arrest line

while riding a winch line

6. No HardhatWho knows what lingers elsewhere on the site?

Culture of Free-ClimbingThis man is using his Fall Arrest to pull down the winch line coiled on the ground

Taken November, 2005 in Pulaski, NY

July, 2008

Positioning Lanyard

Fall Arrest DeviceStill 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

RF Radiation

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 notI climbed this tower in 2001- We turned off our RF monitors because they were beeping as soon as we turned them on

Washington State Takes Action

http://www.king5.com/video/index.html?nvid=307560

- 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

What else should be done?

What Next?