radio tower climb

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JRSherman

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+1 to anybody that finishes this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjDWWpYfNI

I don't think that even holds a candle to the 1700ft tower.

For starters, if a good gust of wind blew on that tower, and those guys dropped, it would be a lot longer before anyone got there to scoop up the bodies than it would in the middle of Paris.

For seconds, when that guy is standing at the tip of that radio antenna, there;s a split second there when he grabs for it all of a sudden, and I about pooped there.

For thirds, those morons were just punkazz idiots showing off. The guys that climb the towers do it to put food on the table.
 

HiPower

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Please enlighten us as to how functional you are after climbing as far using 100% tie-off at every step. I think it's proper that it is an option.

Ek
As was stated, most of the "climb" was via an elevator. The only real climb was the last 100' feet or so, which is easily done with 100% attachment with a proper fall arrest harness, and the one and only way I climb. You only get to slip once in a free climb. Even from a very short tower (say 30 - 40 feet), a fall will normally be fatal. 1700' and you're a greasy spot.

After a 100-150' climb, I'm functional enough to spend the day on the tower.
 

english kanigit

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I understand how short their actual climb was. That being said somethings don't allow for 100% tie-off. I've been there before and it drove the safety people nuts.

There are times when fall protection can actually put you at a greater risk due to it's bulk, propensity to get caught on things/ in things (this can be really bad around machinery that wants to EAT you) or worse.

From looking at the structure there aren't many places during the climb that I would be comfortable hooking in to. Like most things in life it is about understanding the risks involved, planning to mitigate them and then getting **** done.

Ek
 

JRSherman

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Like most things in life it is about understanding the risks involved, planning to mitigate them and then getting **** done.

Ek

+thousands. When I was in the Navy, you had two choices. Do it the right way, or get it done.

This sounds like they're one and the same, but they are polar opposites. If you choose to do a small job like replacing an outlet the right way, you will spend approximately 20 hours before you even get to the job. Things like creating a work authorization form; researching all the possible electrical systems intertwined with the outlet string; informing all the divisions that may or may not be present that day you're going to take down a circuit; preparing a tag-out; getting it all first checked, second checked, officer checked, officer of the deck/engineering duty officer approved; tagging it out; verifying it dead with an electrical safety/work area; replacing it; removing the tag-out(after being authorized by the proper officer to do so); verifying it works; and finally, clearing all the paperwork as complete, with all the computer tracking done as well.

Or you could just wait until midnight, take it out, put the new one in, and you're done. Otherwise known as "Midnight Maintenance".

I am not an advocate of working hot, in fact I utterly despise it. Sometimes though, you just gotta do what's going to make your day not make you get off work the next morning. These guys understood that the way they were doing it had the potential to cause them harm, yet they did it intentionally to save company time.

If I had the cohones these guys have, and did this job, I would find myself more freaked out by the process of unhooking left, climb one step, rehooking left, unhooking right, climb one step, rehooking right than I would just going 10 or 15 steps or as I saw fit, and take a break.

OSHA to me should be a post job assessment, not a pre-job worry. The crap they will and won't take care of is retarded.
 

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