RF exposure | Wade's Working Tips

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I have been getting more feedback. I want to get it out there so you can see what people are saying.

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I got some feedback on the climber that was shocked 130 foot up on a tower that I thought was interesting. Comment: “A metal tape can be a lethal weapon when used near electrical lines. A fatal case occurred in Britain on a bridge when a supervisor was measuring how close to train wires to build a scaffold. When the tape “broke”, the contact with the power line below was made and he was electrocuted. Add this to your toolbox talk list – save a life.”

My response: thanks for the feedback, awareness will help!

Another comment to the post on a climber that was shocked 130 foot up on a tower. Comment: “When is enough…enough? Why would someone be using a metal tape anymore the company should be held accountable and the tower climber should know better. As an owner I try to make sure my guys and or gals know what they are doing. This industry is getting me really stressed out. I may not know 99% of the guys out there but we all represent each other. It takes 5 minutes to walk around to make sure everything is good and know what the hazards are it saves 10 hours of paperwork when someone gets hurt. I know FCC DOL and others are trying to change things but I don’t think it will go fast enough and too many companies cutting corners to save a dollar.
Sorry if I rambled but I think you are one of the few that actually understand. To many out there who don’t think and would rather have a speed contest or pissing match. I am still trying to fine tune our safety to help everyone who works for us and make things better on our side.”

My response: Thank you and I see this kind of concern everyday! I know that the people who care are passionate about the safety of the climbers, even when many climbers don’t care about their own safety! I know this because when I was climbing I had my priorities messed up. I was concerned about the schedule until I had people work for me. Then I was concerned about their lives. I would like to think that we should be concerned about our own lives as well as the lives of our workmates! When you think of the risk, think of the goal, then think of what could go wrong, minimize the risks if not for your sake or the company’s sake, but think of your family, your parents, your spouses, or your children. Think what they would do with you laid up for a year or worse. Be selfish and take the time to be as safe as you can possibly be. Listen, while this is a physical job, it takes brains and common sense. Use this, use your intuition to look into something when it doesn’t look right. Your time now may save your ass in the end.

I had a comment on my story “A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast” concerning RF radiation, I thought it was a good comment worth sharing. “I grew up around communication towers, my father owned a tower company in Nebraska. The industry has changed considerably thru the last 40 years, safety seems to be the main topic yet it is really not enforced. OSHA has some guidelines in place but compared to similar industries they really don’t have much of a foothold on anyone. As far as exposure to radio frequency they should emphasize more attention to the long-term effects on the human body, and less on whether you need to be trained on how to do the job physically and mentally. It used to be an elite employment opportunity to do tower work, now with cellular sites poked up every direction you look, everyone and their brother has tried the job. Don’t take that to heart, what I mean is most people never really understand what makes the cellular networks work as well as they do. Men and women give up their families to dedicate themselves to multiple weeks on the road, working some of the oddest work schedules, under some of the world’s most strenuous occupations ever. They seem to forget that if it wasn’t for these people, the society we have become a custom to would never have been possible.
I am a proud guy who does HVAC work now days, but will always be a climber and will always remember how unique the business was, and will most likely be for as long as most of us finish out this life. Say a prayer for the dedicated folks who invest their lives to assure that our communication is forever improving because of their efforts.
Thanks to the ones who have been injured or have lost their lives to the industry. Without all of them, our society as we know it would not be possible.

My response: Thank you! I appreciate the support you give to the workers in the industry!

Here is another feedback comment from “A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast”. Comment: “Hey wade, I think it is great how you put together this blog/website. Do you or have you been employed in tower work? I was just curious buddy? I would love to chat with ya sometime a Lil more extensive about radio frequency expose and basically anything relating to communication industry, except of course the weather men out there, wow, talk about some interesting people! It is truly amazing how many folks it takes to put a 30 minute news clip together, broadcast it and manage everything that goes into true ‘Broadcast’, before digital and during the beginning of microwave 2 gig systems. That’s the real hot sticks, oh and larger Omni a.m. Radio stations! I have burns on my hips from the rivets on my lineman belt I first wore, before the new style 5-6 d-ring full body harness. Like I always tell people, do you ever, very often see or hear radio and t.v. stations off the air, Not a common thing. 10%-50% power is never “off air”, it is regulations they say, but the FCC has never had true guidelines to how the service on a live broadcast antenna is to be performed. There, I feel better…..”

My response: I have climbed for 12 years. I have mostly done work for carriers, public safety, and utilities but have done some broadcast work. I only climbed 2 liver AM towers, but several TV towers. I never had any side effects from the RF, I am very lucky. I do know that the Station to transmitter links, (STL) links we sometimes in the 2GHz range, if I remember correctly. I am not sure what they are now, I know many companies went to fiber. Most broadcast stations are on the air 99.9% of the time because that’s their bread and butter. They do have maintenance windows though. I remember that we would only be allowed to work on some towers during certain hours because some shows were very popular. On AM it was the Rush Limbaugh show, on the east coast we could never climb from noon to 3PM because that show was on. On FM it was usually the hot DJ at the time. For TV it was usually the local news or prime time. TV would usually do the work between midnight and 5AM, FM it was random, each station was different.

What do you think, let me know!

I got a press release I thought I would share with you, Recovery Logistics and Site Resources were purchased by a group of investors, as noted below in the press release. Here it is:

October 17, 2014. Apex, North Carolina.

Private investor group purchases Recovery Logistics, LLC (RLI) and Site Resources, LLC (SRI). The all-cash transaction led by Raleigh businessman Tom Mix was made possible mostly by private investors in the Triangle area.

RLI is a provider of business continuity/disaster recovery services with specific expertise in the wireless telecommunications and utilities industry. Non-emergency routine repairs, maintenance and network upgrade services are provided to Fortune 500 companies in the telecommunications industry through SRI. Together, the companies provide a single-source solution primarily for the wireless telecommunications and utilities industries, handling all background logistics during natural disasters such as power restoration, food, lodging, fuel and transportation.

CEO Tom Mix noted, “They have a unique platform already in place for multiplication. Highly motivated leadership and staff have earned RLI/SRI a proven track record. The small but strong management team needs additional expertise and capital for further expansion. I’m excited to be a key part of their continued growth by providing those resources.”

The combined company is based in Apex, NC, a suburb of Raleigh, NC. Warehouse, call center and equipment facilities are maintained in North Carolina, Texas and Indiana. In the coming months, new locations are scheduled to open in Florida, Nevada and Michigan. RLI has a national client base, serving some of the largest players in the telecommunications and utilities industries. SRI is a leading supplier in telecommunications in the Southeast.

Mix noted, “Disaster recovery and telecommunications services will remain in long-term demand. RLI and SRI are primed for growth, both with a business model of operational excellence. With this acquisition, we are poised to be an industry leader in the wireless industry, while maintaining the quality, safety, and integrity our clients have grown accustomed to.”

More About Recovery Logistics LLC http://recoverylogistics.net/

More About Site Resources, LLC http://www.siteresources.net/

Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.

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