Hey, I thought I would offer more near miss stories because I saw that there was another rescue of some guys working a monopole on August 11th, 2014. They are not climbing but they were in a lift. Go tohttp://www.khl.com/magazines/access-lift-and-handlers/detail/item99810/Two-injured-in-boom-accidentandhttp://kingston.wickedlocal.com/article/20140815/NEWS/140818333 to see how employees working for Timberline Construction got stuck in a lift. These poor guys were probably happy to be on a lift and it breaks down. They called in for help at 5:11PM local time when the Kingston Fire Department was dispatched. The platform on the lift fell about 30’, they were about 135’ in the air. Hard and fast, then stopped. This was enough to injury the 2 men on the lift, one had facial injuries and the other had ankle injuries. It had to be scary for these guys on the lift. Actually that turned out to be a good thing because they must have been about 130 feet up and that brought them down to 100’ where the fire department’s ladder could reach. Apparently there was a loud bang before the fall.
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When both Kingston Fire Department and Plymouth Fire Department crews got on site they did not want to try to operate the list because of the problems so they sent the PFD ladder up to help these guys. Thank GOD they are alive and well. This is a mechanical failure that could have been really bad but turned out well. These guys got to go home at night with a few injuries and a story. Very special thanks go out to the Kingston Fire Department!
Both workers had all the safety gear on and were wearing it properly! They are alive to tell us that today. The workers were treated. PFD and KFD kept the lift open until OSHA arrived to investigate. Then they cleared the scene.
The lift was a Genie Z-135/70. About a year ago, June 2013, in Buckinghamshire, UK, there was another accident on this type of lift that ended in death. The owner of those boom, Kimberly Access grounded the fleet and after investigation they devised a new safety procedure before putting the fleet back to work. UK’s Health and Safety and Kimberly Access conducted a full investigation to come to this conclusion.
Story 1: After I left my one company they had to raise some large dishes on a tower in upstate NY. Well the plan was to raise the dish and there were still crates of hardware all over the site. The dish was not directly under the tower. To save time they thought they would use the winch to move it and just guide it in. Well, when they raised the dish, it kicked, and pushed one guy towards the hardware crate where his leg, just above the ankle, got pinned between the crate and the dish, guess what happened, his leg snapped. It went from straight to a 90 degrees in seconds and was pinned until the rest of the people could get over there to free him. It happened so fast that some people were in shock. It pays to plan and have a clean site. He was laid up for a very long time. Lesson learned: clean site, plan the lift, tag the load, prepare the people, make sure the winch guy is on the same page as the crew.
Story 2: We were changing out a TV stack from a 90′ analog stack to a 65′ digital. When the new stack came up 1 of the crew members forgot to stay at the tower top to help land it and instead went up to the rooster head of the gin pole. When the guy tried landing it alone he got the first spud perfect but crossed holes on the second. We came down with all the weight resting on the spud. When we tried to take the weight back up, the stack jumped 4′ up, then came crashing back down into the tower top. We pinned it, but bent our gin pole pretty good. Could have been a bad day if it snapped. Lesson learned: plan where each person should be at the time of the lift, stick to the plan unless there is a good reason not to.
Lessons learned? You tell me! Other Lessons Learned postshereandhereandhere.
Thank you all for the Near miss stories and keep them coming!
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By the way, if you read this far, I am planning to put out a new program training the tower workers on the paperwork and processes needed in this industry.
Qualifications, do you think that just because you climb towers you are qualified to do anything on the tower? What does your company bid on? Does your crew install dishes or LTE arrays or broadcast antennas or stack towers or strengthen towers? Do you know if you are qualified to do this work on the tower? Did your boss assign your crew a job that you know you are not qualified to do? Did you read the paperwork before you started? Are you in over your head? Is it do or die? No, it isn’t! Because if you are not prepared to pull that load up the tower then maybe you should say something to whoever is running the show. Either get the right crew with the right tools or get another company in there to do it!
You company should not be bidding on anything with a dollar sign. Like Clint Eastwood said as Harry Callahan in “Magnum Force”, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” It was much cooler when Clint said it, but you get the idea! Do you know your limitations? Did you plan on lifting such a heavy and large load? Do you know the ratings on your ropes, blocks, shackles, straps, and all associate hardware? Do you? Do you know how to mount to the tower? How about what to mount to on the tower? Do you mount to a small cross member for a large load? Can you tag the load out with the people you have? Ask yourself, can I do this with the people I am working with? Answer honestly!
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Listen, some companies bid on work because they need the work, not always because they can do the work.Reputation is big in this industry so that is why when something happens they need to correct it immediately. Accidents happen and most people can forgive, but you need to work extra hard to earn forgiveness and avoid a repeat in the future. If you are good at what you do, then the word of mouth should help you out.
There is a lot of speculation about how prepared a crew was recently and if they should have been doing this work because of an accident. Could it have been prevented or was it a faulty piece of hardware? If you read this then you can probably guess what accident I am talking about. If you don’t know then gohere.
So if you are the one bidding on the work you had better know what your crews can handle. Do they fly dishes or cell mounts? Do they erect towers? If so what kind and how big? Do you think you can do it all? Think again. How experienced is the crew that will be doing the work? How confident are they? How smart are they? How smart are you? All questions that should be asked prior to the responding to the offer.
You see, the thing here is if you are wrong, it may not be a bad day but a funeral. It may cost someone more than a damaged reputation! Think about it. That is why I am in favor of not only experience and learning, but understanding your limitations. If you have worked on something similar than you will understand what is involved and the risks! If you are getting into something new, then it would be a good idea to hire someone who knows what they are doing and get the equipment to handle the job. Plan it out. Read the SOW, look at the BOM, understand you equipment’s ratings. Know what you have and what you will be doing by making a plan.
If something goes wrong, OSHA will look at the people doing the work and that company who is doing the work, but I am thinking they should go beyond that, end to end. Tower owners to the end customer so they know all the factors involved. I am pretty sure that someone at OSHA is looking at this rolling their eyes because they are overworked, but I think once they get the system in place then it will benefit everyone. Once the standards and requirements are set then they will roll it out to the industry. For the tower crews it will probably mean more paperwork to qualify everyone and that will mean more costs for the customer because it will not be free. We all know that paperwork means more money. We also know that it may weed out some of the crews that should not be out there in the first place. It may get ugly before it gets pretty again.
Did someone ask how to use a Capstan properly?
Hey, great resource for Capstan winches from GME Supply, and no, I do not get any type of kickback! I just think this is an excellent resource for someone using a capstan. Kudos to GME Supply for putting this out! I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier!Presented by Keith Willey of Hubbell Power Systems. Great job Keith! It’s all about the drag!
Also, I got a message from Richard Evans that the tower lighting is enforced so harshly because if a helicopter or small plane crash into it then people will die! They will not survive a crash. So that is why the fines for the tower lighting are so severe and they need to notify the FAA immediately. I really didn’t think about the helicopter traffic, so that is something that needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the fines. I should have thought about that and the towers on the mountain tops. They are all factors for the tower lights causing planes and helicopters to be safe.
A man has got to know his limitations!
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First off, thank you for all the near miss stories, I appreciate it! Link ishereif you missed it. Keep them coming!
Let’s talk fines and how the FCC and OSHA fines compare. I wanted to go over what the FCC and OSHA are up against. They both issue a lot of fines and many of them take research. The FCC covers so many issue as does OSHA. All that we see is our world and the problems we face. We cry for help because we are losing fellow climbers. We are asking OSHA to help and now the FCC has joined our cause. I thought I would show you how many fines and all the work both organizations do. These guys mostly hear us whine and complain, but there are people working hard in the groups that are trying to make a difference. While I don’t agree with all of the fines, I find them all interesting. This may help us understand why they are taking so long to do anything. That is, we understand unless you know someone who died. Then all this seems unimportant because they need to step in to make sure it never happens again. Look at the losses in the tower industry this year and you see that several of the fallen were older. They were in their 30s and 40s. We need to find out what is happening, and we have been asking OSHA to help. Remember that several climbers were injured and stuck on towers and had to be rescued by fireman after waiting for EMS to respond after the 911 call. Our industry needs help.
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So I was reading an article,http://www.somdnews.com/article/20140730/NEWS/140739911/1045&source=RSS&template=gazette, where the FCC imposed a $10,400 fine, reduced from $13,000, for tower lights that were out. The FCC fined Washington Gas for a 2010 Frederick Tower light outage. Washington Gas did notify the FAA immediately, but 4 days after the outage. This is the reason for the fine. I don’t know the circumstances but just bare with me so I can make a point.
OSHA fined S & S Tower Company $14,000 for a tower collapse that killed 2 tower climbers causing a second tower collapse that killed a fireman. In this case three people died, and the fine was slightly more. This was the second violation for this company. However, this seemed to be an accident.
Now looking at this I have to wonder if the FCC has more clout in the government or how the fines for 2 penalties that are drastically different can be so close in dollar amount. Does this make sense to anyone? I think that it’s time that the Department of Labor and the FCC collaborate on how the fines are issued. Something appears to be very wrong here.
Listen, fines are tough, and I have never been on a crew that got any, thank GOD, but I do know that they should be fair. These are 2 incidents that warrant fines as the law is written, but it seems that the heavy fine for the light outage seems excessive and the fine for the fatalities seems light. My opinion!
Now, if you look at how OSHA hammered Morlan Enterprises back on February 25th, 2014, when they saw 2 employees climbing without the proper climbing gear, on a monopole surrounded by trees. They hammered them with $35,000 in fines. No previous violations, but this was a willful violation who was the first to violate the rule stating that workers must have effective fall protection. Keep in mind this was a willful violation, they willingly decided to ignore the safety rules set by OSHA!
So to give you an overview of all the fines, OSHA handed out 8,241 fines for Fall Protection violations in 2013 according to thisarticle. Fall violations were #1 in OSHA’s fine list. They do not take it lightly for any industry.
Now for the FCC it is much harder to count and separate the fines. So I went to their headlines screenhereand loaded the data into Excel and here is what I saw was around 90 total fines issued in 2014. The FCC fines are very complicated for the most part. They range fromfencing violationstoEmergency alert violationstofining Intelfor importing unapproved smart phones and tablet. By the way,Wal-Martwas fined $120K for wireless mic marketing issues!
So to sum this up, in the wireless communications tower industry we have needs but these departments are overseeing a ton of industries. So because the tower work is small they tend to get overlooked. I think that the 13 deaths last year and the 9 deaths this year have changed that. I also think that the record hiring rate of green climbers is going to change things. We want everyone to be safe and look out for each other. We need these people to be trained properly and to gain experience from experience. The FCC and OSHA are doing what they can with what they got. What about you? Are you doing what you can to train new climbers or do you sit there and say that someone should do something? I wrote this and I am trying to get the word out beyond Facebook, show some support.
So my question to you, the reader (or listener), what do you think is fair? Is this another government oversight where they just issue fines without a thought standard across the industry? Should the FCC work with OSHA to issue fines in the communications industry? What do you think is fair?
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But wait, there’s more!
Following these fines, I think that it’s time that OSHA niches down to have a specific division that can concentrate specifically on the tower industry. Even if it’s just one guy. Or maybe listen to the complaints that roll in. Could we do that? They dish out many fines, but they only have so many resources, they need a specialist for the tower industry.
* We impose a penalty of $15,000 against Jean Richard Salvador for operating an unlicensed FM radio station on the frequency 89.5 MHz in Miami, Florida. Although Mr. Salvador denies operating the unlicensed station in September 2013, he did not dispute that he operated the station in June or July of 2013. *
We propose a penalty of $10,000 against Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises (Duhamel), for failing to ensure that its antenna structure was properly illuminated. Although Duhamel believed that the structure did not require lighting because of its position in a three-tower array, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified Duhamel officially that lighting was required for the antenna structure. Given that public safety is at risk when antenna structures are not properly illuminated, Duhamel’s failure to light the structure after the FAA notification warrants a significant penalty. In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order (NAL), we find that Duhamel, owner of antenna structure number 1042912 in Rapid City, South Dakota (Antenna Structure), apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 303(q) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act), and Sections 17.23 and 17.48(a) of the Commission’s rules (Rules), by failing to exhibit required lighting on the Antenna Structure during nighttime hours and for failure to notify the FAA immediately that the Antenna Structure was not lit. We conclude that Duhamel is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
We propose a penalty of $25,000 against CMARR, Inc. (CMARR), for apparently willfully interfering with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) weather radar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by operating radio transmitters without a license. Given the risk to public safety created by CMARR’s unlicensed operations, and the fact that CMARR had already received a warning for similar violations, these actions warrant a significant penalty.
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), we find that CMARR, operator of an Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) transmission system in San Juan, Puerto Rico, apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Sections 301 and 333 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act),[1] by causing interference to the FAA by operating an intentional radiator without a license. We conclude that CMARR is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
We propose a penalty of $7,000 against Sound Communications, LLC (Sound Communications) for apparently failing to enclose AM Station WENY’s antenna structure in Southport, New York, within an effective locked fence. Sound Communications admitted to leaving a gate unlocked for several days so that personnel from a tower repair company could gain access to the antenna structure site in order to prepare a bid for a repair project. The unlocked gate was of particular concern to FCC agents because the antenna structure is located in a residential neighborhood.
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), we find that Sound Communications, licensee of Station WENY and owner of antenna structure number 1053420 (Antenna Structure) in Southport, New York, apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 73.49 of the Commission’s rules (Rules),[2] by failing to enclose the antenna structure within an effective locked fence. We conclude that Sound Communications is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of seven thousand dollars ($7,000).
OSHA fines for tower companies (OSHA cites many companies but I only see a few violations in the past few months);
COOLVILLE, Ohio – Two workers were free climbing, or climbing without safety lines, a 195-foot communication tower under construction without adequatefall protection in Coolville. As a result, Morlan Enterprises has been cited for one willful and eight serious safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA has proposed penalties of $52,500.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Following the collapse of a Clarksburg communication tower in February 2014 that seriously injured two and claimed the lives of two employees and a volunteer firefighter, S and S Communication Specialists Inc. has been cited for two serious workplace safety violations. The citations issued to the Hulbert, Oklahoma-based Company follow an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Tower fatalities from OSHA;
6/17/2014
Microwave Transmission Systems Inc., San Angelo, TX 76903
Worker died after falling from tower.
Fatality
3/25/2014
Wireless Horizon, Westmoreland, KS 66549
Two workers killed when a wireless communications tower collapsed.
Fatality
3/19/2014
Redwing Electric, LLC, Pasadena, MD 21122
Worker killed in fall from water tower.
Fatality
2/1/2014
S. & S. Communication Specialist Inc., Clarksburg, WV 26301
Two workers killed in a communications tower collapse.
Fatality
11/22/2013
Optica Network Technologies, N. Wichita, KS 67219
Maintenance worker died in fall from communication tower.
Fatality
Dehydration alert!
Remember what Art Seely, (the CEO at Safety One International Training and a senior paramedic,http://safetyoneinc.com/) says, “A summer climber needs fluid with electrolytes such as a diluted 50% Gatorade mixture to drink at 10 minute intervals. The only disadvantage to 50% diluted Gatorade is the stomach “sees” the nutrients in the solution and immediately passes the fluid on to the small intestine where the absorption rate is only 1/3 as fast as if the fluid stayed in the stomach. With pure water the fluid stays in the stomach and is more quickly passed to the blood stream. Once in the blood stream the rehydration progresses next to the cells and finally to the interstitial spaces. The point of mentioning that is that even though a climber feels better after rehydrating from serious dehydration he should wait at least 12 hours to resume any significant work. In winter climbs the majority of the fluid loss is through the surface of the lungs which unlike perspiration does not upset electrolyte balance and water is a great substitute to drink before, during and after the climb… In either case once you have a victim on a tower or on the ground the initial attempts at “fluid resuscitation” should always utilize water at close to body temperature. As with all victims they must be able to hold the fluid container and drink from it themselves, do not attempt to pour it into their mouth as vomiting and aspiration resulting in a delayed bacterial pneumonia is a likely result and that can easily be fatal without prompt hospitalization. Once the victim’s symptoms start to improve then if they were in a hot environment you can start with Gatorade at 50% or 100% concentrations.
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By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think. I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Is this going to help you? Let me know on Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283
Updated links, he was a tower painter and the accident was at 13668 E Morseville Rd, in Stockton, Ill. on Sunday afternoon around 1:48PM local time. He apparently fell from 80 to 90 feet. Thomas Lucas of Toledo, Il, was 49 years old.
Another fallen worker, another loss in the industry. As seen in Wireless Estimator,http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfmthere was another fallen worker near Stockton, Il. quoting Wireless Estimator, “Jo Daviess County Coroner Bill Laity said that the man who fell from a communications tower in rural Stockton Sunday was Thomas W. Lucas, 49, of Toledo, Ill. According to Laity, Lucas was painting the structure when he fell. Laity did not know if Lucas was self-employed”
Apparently Sunday afternoon, August 10th, this happened. It seems not many people on the news wire picked it up. Just so you know the details are scarce, we just don’t know much at this time but here are some articles that may help.
Let’s talk about the FCC and the DOL tower safety and injury prevention workshop! The link can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db0804/DA-14-1131A1.pdf if you want to read about it. This is great news, hallelujah! Way to go FCC & OSHA! (OSHA is part of the DOL.) This is a good thing and needs to be looked at! This year, 9 fatalities to date and 13 last year, this is something that really needs to be addressed. The FCC & DOL released the document on August 4th, 2014, and it’s great that they are stepping up. If you would like to watch it online and live make sure that on October 14th at 9AM ET you go to http://www.fcc.gov/live and see all the action.
By the way, this is post #131 that I put out there for you! I am on podcast #25 already! Tell your wireless friends!
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Wireless Estimator has an update at http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfm if you want to see what Jonathon Adelstein, President and CEO of PCIA says. There is speculation that PCIA is pushing this and I know that they publicly endorse the event.
So what do you think they will discuss? Remember that it is safety and injury prevention, so that will open up many issues. I am hoping they stick to the death prevention first. We really need to prevent as many deaths as we can. That isn’t just going to be saying tie off 100% of the time. It’s going to be about making sure that the climber has something to tie off to on the structure! It’s going to be making sure that installations are thought out to the detail that a climber can make it around or through the structure on the tower.
Let me ask how many of the tower climbers have had to climb off the climbing leg to get around a dish or a mount or over an antenna? How many monopoles did you squeeze through the platform opening just to get to the next level? How many faces did you cross by holding on?
I think now that the communications industry is changing it would be a good time to update the towers. There will be 2G and 3G decommissioning happening soon. The next wave of LTE-A and 5G builds will be starting. This is a good time to see the industry work together to improve the conditions on towers. Pretty soon the entire radio, BBU and RF, will be on the tower in communications. Only fiber and power will be run up the tower. If there is wireless backhaul, then only power will be run up the tower.
Let’s think ahead, not just in wireless technology but also in mechanical and safety technology to make those structures safe so that the climbers can follow safe processes. Let’s make it so that the tailgate meetings include someone saying how much they love climbing this tower because they have an easy time maneuvering and tying off. Would that be a pleasant conversation for a change?
With the RRHs getting heavier and more common the tower will be asked to hold more and more weight in the radio and the steel. Let’s make sure that we plan out the tower modifications carefully! Let’s make sure that the mechanical engineers are ready to make the changes to the towers. It’s a team effort and when they beef up the tower they can also add some tie off points and plan out the climbing paths. Maybe a better way to cross the face.
So let’s make some noise and let the FCC know that it will take more than just OSHA trying to report what happened. Let’s see if the industry can come together to prevent all the threats. Let’s make it safer than ever with careful planning and thought. I don’t want them to just throw another initiative that is lip service; I would like to see real planning and industry buy in! If the money is going to be spent on growth, let’s grow the best way we can!
Where and when?
Date: October 14, 2014
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: FCC Headquarters
Commission Meeting Room
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
Remember to give me your near miss stories, it seems more relevant now that ever, right? Let me know! Email me atwade4wireless@gmail.comor leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. I cover it here.
Other information!
Yes, Kelly Hill of RCR did asked me about the new OSHA directive.
Remember that theHubble Foundation needs your support. They help any climber in need, so remember that when you need help and if you can help! Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang! By the way, how much did you give today?
By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think. I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Is this going to help you? Let me know on Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283
Hello all, I wanted to go over 4 things today. Something that you hear about tower work is all the risks. What about the things that most workers live in, like their truck. I thought it might be fun for all of you to talk about what you drive. When you do tower work your truck is your office, you live in it. You probably had one that you loved and one that you hated. I have a survey so I expect you to let me know in a sentence or 2.
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I also want to give you some links to gain access to the rope experts, just to let you know what is going on. IRATA and SPRAT are excellent resources for not only rope access workers but to teach climbers more about rope and controlled descent. We can all learn from what they have to share.
Finally 2 more things! It’s hot out there! Be aware of your body’s needs. Stay hydrated and keep your work mates hydrated. This ties into the finally subject, and that is near misses that are never reported.
Truck, specifically your work truck. Do you have a favorite work truck for tower work? Not your personal vehicle, but your work truck. If you’re like me you had several throughout your career. I have a survey, it’s simple! Just tell me your favorite work truck and your most hated work truck. Don’t just tell me the make and model but give me a 1 sentence response why you loved or hated it.
Let me tell you mine! My favorite was a Ford F150, great truck because it was really nice inside, nice ride, could handle hauling over 1,000 lbs of steel, and was reliable. It was so reliable. That is the one truck that never broke down on me. I had 2 trucks that didn’t break down ever, this one and I had a Nissan Armada, SUV, that is another awesome vehicle that I used for engineering work.
I really hated a Chevy 1500 I had, you know why? It would break down on Friday nights when I was on my way home. Not once, not twice, 3 times in 2 years on a Friday night while I was on my way home. I really hated that truck! I had a Ford Explorer which had transmission problems, but even that truck ran. The Chevy 1500 had its gas pump, in the gas tank, that would fail regularly. For the mechanic to repair it he would have to drain and drop the gas tank because the pump was in the tank. What a stupid design! This truck helped me decide that I would never buy another Chevy, but hey, that’s me.
Ropes, we really need to know more about ropes. This is an update from IRATA. IRATA, International Rope Access Trade Association. Why would a tower worker care? If you’re asking that, then maybe you should look for a new career. Climbers use ropes every day, lanyard, rigging, safety, controlled descent, hoists, and more. You all should be paying attention to attention to what this industry is saying and we should quickly partner with them. They have updates on their site, IRATA, offering several PDF documents that should be of interest to you.
Also in the realm of ropes you should be paying attention to what SPRAT is doing. SPRAT, Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. Web site is here,SPRATand they just had a meeting in Colorado that I am looking to see what they talked about. They have standards to download athttp://sprat.org/publications/standards/and white papers athttp://sprat.org/publications/whiteletter/that have good information. I suggest that you take a look to know what you are missing. Specifically this,”Safe Practices for Rope Access Work”,which you to review.
Heat is something that many workers are dealing with this time of year. I would like to quote Art Seely, who happens to be the CEO at Safety One International Training and a senior paramedic, http://safetyoneinc.com/ for all of those wondering about this guy. Thank you Mr. Seely! He sent me this in LinkedIn on a discussion we had on heat exhaustion of the worker that needed to be rescued recently. Per Arthur Seely,“Wade, Just a guess but I would put $20 on the fact the climber was dehydrated! The big difference between climbing in the summer (or in Florida any time of year) and climbing in the winter is that although dehydration occurs in both scenarios in the hot environment perspiration causes the dehydration which throws the electrolyte balance in the blood plasma off very quickly resulting in nausea, cramps, weakness, postural hypotension etc, A summer climber needs fluid with electrolytes such as a diluted 50% Gatorade mixture to drink at 10 minute intervals. The only disadvantage to 50% diluted Gatorade is the stomach “sees” the nutrients in the solution and immediately passes the fluid on to the small intestine where the absorption rate is only 1/3 as fast as if the fluid stayed in the stomach. With pure water the fluid stays in the stomach and is more quickly passed to the blood stream. Once in the blood stream the rehydration progresses next to the cells and finally to the interstitial spaces. The point of mentioning that is that even though a climber feels better after rehydrating from serious dehydration he should wait at least 12 hours to resume any significant work. In winter climbs the majority of the fluid loss is through the surface of the lungs which unlike perspiration does not upset electrolyte balance and water is a great substitute to drink before, during and after the climb… In either case once you have a victim on a tower or on the ground the initial attempts at “fluid resuscitation” should always utilize water at close to body temperature. As with all victims they must be able to hold the fluid container and drink from it themselves, do not attempt to pour it into their mouth as vomiting and aspiration resulting in a delayed bacterial pneumonia is a likely result and that can easily be fatal without prompt hospitalization. Once the victim’s symptoms start to improve then if they were in a hot environment you can start with Gatorade at 50% or 100% concentrations. A couple of instructors at Safety One are working on heavily modifying an insulated 3 L Camelback to safely attach to a standard harness, I’ll let you know when they have it “perfected”. At that point Safety One will be having a “garage sale” of about 50 different slightly used and damaged Camelback type hydration carriers from all over the world!! LOL!”
Finally, the near misses conversation. I was reading the post of my friend Kevin Carter, seenHERE about how no one reports near misses. Go ahead and read his article, then come back if it’s easier. Basically Kevin talks about how tower workers, rarely, if ever, report near misses when no one gets hurt. Why would they, after all, no one got hurt. Well, maybe this is how we learn. The problem is that in any company you get penalized for the accident regardless if someone gets hurt or not. Safety is better than it’s ever been, and yet this year and last year are the worst ever for deaths! Did you read that? The worst for death rate in the tower industry. So what can we do? Well, I think I have an answer, If you have a story you would like to tall, I can do 2 things. I can write about it, keeping your name confidential, I could record it, but I won’t disguise your voice, or you can email me and let me know what it is. I would like to put a collection of stories together for a post, but only if you want to talk about them.
Sharing near misses in this industry is a lesson for future workers. I think it would be valuable content that should be shared with everyone. However, I know it’s embarrassing or it may be your job. So I think if you would share, I will print it and keep your name, company, and location out of the article. My information is below. I know that you probably don’t want to do this, but it really is a responsibility to share the lessons learned. So if you share a story, then make sure you share what you did wrong and what you did next time to make it right. Got it?
I understand why workers don’t like to report things like this, because the safety manager would want to shut the job down, do drug testing, and make everyone write-up an accident report. That hurts the schedule, creates delays, and is a real inconvenience. I get it, just make a note and the crew on site knows not to do something like that again. That is where the mentoring program comes in handy because the experienced climber can share the story with the newer climber. If you are new, don’t judge, listen and learn.
OK, we covered a lot in this post. Let me know about your favorite and hated trucks! Read up on rope access and learn. It’s more than being well-rounded, it’s being prepared! Read up on heat, hydration, and looking out for your work mates so that you all get home alive. Finally, pay attention to near misses and share those stories with me, let me know what they are so I can share them. This is your chance to share your knowledge with others in the industry. Help a fellow tower worker out. Maybe your story will save someone’s life!
By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think.
Other information!
Remember that theHubble Foundation needs your support. They help any climber in need, so remember that when you need help and if you can help! Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang! By the way, how much did you give today?
I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Show me you care, Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283
Hey, this week I want to discuss something that has been on the minds of so many tower workers out there. Would you rescue a fellow climber in trouble? In recent news there have been several stories that someone was left hanging until the fire department arrived to perform the rescue. The good news is that they all are alive today, so all’s well that ends well. Getting home alive really matters when things go wrong. You may forget what matters until you are confronted with a terrible situation.
So back to the point, would you rescue a coworker? Could you rescue a coworker in trouble? I reached out to several groups, and everyone I with thinks that this should be the policy. I have to tell you, everyone I heard from, and talked too said yes. Not one person said they would wait for the rescue team unless absolutely necessary. However, the one comment I got on my blog when the guy was hanging over the edge of the platform on the monopole was that the guy went home alive and he felt the crew did the right thing. I didn’t forget that and that is why I said something in the beginning, they are all alive. That is so important so I am so happy the fire departments have high rescue, really, I thank GOD for that. They are alive. I don’t know why the coworkers didn’t make an attempt but they seemed to do the right thing. Their coworkers are alive.
I need to know, is there a policy out there that would have people not make the attempt? Most of the older tower climbers are well versed in rescue. Did that change? I even heard from a few people with the carriers, (who were not happy that I brought up the whole “carriers devalue climbing” issue) said that everyone on site should be able to do rescue.
I was on a forum of guys that do high tower work and all of them said overwhelmingly that they would attempt the rescue if they felt it was safe. Remember that you need to be prepared. Prepared? What does that mean? I will tell you, prepared in training, rope, safety, gear, and control. Control of your emotions and actions.
I have to tell you I was trained by Winton Wilcox of the old ComTrain. Regardless of what you think of ComTrain, Winton’s training and advice was invaluable to me. He went through so many scenarios of what could happen, especially if someone was irrational or not willing to let you help them. Remember that they could panic like someone drowning. I don’t know if any of you know much about being a lifeguard, but I took all of that training when I was you and they went through the same actions because people panic. People panic, people become irrational in terrible situations, people go crazy. No joke, not good, people panic. Are you prepared to deal with that? I was because Winton went through that as one of the scenarios.
Would you save someone who would rather fight you than help you rescue them? Could you be kind enough to give them a right hook to calm them down? Could you do it? Could you take the time to rig the tower with a rope for descent and a rope for safety before helping the person? Could you be the rational person on site? I know you say yes now, but if you listened to theTrauma podcast with Lane Falkner then you know it’s not so easy. Could you work on someone’s injury much less pull them from a tower? I would imagine most of you would think a lifeguard has it easy, but when you see them pull someone from the water and save someone, then what do you think? To pull someone from a tower is real work and you have to be very confident to do it. It takes practice and confidence. Practice? That is where the training comes in, practice. Pay attention! If you practice you would be more ready because then you are prepared. If you are prepared then you can adapt to the situation. If you can improvise then you can adapt to the situation. Once you know how to adapt then you can overcome the obstacles and issues and fear. Improvise, adapt and overcome is said by the marines because if you are prepared you can do it. The marines don’t say it for nothing, they say it because it becomes a way to survive and help your partner survive.
With all of that said, if you can’t do the rescue, call for help! If your company has a no rescue policy, then maybe you should wonder why you work for them.
So would you? I don’t think that is the right question! I think the right question is could you? What is the situation? What is your capability? What equipment and ropes do you have? What help do you have? Did you already call for help? You should always call for help right away! Just do it! Does anyone on the crew have enough experience to help a coworker out. Experience, now there’s something that we should think about. Many of you that read this have experience with climbing, but do you have enough experience in rescue? When is the last time you took a rescue class? When is the last time you practiced rescue? When is the last time you pulled someone off the tower? Do you think that rescue practice is a waste of time? Then get another job!
Climbing should be for people who care and have a passion for the job. If you’re in it just to kill time then maybe you should think twice about your future. There is no shame in finding something you enjoy. Unfortunately most of these young men that are in accidents seem to really like the job, which makes writing this so hard. Many of them dies doing something they love. It’s too late for them but if you happen to go to a tower where seasoned veterans are working then make a point to learn from them.
Climbing and tower work isn’t for everyone. Rescue isn’t for everyone. Thank GOD for the Fire Departments learning high rescue and rope rescue, I have some links below.
Remember that theHubble Foundation needs your support. Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang!
OSHA Issues citations to company telling workers to free climb:
