Tag Archives: tower safety

Would You, Could You Rescue Your Fellow Climber?

July 16, 2014 Wade

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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 the Trauma 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.

Show me you care, Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment.

Don’t forget to take the poll for jobs!

Remember that the Hubble 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:

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=26346

Old news of workers who waited for Fire department to be rescued:

http://www.ngwinnett.com/news/gwinnett-firefighters-rescue-man-injured-while-working-on-cell-tower-1461046

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/gwinnett-co-worker-injured-partial-fall-cell-tower/ngHyz/

Fire departments being trained for rope rescue:

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/06/firemen_receive_tower_rescue_t.html

http://www.clarkstonnews.com/Articles-News-i-2014-07-16-255536.113121-sub-Firefighter-pulls-heavy-duty.html

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Firefighters-Build-Trust-with-Rope-and-Tower-Training-266941891.html

Something to think about courtesy of OSHA;

My Books from Amazon, Shameless plugs:

My books on Sellfy, PDF, PayPal:

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview, Part 2, with Dr Bridgette “Gette” Hester, founder of the Hubble Foundation

July 11, 2014 Wade

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Hello all,

OK all, this was a long interview, but it is worth the wait! Gette is a wealth if information for the tower industry, and yet she is not a climber. However, she did climb just to see what it was like. She’s got guts, I’ll give her that!

Part 2 podcast here for website, here for download.

Comments welcome below or at Wade4Wireless Facebook page or on Twitter.

From the Hubble Foundation’s Inspiration page;

The Climber’s Protection Prayer
While Psalm 91 applies to all of us, I believe that this Psalm is especially poignant for climbers and their families. Often times, the families feel like they have no control over their loved ones in the industry.
This is simply not true. Your greatest defense and protection of your loved one is through Prayer!

My Refuge and My Fortress
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his opinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place
the Most High, who is my refuge
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.

Hubble Foundation http://www.hubblefoundation.org/ and go to the donate section where you can donate a tax-deductible donation or buy something from the store. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HubbleFoundation for more support. They have tickets left for the car giveaway that you need to get in on, so go to the Hubble Foundation website and get some tickets to win a Mustang!

Godwink: On the Wings of Butterflies

The cover has Mike V’s hand on it with a butterfly. Pretty cool photo.

NATE – http://natehome.com/

PA Wireless Association, http://www.pa-wireless.org/ is a group that really helped Gette out with the fundraising aspect. Then the following groups pitched in;

http://www.gawireless.org/

https://txwa.org/

http://www.vawireless.org/

http://calwa.org/

My Books;

Tower Climbing: An Introduction

buy

Field Worker’s Aid for Tower Site Work

buy

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Critical Mindset: Lane Falkner talks about Trauma kits!

July 5, 2014 Wade 1 Comment

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Hello all,

OK, this is a phone call so the audio is not as clear as I would like but I think the content is great. Lane is a good guy that found a way to help at risk workers by creating a business he really believes in. Critical Mindset did not give me a dime to promote this, I did it because I think it’s a good idea. I am helping Lane out because this is something that will save lives. Saving lives should be on the mind of every tower site worker.

Lane Falkner, ex-marine, tower climber, hard worker, is the co-founder of the Critical Mindset. This ex-marine discusses how he wanted to take the marine mindset of being prepared from the battlefield to the tower site and other civilian jobs that are high risk. He started Critical Mindset with the intention of getting the gear on site to keep people alive until the professionals can get there. He is working full-time and doing this ventures part-time, so you can imagine how hard this guy works! So, just so everyone knows, this guy has not paid me a dime, his brother reached out to me and mentioned what Lane is trying to do. I looked at his website and saw what he offered. After talking to him I realized he is a good guy trying to do some good in this business as other hazardous jobs as well.

So in my conversation with Lane he goes over why he wanted to start this business where he could take the marine know how and help the “at-risk” workers. He came up with the trauma kits that are on his web page. This guy wants to make sure that everyone has everything they need to keep someone alive until the professionals get there, in other words if something bad happens that is beyond the first aid kit, like an emergency where the victim’s case would be considered trauma. In this case you need to do everything you can to keep that person alive until the professionals show up. When the EMTs show up, then they can take over but until then you need to be Johnny on the spot and keep them alive!

There are so many risks on the tower, not just the fall but the all threads sticking out of the tower could be devastating even on a partial fall. Here is something that could help you save someone from a wound that could kill you.

So if you know if this is something that your company should have, then say something. The other thing that I learned is that he has been providing them to the local police department because they didn’t have anything like this. I could not believe it but I guess many policemen don’t have this in their vehicle or with them.

If you want to learn more about what they have then go to http://www.criticalmindset.com/about-us/ and read their mission statements then go to http://www.criticalmindset.com/shop/ to see what they offer. I concentrate mostly on the trauma kits because I see that as a need for the industry. To read some updates go to http://www.criticalmindset.com/mindset-daily/. I think it would be worth your while to go to their training page at http://www.criticalmindset.com/training-trauma/ to learn more. Here is an example of one of the videos, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwcZaIHN0e0#t=58 to show you what they offer.

If you’re interested in Warrior 4 Wireless go to http://warriors4wireless.com/ for more information. We thank you or your service. Here is a way for you to become a wireless worker. There are so many jobs in wireless right now, why not get started today? Put that mindset and skill to good use doing something you love.

Let me know what’s wrong out there! Tell me your biggest problems and what you would like to hear more of. Wade4wireless@gmail.com or Facebook. Remember to subscribe to my podcast at iTunes and Stitcher. Spread the word!

I have 2 books out, Introduction to Tower Climbing and Wireless Field Aid.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Bruce Holsted talks about how RMSF changed his life!

July 1, 2014 Wade

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Hello all,

Young field workers, pay attention! This could save your life! He is sharing this to help you know not only how to treat this horrible disease but how to prevent it.

Bruce Holsted, a great guy! He opened up to me about how RMSF (Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever) stole 3 years of his life, and he has 2 more years to fully recover. It appears it is expected to take him 5 years to fully recover. All this form the bite of a tick. Luckily, the doctor he saw knew what he had. Unfortunately he waited 6 months to see a doctor.

Let me tell you about some of Bruce’s background. This is a company owner and a tower guy that has 4 full-time crews, hiring subs as needed. This is a guy that built his business over the past 24 years. This is a Hospice volunteer that gives his time to assist more than 25 people a year. This is a guy that has written 2 books, that I know of, for his descendants only to sell quite a few of them on Amazon. I spoke to him and he is a genuinely a good man. He is a Hospice volunteer, something I hold dear to my heart since losing my father a few years back. Bruce is a good man.

So how did a tiny tick almost ruin his life? One tick bite was enough to give him RMSF and cause him so many issues. It started with muscle cramps, mental confusion and more. He had arthritis and so many infections that affected his teeth and his prostrate. This disease almost ruined him, caused him to make bad decisions, and miss important meetings as well as some of his life. It cost him thousands of dollars and he almost lost his business.

Luckily he has a good wife and support of friends that helped him through this horrible ordeal. He also had a doctor that knew what he had and what to look for and how to treat it. He is doing well these days but he still has 2 more years of recovery. He has to keep a close watch on his health because he never knows how it will affect him next.

Prevention, prevention, prevention!So listen to the podcast for his story, not my words. He mentioned that we make sure you know that to kill ticks before they bite you by covering your clothes with Permethrin. This is so important because the best treatment for any tick bite born disease is prevention! What is it? Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin and you will see that it is an insecticide that Bruce uses to kill ticks. You put it on your boots and jeans.

If you have RMSF there is support, go to the Facebook page Survivors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease and you will see that there are others out there that went through what you are going through. Support for people going through this is very important! I want you to know that you are not alone.

Let me know what you think on Facebook.

More information on Permethrin;

http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/permethrin_fs.htm

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/Permtech.pdf

It comes in a spray bottle for your clothing sold here;

http://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B007VCRX2S

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=Permethrin&adid=22222222220213080317&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40442039413&wl4=&veh=sem

To learn more about Bruce, go to http://www.bruceholsted.com/ and see his books, Sacred Spaces and Steps to a Conversation of Mind to learn more. Make sure you go to the photos section and look over all the pictures, there are several tower and engineer pictures in there. It is worth a look. He also has a Hospice section for those of you who are curious about it. God bless this man!

From my previous blog about ticks;

If you go to this site http://www.medicinenet.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_pictures_slideshow/article.htm you will see a good explanation of the ticks and the disease. They also give hints on how to remove the tick safely and disinfect your wound after the tick is removed. Then save it in case you get sick. Put it in a zip lock bag or pill bottle and freeze it. This will give you something to take to the doctor and explain that you have a tick bite. That may help them diagnose the problem.

Some links that may help explain this tick bite disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_spotted_fever

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/basics/definition/con-20032780

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/rocky.html

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever

http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2014/06/officials-warning-about-ticks.php

http://blog.extension.uconn.edu/tag/deer-ticks/

On this one you need to scroll down to the article. http://www.onhealth.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/article.htm#rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_rmsf_facts

NATE has a Planning Advisory Notice (PAN) for safety, http://natehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PAN-NOV-DEC-2013.pdf and the main page for all NATE PANs is here, http://natehome.com/safety-education/planning-advisory-notice-pan/ if you’re interested. They have PANs for ANSI/TIA 1019-!-2012, Antenna Installations, Mounts and Inspections, FAA Aviation Obstruction Lighting, and Anchor Bolts.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview with Author Vicky Kaseorg who wrote “The Tower Builder” Part 2

June 28, 2014 Wade

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Hello all,

This is part 2! All the same information is below from Part 1 just the podcast is different. I want to make sure you can find part 1 so go here to listen!

Alright, I had so many technical issues and the interview went so long I had to break it into 2 podcasts!

However, Vicky was a trooper and although it comes out a bit choppy and my audio isn’t the best I did get the interview and Vicky is just full of information about the towers and the climbers in her book. She talks about Tony the Tower Builder and she also mentions some interviews with some other climbers that are crazy. It’s good to hear about how these guys have lived and worked as well as how someone like Tony, a good guy, could persevere throughout all of the hardships of the job and his life to come out with such a good attitude.

Vicky talked to so many people in researching this book. Her faith in GOD really shows in this interview and in the book because things just seemed to work out in here favor and she researched this story. She learned so much about WW2 history as well as towers as well as tower climbers. I really enjoyed the book. It was a 3 year venture that Vicky worked relentlessly to solve the mysteries of the tower and the beacon. Along the way she learned so much about American history. The Blaw-Knox towers and the WBT-AM radio station are very interesting.

Vicky originally became interested in the towers because her brother is a HAM radio operator. I call them HAMsters. I have so many friends that are HAMsters and you will see on their emails they always have their call signs below their names. They spend so much time getting on their radios and they play the game of trying to reach the most people the farthest away. Not only that but it was the original social network, the way I see it. They would talk to each other at set times to discuss radios and other interests. It is like the BBS services back when dial-up was common because digital text only bulletin boards were quite common for technical people. HAM radios were around before that, since the 50s really, and it was a way to keep in touch. Well, that will be another blog is anyone is interested in having me research that then let me know.

Vicky is such a nice and interesting person as well as a well-rounded author. I really enjoyed talking to her. She was so patient through all of my technical difficulties and I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart. She has a blog at http://vickykaseorg.blogspot.com/ and http://vickykaseorg.weebly.com/ if you would like to follow her there and her book “The Tower Climber” is on Amazon. Her author’s page is http://www.amazon.com/Vicky-Kaseorg/e/B006XJ2DWU on Amazon. Barnes & Noble page is at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vicky-kaseorg if that’s more you’re style.

If you want to see more on WBT-AM look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBT_%28radio_station%29 and http://radioheaven.homestead.com/wbtcollection.html to learn more.

More on Blaw-Knox towers can be found at http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio, http://hawkins.pair.com/blaw-knox.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaw-Knox_tower to see more.

So you think HAM Radio is neat, go to http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licenses and learn the right way and then look at radios, http://www.hamradio.com/.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Interview with Author Vicky Kaseorg who wrote “The Tower Builder” Part 1

June 28, 2014 Wade

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Hello all,

This is part 1!

Part 2 is here!

Alright, I had so many technical issues and the interview went so long I had to break it into 2 podcasts!

If you want to see more on WBT-AM look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBT_%28radio_station%29 and http://radioheaven.homestead.com/wbtcollection.html to learn more.

More on Blaw-Knox towers can be found at http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio, http://hawkins.pair.com/blaw-knox.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaw-Knox_tower to see more.

So you think HAM Radio is neat, go to http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licenses and learn the right way and then look at radios, http://www.hamradio.com/.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Tower Safety: Australia versus USA

June 20, 2014 Wade

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Hey guys,

First off, we had another fallen worker this month and I would like all of you to take a moment of silence in remembrance.

Well it’s time for the world cup!Soccer is exciting to the world! In North America and Australia we both say soccer, but to the rest of the world it’s football. Either way Let’s see how we stack up against each other in tower safety. I got some information on the high risk work certifications that Australia has from Dennis Lundin. I met Dennis on LinkedIn. He was nice enough to send me a boatload of information over. Thank you Dennis!

Leave me a review in iTunes here.

Here in the USA we have a high number of accidents that result in death. I often wanted to compare it to other countries where the government regulates the tower business. Here in the USA we are more or less self-regulated. We rely on the industry to regulate itself. I know you have businesses out there that say they keep an eye on it, but how? They really just give guidelines and they rely on OSHA to follow-up. Are we being proactive in accident prevention?

Now that OSHA is coming out with updated rules I thought it would be interesting to see what Australia does. I virtually met Dennis Lundin on LinkedIn. He was nice enough to send all this information on how it works down under. Here is what he sent me. It covers more than tower climbing, it cover construction in general. It covers risk management.

So what is the USA doing wrong? I really don’t know except maybe we have more work or maybe the lack of safety regulation is hurting the climber’s safety. Don’t you wonder why we don’t have more regulation for an occupation where the percentage of death is so high? Is it that government doesn’t care about the workers that make their communications system work? Here is a critical cog in the machine and the accidents seem to be accepted, not prevented. Is it because when it happens it is out at a tower site, not close to the public? I don’t understand. What is an allowable death rate? I think ZERO is the only answer.

We have similar documentation here in the US. We should know better. So what is happening here? If you look at http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=International%20Tower%20Climber%20Deaths you will see that deaths overseas appear to be lower than here in the US.

Dennis was kind enough to take the time to put all of this together so we can understand what they are doing there. They seem to have a better track record that we do.

From Dennis:
By Law, to work in Towers or on Roof Tops, etc a worker must have:

License To Perform High Risk Work (renewed every 5 Years)
Dogging – DG
Basic Rigging – RB
Intermediate Rigging – RI
Advanced Rigging – RA
Certification To Perform High Risk Work (renewed every 3 Years)
WHS Card
Working at Heights
Working on Roofs
Tower Climbing
Tower Rescue
Senior First Aid with CPR
RF Awareness

License To Perform High Risk Work
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/licensing/Licencesandcertificates/highriskworklicences/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/licensing/Licencesandcertificates/Pages/Scaffoldingrigginganddogging.aspx
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/NEWLEGISLATION2012/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/publications/Pages/factsheetfallfromheights.aspx
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/publications/Pages/WC01321_SafeWorkingatHeightsGuide.aspx

Certification To Perform High Risk Work
https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/ohs/DEE_EHU-08-1-1_Working_at_Height_Procedure.pdf

Permit To Perform High Risk Work on Buildings (Roof Tops, Platforms,etc) (renewed for every job)
A Work at Heights Permit and Induction Certification from the Building Owner and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) which need to be Fill-Out and signed each day by the Site Supervisor and all Riggers.

Access To Perform High Risk Work on Towers (renewed for every job)
Access Permit and Induction Certification from the Tower Owner (which need to see all above Licence To Perform High Risk Work and Certification To Perform High Risk Work) and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) which need to be Fill-Out and signed each day by the Site Supervisor and all Riggers.

Induction Certification (renewed every 2 Years)
Tower Owner or Building Owner will typical use a company like Rapidinduct to set up and run the Induction services. All above Licence To Perform High Risk Work and Certification To Perform High Risk Work) and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) need to be uploaded to the system and approved before Induction can be permitted.

See Sample of Induction Site
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au/online-induction-solutions.html
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au/contractor_Induction.html

Also a Method Of Procedure (MOP) must be in place in the SWMS

Per Dennis: As I install Microwave Links, my MOP is below Step by Step Tower Installation Procedure ;

Access site and logon as per Tower/Building Owner and Vertel instructions
Complete daily SWMS highlighting any apparent hazards and complete toolbox talk
Confirm drawings are correct cross check with RF design plan
Unpack Dish and assemble as per manufacturer’s instructions that are supplied with the Dish
Assemble Dish Mount as per supplied drawings
Unpack and complete visual inspection of rigging and harness equipment
Check RadMan for operation and calibration
Call in outage (if any) with Tower Owner, confirm with either on site technician or NOC that power has been reduced
Set up block and tackle 2 meters above the intended Dish Mount position, employ 100% attachment techniques whilst accessing tower to install block and tackle, use only tower ladder to access tower
Use only a block with inbuilt braking system and ensure block and tackle is suitably rated for the task at hand
Approach red zone of tower with caution monitoring RadMan for RF activity
Hand haul Dish Mount into position keeping clear of existing equipment
Attach and secure Dish Mount as per supplied drawings
Hand haul Dish and ODU into position and secure as per manufacturers instructions
Pre-terminate Connector to Feeder on ground and hand haul into position, connect to ODU and seal connection in approved manner
Secure Feeder to Tower Feeder Brackets with appropriate Cable Tries or Cable Hangers that suit the Feeder being used
Install Earthing (Ground) Kits to Feeder as per manufacturer’s instructions
Route the Feeder into the Cabinet or Hut via the gland plate and appropriate size gland and terminate as per the manufacturer’s instructions at the IDU mounting location
Power up equipment and align Dish as per manufacturer’s instructions and Vertel MLT
Once tower work is complete contact NOC to close outage (if any)
Clean up site and remove all rubbish, log off site and ensure compound is secure.

So who wins? Let me know what you think, get me on Facebook (hit Like while you are there!)or leave a comment. The way I see it is Australia gets an A while the USA gets a D because we still have so many fatalities. D is very poor, but look at our track record. We have so many people who try to make the USA #1 in training and prevention but we are dropping the ball when it comes to responsibility within the companies. Safety is the priority and schedule should be a distant 3rd after safety budget. Let’s make the rest of the year safe and healthy and no more injuries! At least no more preventable injuries.

Also, still have my books for sale at Wireless Field Aid and An Introduction to Tower Climbing.

I have some good stuff coming up for you faithful followers. I am working on an interview with the FCC people on RF radiation, more tick talk, and some small cell deployment problems.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast Podcast.

June 7, 2014 Wade

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Hello everybody. I have something special for you today. I have an interview with someone who had RF Radiation poisoning. I wrote a blog a few weeks back that had information in it about the climber that got RF poisoning years ago. His name is Bruce Elle and he was kind enough to let me interview him and broadcast it on my Blog Cast podcast. You can listen to it here or get it on iTunes. It is over an hour so it’s not something that you can fly through.

I did edit out some swear words, the best I could. This is an adult conversation so be aware not to have children around for this. It is over an hour so make time to listen.

Bruce and I have a goal of alerting people of the hazards of RF radiation.We would like make sure you get the point that safety matters. Although we jump around in our conversation we want to drive home that the more you know the more you respect yourself. Respect yourself by looking for ways to keep you healthy, now and in the long run. You have the tools available to ensure that you will be safe barring a major failure, which happens in this business.

We start out by going into Bruce’s background as a climber and the history of the climbing business. Many people think that the way things are now is how it’s always been. Let me tell you it has come a long way. The advances in climbing and safety have been greatly advance through training and education. The thing about climbers is that they hate to change the way they do things. So the key is to show them how it will help them improve their work and be safer. It is hard to slow down a seasoned climber because they want to race up the tower and get the job done. The focus is changing now to make sure that the job is not only done right but safety is the focus.

Focus, this is one thing that we all seem to have a problem with today. When you are going to head up the tower you need to have focus. Someone needs to be looking out for you. That is why I say the crew needs to work together, so that each person is looking for something that they other person may have missed. But, back to the interview.

Bruce talks about how he climbed up the tower that day he got radiated. He was working on the antenna 550 feet up in the air. This was in February and he was sweating while sitting on the antenna. The beacon was on the antenna. For all of you guys that do cellular work may not understand that broadcast antennas were huge and the beacons were on the antenna itself. The antenna would be a huge steel structure made to be mounted on top of a tower. The engineering that went into these was amazing because it would not only radiate but it would need to be a solid steel structure, in this case 50’ high, that you could climb on and it had a beacon on top.

So he was sitting on the antenna was on low power, which in this case was 35,000 watts coming out of the transmitter. This was considered safe at that time, can you believe it? This was considered safe for someone to site on the antenna to change out the beacon. This was considered a normal day at work.

Bruce didn’t have any real pain right away, he just felt really hot for the middle of February. He didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary until he got home that night, then the fever hit. He had to take an ice bath to break the fever. This was the beginning of so many problems that he still deals with today.

Back then he didn’t have RF alert meters, RF suits, or anything like that. Today you have the opportunity to prepare for the unseen hazards of RF radiation by preparing yourself with those tools. Bruce is telling this story so that no other human goes through the pain and suffering he has endured. OK, get it, he is trying to help all of you by sharing his experience. Listen carefully if you want to live a healthy life. Quality of life matters.

Listen to the interview, Bruce lead a climber’s life, not always perfect but he learned on the way. If you are new to this business you will learn a lot about the lifestyle. You can learn from his mistakes and set yourself up for success. Come up with a plan that will work for you. Think about how you can improve your life by reviewing the safety and lifestyle changes that will make you a better person in the long run. Bruce did this to help you all live a better life, he is here to help.

Let me know what you think. I am here to get the word out. I have a book for new climbers here. Like me on Facebook!

Here are some links, old and new, that will shed some light on RF Radiation poisoning.

1980 News on RF Radiation

2013 News on RF Radiation

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A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast Podcast.

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