This tragic incident is one of two very serious amateur radio tower mishaps
that occurred in the last few weeks.
Those of you who have seen our research into the history of serious tower
incidents over the past 20 years (recently presented
<https://youtu.be/uJO-L3td_p8> to the Western Washington DX Club) will
recognize that the cause of this incident seems to fit the category of
improper Personal Protection Equipment and/or climbing technique - one of
the two primary root causes we've identified.
A work positioning lanyard that runs from one belt-level D-ring around the
tower and back to a second belt D-ring is NOT a safety device, as a climber
who loses his footing can fall a long way before coming to a stop. And,
coming to a stop when attached at waist-level can cause serious injury.
If you climb with a setup like this (just the belt and positioning
lanyard), every time you unclip the positioning lanyard to change position
( a state called 'in transition' in the tower maintenance industry), you
are exposing yourself to risk of a potentially long fall. The early
descriptions of the AA9TJ incident suggest that the fall might have occured
while the climber was in transition or shortly after a transition.
There is gear available to greatly reduce this particular category of risk.
In today's world, a common safety setup will include a full body harness, a
dual fall-arrest lanyard attached to the rear of the harness at neck level,
in addition to a work positioning lanyard. The key point to note is that
the equipment doesn't save any lives unless it is used correctly. The
technique is critical. Both legs of the dual fall-arrest must be securely
attached above the climber before any changes are made in the location of
the work positioning lanyard. When climbing, at least one leg of the dual
fall-arrest lanyard must always be attached securely to the tower. This is
not the only system that works, but it is pretty common and flexible for
work on towers that are 12" to 18" on a side.
Take the safety pledge at zerofalls.org. After you sign up, go look at
the climbing
gear <https://zerofalls.org/members-area/member-resources/climbing-gear/> page.
You'll find two OSHA-safe climbing setups. Contact me directly for more
info.
73 Jim K1IR
Note: I am not a professional tower climber. The information here is only
presented as background, not as professional advice. Every situation has
different circumstances. You should seek professional assistance as you
decide what to do in your particular situation.
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