[CQ-Contest] Tower safety

[David Gilbert]

That's a pretty ridiculous position.  It's not a case of fitness ... 
it's a case of whether or not you are protected against an accident.

1.  Any quality control expert anywhere in the world will tell you that 
humans are fallible.  They make mistakes, a fact that has generated more 
manufacturing automation than any pursuit of lower cost.

2.  Mechanical failure is a fact of life.  Bad welds, hidden corrosion, 
degraded materials, etc.

3.  General uncertainty.  I've never seen a single tower project where 
everything went exactly to plan.  An unforeseen issue at the wrong time 
in the wrong place can mean death.

4.  Not all relevant conditions are controllable or predictable.  A wind 
gust or the unanticipated action of a helper isn't something your level 
of fitness is going to protect you from.

So to be honest I don't think you actually do know your limits, at least 
when it comes to judgement.  Your reliance on your level of fitness is 
every bit as much a sense of false security as is relying on a harness, 
and at least harnesses aren't prone to decisions that can kill you.

Our club had a member and friend in good shape (both mentally and 
physically) who did tons of tower work, both privately and 
commercially.  He also free climbed to get into position, and is no 
longer with us as a direct result.

I hope nobody else on this reflector thinks the same way you do.

Dave   AB7E


On 11/14/2019 10:18 PM, Doug Renwick wrote:
> This subject has been covered many times before.
>
> I say If you can't free climb then you shouldn't climb at all.
> I get plenty of criticisms for stating that. Let me explain. If you are not
> physically, and mentally fit to free climb, then you shouldn't be climbing
> at all is what I am saying. I am not recommending you free climb, but the
> choice is always yours. Others, including myself regularly free climb. But I
> know my limits.
>
> There is a false sense of security using a harness. I would not want to die
> hanging from my fall arrest lanyard way up in the sky. By the time rescue
> would arrive I would be dead, circulation cut off. So the choice is yours -
> die hanging from the tower or die hitting the ground. So my advice is if you
> have any doubts about your climbing ability then don't climb.
>
> Doug
>
> "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
> Albert Einstein