[CQ-Contest] Tower Safety

[Doug Renwick]

The list of USA tower fatalities can be found here: It doesn't list all of
them because I don't see W0AIH's accident.

http://wirelessestimator.com/content/fatalities

Here is a quick summary of the causes if known. You will notice that during
the process of transitioning caused a large number of fatalities. I would
presume that they were attempting to transition without being tied off. Also
a large number were caused by structural failures. It gives some idea what
caused the fatalities although incomplete. I don't see where it addresses
free climbing. You are welcome to make your own conclusions.


 Tower tech was performing routine maintenance on a guyed tower when he
fell.

The tower tech was transitioning from a safety climb to a rest station when
he fell.

Tech fell while transitioning from a man basket to a antenna mounting frame.

Technician was reportedly transitioning and had his position lanyard
attached when he fell.

Tower tech was installing a lightning system upgrade when the reported
transitioned to another face without being tied off and slipped

He was reportedly transitioning from a crane man basket when he slipped and
fell from the top of the tower at approximately 100 feet.

He was reportedly at the 150-foot level when he fell. It is not known
whether he was tied off or if there was a harness or safety climb failure.

Tech was in an all-terrain man lift when he fell with an antenna mount that
had been previously attached to the water tower.

He was assisting another individual in erection of a 70-foot ham radio
tower. When he was installing the top set of guy wires the structure
collapsed.

Lemay was killed when the tower collapsed.

The tower technician died after he was electrocuted while working ...

Deceased was reportedly tied off twice to an installed waveguide ladder when
the ladder failed and detached from the structure.

He died after falling from a 35-foot residential TV antenna tower

A coworker on the tower with the deceased heard the deceased click his
safety harness on, then the deceased leaned back and started to fall to the
ground.

Three tower technicians were on a gin pole near the top of the tower when it
became detached from its rigging and fell to the ground.

Company-owned crane tipped over killing the worker in the site's compound.

Doug, operating real ham radio