[TowerTalk] Fwd: Sad day - W9ZUC tower accident

Sun Sep 21 11:54:55 EDT 2014

The "Fall Arrest" cable in this incident was high quality stainless 
steel that sometimes defies visual inspection especially in fittings.  
In this case the cable had rotted internally near the top fitting which 
was invisible to the close in naked eye.   The only real answer is to 
replace every 5 years and also put it frequently under a load test.  
Some actually prefer galvanized steel cable where at least you can see 
the deterioration as it occurs and take corrective action.

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ

On 9/21/2014 11:44 AM, n4zkf wrote:
> I'm an sorry to hear that. We inspect our safety climbs and I will only
> use stainless steel.
>
>
> 73 Dave n4zkf
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 9/20/14 7:30 PM, "Herbert Schoenbohm" <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> My son is a Comtrain certified tower climb and was working on Bordeaux
>> Peak in St. John on a 300 foot PyRod tower.  The tower owners insisted
>> that every climber was required to use the "fall Arrest" stainless steel
>> cable without exception question and as part of his wireless companies
>> contract for liabilities. His co worker went up first and stopped at
>> 100' to clamp off but before his co-worker could get the clamp on the
>> fall arrest snapped right at the top of the tower. He fell to the ground
>> but a microwave dish at 50 feet broke his fall and he survived but was
>> additioally injured by the 300 feet of steel cable landing on his broken
>> body on the ground.  My son did CPR and called 911. While at the
>> hospital, in severe pain from broken bones and just being wheeled out of
>> the X-Ray and MRI chamber on a gurney, there were five lawyers
>> following  the victim to his room.   I think he settled for about
>> $900,000 but to me that would not be enough considering he was forced by
>> the tower owner to use an unsafe system.  Ironically another mainland
>> company had done a complete tower inspection only a few months before.
>> Lesson: Always pack your own parachute(s) and don't trust your life to
>> the lowest tower inspection bidder, ever.
>>
>>
>> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
>>
>>
>> On 9/20/2014 7:13 PM, Steve Baughn wrote:
>>> At one time AN Wireless had them on their site. Not sure if they still
>>> do or not.
>>>
>>> Steve
>>> WD8NPL
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Hans Hammarquist via TowerTalk
>>> Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2014 6:54 PM
>>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
>>> Subject: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Sad day - W9ZUC tower accident
>>>
>>> Interesting! Where do you get one of those?
>>>
>>>
>>> Hans - N2JFS
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Chris <EZRhino at fastmovers.biz>
>>> To: towertalk at contesting.com reflector <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
>>> Sent: Thu, Sep 18, 2014 12:14 pm
>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sad day - W9ZUC tower accident
>>>
>>>
>>> The slickest thing I've ever seen is a cable stretched tight from top
>>> to bottom
>>> of the tower, and the climber has a device that goes on the cable that
>>> only
>>> slides UP the cable.  It can't slide down, so if you fell it would
>>> hold fast.
>>> This also gives both hands free for climbing.  I've never seen these
>>> on a ham
>>> tower though.  Lots of them in my neck of the woods on ski lift towers.
>>>
>>> Chris
>>> KF7P
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 18, 2014, at 10:03 AM, TexasRF--- via TowerTalk wrote:
>>>
>>>> Please enlighten me: when climbing with a gorilla hook, is there only
>>>> one
>>>> hook/lanyard used or are there two hook/lanyards used?
>>>>
>>>> If two, wouldn't there always be one of the hooks attached to the
>>>> tower?
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>> Gerald K5GW
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In a message dated 9/18/2014 8:49:18 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
>>>> xdavid at cis-broadband.com writes:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yes,  you have indeed said that several times here before, and it was
>>>> just as  ignorant a comment then as it is now.  Every time you unhook
>>>> or
>>>> hook  to the tower you only have one hand on the tower ... just exactly
>>>> as you  only have one hand on the tower when you reach up while
>>>> climbing
>>>> ... the  difference being whether or not you are hooked in while that
>>>> second hand  isn't on the tower.  How you can possibly believe that one
>>>> hand on  the tower is safer than one hand on the tower PLUS one hook on
>>>> the tower,  or that a free hand not on the tower is more reliable than
>>>> a
>>>> hook already  on the tower, is totally beyond me.
>>>>
>>>> Dave    AB7E
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 9/17/2014 8:42 PM, Doug Renwick wrote:
>>>>> I have  said this many times before.  If you can't 'free climb' then
>>>>> you
>>>>> SHOULD NOT be climbing at all.  The use of a gorilla hook has it's
>>>>> place
>>>> -
>>>>> for resting or at the work station.  But IMO it should not be  used to
>>>> assist
>>>>> the climb!  Every time you have to hook and unhook  the gorilla hook
>>>>> it
>>>> means
>>>>> you only have one hand left on the tower.  That to me is unsafe.  With
>>>> free
>>>>> climbing, both  hands are available to grab the tower.  If you can't
>>>>> free
>>>>> climb -  don't climb.
>>>>> Doug
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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