[TowerTalk] Fwd: Sad day - W9ZUC tower accident

Mon Sep 22 07:41:43 EDT 2014

Thus my mentioned of inspections.

73 Dave n4zkf

On 9/21/14 11:54 AM, "Herbert Schoenbohm" <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
wrote:

>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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>
>