[TowerTalk] safety equipment for climbing (very long but worth reading)

Thu Sep 25 00:27:18 EDT 2014

In an effort to move the conversation about tower accidents to practical
information that may be useful to climbers, here's a list of safety
equipment that I use for climbing and how/why I use it. Note that these are
my personal choices and I don't make any guarantees that the equipment and
techniques described here are right for you and your tower climbing tasks.
Do your own due diligence on safety equipment and make your own choices at
your own risk (end of disclaimer).

Some key points about my choices:

1.       Most of my gear is made by Petzl. They're mainly known for their
rock climbing equipment but also have a Professional line for industrial
use. Some items I use are made by Black Diamond, which is another leader in
rock climbing equipment.

2.       This gear isn't cheap. You can buy decent safety equipment for
considerably less, but I feel the items I've chosen offer superior safety,
comfort and build quality, and are well worth the extra money. After all,
how much is your life worth?

3.       These assumptions guide my selection of safety equipment:

a.       The more time spent on the tower, the greater the chance an
accident will occur

b.      The more energy expended on the tower, the greater the chance an
accident will occur

c.       The more muscles get worked on a tower, the greater the chance an
accident will occur

d.      The more weight carried, the greater the chance an accident will
occur

All four points under #3 are related and interact, but specifically:

Point 3a: More time generally means more work has been done, energy reserves
are more depleted, muscles are more tired, and the climber has been more
exposed to dehydration, temperature changes and other weather effects (and
sometimes psychologically draining frustration when things haven't gone as
planned.) This sets up a situation where mistakes are more likely - such as
neglecting to clip a fall arrest lanyard to the tower when taking the next
step.

Point 3b: Regardless of time spent on the tower, if the climber doesn't have
sufficient energy reserves, it becomes significantly more difficulty to make
the moves required for safe climbing, especially if significant weight is
carried (equipment, clothing, boots and/or extra body fat.) Again, this sets
up a situation where mistakes are more likely.

Point 3c: Repeated use of muscles, particularly when maximum force is
required, weakens the muscles for the next move and can lead to cramping.
Weakness and/or cramping can make it difficult to grasp the tower firmly
and/or operate equipment like locking carabiners.

Point 3d: Carrying more weight means more muscle movement, more energy
depletion, more fatigue, more dehydration.

Therefore, I choose equipment that reduces time, energy, muscle movement and
weight.

Full Body Harness

I use a Petzl Navaho Bod Fast full-body harness, which I bought about 10
years ago. Petzl doesn't make this model anymore, but the current version is
very similar:

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Harnesses/AVAO-BOD-FAST-international-v
ersion?l=US#.VCKnavldWuk

One of the most important safety features of this harness is how it works in
case of a fall. Posts to this reflector have commented on the danger of
being suspended by a full-body harness, and this is a legitimate concern.
Some harnesses will put pressure on parts of the body that, if prolonged,
can lead to injury or death. The Petzl's X-shaped strap configuration is
designed to distribute weight to the leg straps when the climber is
suspended from the dorsal (rear) D-ring, where the fall arrest lanyard
should always be connected. If a fall occurs, much of the climber's weight
is supported by the thighs and buttocks (still dangerous if you hang too
long, but better than hanging from other parts of your body.)

On my harness (and I think on the new ones too), if you suspend from the
sternal or ventral ring the leg straps pull up and form a seat. This is
great if you have to work in one position for a long time because it gets
your weight off your legs and feet.

Another key safety feature is the light weight compared with most
industrial-grade harnesses. After using a typical full-body harness for a
few years, it was a revelation moving to the Petzl harness. Not only did it
weigh less, it was much more comfortable and much easier to put on (no need
to waste a lot of energy putting your harness on!) In my book, lighter
weight, ease of use and greater comfort are key safety features.

WARNING: The webpage for the Avao Bod indicates that the sternal (chest)
D-ring can be used for fall arrest, but the manual clearly says that ONLY
the dorsal (rear) D-ring can be used for fall arrest. I believe the
consensus among safety professionals is that fall arrest lanyards should
only be attached to the dorsal D-ring.

Fall-Arrest Lanyard

When I first started climbing, I used a fall arrest lanyard with a single
strap and clip. I would attach and detach the lanyard while climbing, and
would leave the lanyard attached while at the work position. Of course, this
left me unattached to the tower during the detach-reattach move. It didn't
take long to realize how dangerous this could be, especially when climbing
down after long hours on the tower. So I invested in a fall-arrest
Y-lanyard.

A fall-arrest Y-lanyard allows the climber to be clipped to the tower at all
times, even when climbing. You clip one leg of the Y as far over your head
as you can reach, letting the other leg dangle, climb up until the clipped
leg is about at knee level (or as far down as you can reach without bending,
which for me is about three rungs on my Rohn 55 tower), clip the free leg
above your head and unclip the one at your knee. Repeat. The process on the
way down is the same, except you clip the leg at knee level and unclip the
leg above your head.

The issue with Y-lanyards is the amount of time and effort it takes to
repeatedly clip and unclip the legs. When you climb up and down a 100-foot
tower, you'll have to clip or unclip 100 times or more. That takes time,
energy and repeated muscle movement, potentially compromising safety. IMHO,
a safe climb cable system with an ascender is a much better and ultimately
safer way to go up and down a tower - much less time, energy and muscle
movement, and if you fall it's only a few inches so there's much less chance
of injury (caveat: provided you regularly inspect and maintain the cable,
mounts and ascender.) I don't have a safe climb cable system because of the
three TIC ring rotors on my tower, but I'm investigating whether there are
products that can work with the cable threaded inside the rings.

Note that a safe climb cable system doesn't eliminate the need to carry a
fall arrest lanyard. You need one whenever you have to unclip from the cable
to reach your work position. If I had a safe climb cable system, I'd have to
use a fall-arrest Y-lanyard for that and when climbing over each TIC ring.
So be it.

Here's the first fall-arrest Y-lanyard I chose: the Petzl Absorbica-Y:

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers/ABSORBICA
-Y?l=US#.VCHnP_ldWuk

Aside from high-quality construction, the best thing about this lanyard is
the size of the MGO gorilla hooks. They make it easy to clip onto many parts
of the structure, including the tower legs and even the guy brackets.

WARNING: The manual for the Absorbica-Y has illustrations showing
attachement to the sternal (chest) D-ring of a full-body harness, but the
manual for Petzl's own full-body harnesses clearly say that ONLY the dorsal
(rear) D-ring can be used for fall arrest. I believe the consensus among
safety professionals is that fall arrest lanyards should only be attached to
the dorsal D-ring.

Although it's a high-quality device, there are some drawbacks to the
Absorbica-Y. Even though the big MGO gorilla hooks are mostly made of
aluminum, they're heavy. The thick strapping is heavy as well. The straps
tend to twist around each other as the legs are alternately clipped and
unclipped, shortening the effective length and requiring the climber to
periodically stop and untwist the legs. This takes time and effort. While
you can untwist the lanyards with one of them still attached to the tower,
it's sometimes better to tie off with your positioning belt or other
attachment method (see below) and use both hands. That takes even more time
and effort. Perhaps the worst ergonomic problem is that the large MGO
gorilla hooks require that your hand be in exactly the right position to
operate the safety catch when clipping or unclipping. If it's in the wrong
position, it can be hard to operate or won't work at all (i.e., the gate
won't open.) After clipping/unclipping 50 times or more, my hands get pretty
tired from operating the safety catch.

A potentially more serious problem is that both legs are the same length. If
both legs are clipped to the tower widely apart, and you fall, it's possible
that your weight will be distributed between the legs in such a way that
there's not enough force at the shock absorber for it to work. This could
result in injury.

Because of these drawbacks, and the fact that my Absorbica-Y is an older
model that covers the shock absorber with a cloth sheath that easily rides
up and exposes the shock absorber to weather (unlike the
zippered-compartment used on today's models), I replaced it with this:

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing%2Fvia-ferrata/easy-rider-via-fe
rrata-set-BD6201050000ALL1.html

The Easy Rider Via Ferrata lanyard is actually designed to clip onto a fixed
cable that runs along a prepared rock climbing route (known as "Via
Ferrata"). The cable is attached to the rock with anchors every few feet,
necessitating unclipping and re-clipping to get around the anchors. Thus the
need for a Y-lanyard. The Easy Rider is much lighter weight than the
Absorbica-Y. The hooks are much smaller than gorilla hooks, and are made of
lighter material. The safety catch is much easier to operate, requiring only
moderate thumb or palm pressure to release. The legs are sewn into elastic
nylon "tubes" that retract like a bungee cord. This keeps the freely
dangling clip close to your hand so you can grab it more quickly and easily,
and tends to keep the legs from twisting around each other. The legs are
different lengths, which keeps the force from pulling on both in the event
of a fall (as mentioned above, if both legs are clipped, and they're the
same length, the force may be applied to them equally and may not activate
the shock absorber.) The shock absorber is contained in a zippered
compartment. Finally, the large loop used for attachment to the dorsal
D-ring of the harness eliminates the weight of the carabiner required to
attach the Absorbica-Y.

Here's a video about the product:

http://vimeo.com/6487296

Some warnings about using this device:

1.       The manufacturer says to use it only for Via Ferrata. Use it for
tower climbing at your own risk.

2.       The instructions say that the device may not prevent injury for
climbers who weigh less than 45 kg (99.2 lb) or more than 100 kg (220.5
lbs). Note that similar limits exist for *all* fall arrest lanyards (see
Weight Considerations for Fall Arrest Lanyards, below), but it appears that
Black Diamond does not offer solutions for persons weighing more than 100
kg. Petzl does (again, see below.)

Weight Considerations for Fall Arrest Lanyards

This is an important subject that, as far as I know, hasn't gotten attention
on TowerTalk. 

A fall arrest lanyard isn't just a strap that keeps you from falling. If you
use a plain strap and fall, say, 6 feet, the force applied to your body when
the strap catches you can cause serious injury. For this reason, fall arrest
lanyards incorporate a "shock absorber" to reduce the force applied to your
body at the end of a fall. Typically, the shock absorber is implemented by
folding the common nylon strap and sewing or otherwise securing the folds so
that when sufficient force is applied the folded material unfolds and tears
the thread or other material holding it in the folded configuration. As the
strap unfolds/tears, some (but not all) of the force of the fall is
dissipated.

-          If the combined weight of you and your equipment is below the
lower weight rating of the fall-arrest lanyard, the shock absorber may not
unfold/tear, and the full force of the fall will be applied to your body.

-          If the combined weight of you and your equipment is above the
upper weight limit, the unfolding/tearing of the shock absorber will not
reduce the force applied to your body below the accepted maximum (somewhere
between 6 and 8 kN.)

Petzl's Absorbica-Y webpage has these links to very informative brochures on
upper weight limits and what to do if you exceed them:

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Petzl-solutions-for-workers-over-100-kg
?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Petzl-solutions-for-workers-over-100-k
g?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US>
&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(80-cm)---Weight--120
-to-140-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(80-cm)---Weight--12
0-to-140-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=
US> &Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(80-and-150-cm)---Wei
ght--100-to-120-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(80-and-150-cm)---We
ight--100-to-120-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-abso
rbers&l=US> &Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(150-cm)---Weight--12
0-to-140-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/ABSORBICA-I-and-Y-(150-cm)---Weight--1
20-to-140-kg?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l
=US> &Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/FAQ-workers-over-100-kg?ProductName=ABS
ORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/FAQ-workers-over-100-kg?ProductName=AB
SORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US>
&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Workers-weighing-over-100-kg---Checklis
t?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y
<http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Workers-weighing-over-100-kg---Checkli
st?ProductName=ABSORBICA-Y&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US>
&Familly=Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers&l=US

I say this is an important subject because 100 kg translates to only 220.5
lbs. I think a lot of us weight at least that much with clothing, boots,
harness, helmet, tools and other equipment.

Positioning Belt

I use a Petzl Grillon Hook adjustable-length positioning belt:

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Lanyards-and-energy-absorbers/GRILLON-H
OOK?l=US#.VCMas_ldWuk

One end of the lanyard is fixed to the D-ring on the right side of my
harness belt with a locking carabiner. The other end of the lanyard has a
Grillon Hook, which can be clipped to either belt D-ring or to a secure
point above my head if the other end is attached to the chest D-ring (though
I've never used it that way.) 

Aside from build-quality, the key safety feature here is adjustability. This
provides a lot of flexibility in attaching and using the positioning
lanyard. I usually thread mine through the tower for maximum safety, and
keep the length relatively short so I'm close to the tower. If I need to
reach something a few feet away, there's plenty of slack available and the
adjusting mechanism makes it quick and easy to loosen the lanyard, do what I
need to do, then snug back up. Alternatively, the lanyard is plenty long
enough to go around the outside of the tower for those who prefer to use it
that way. This allows unlimited vertical movement (except when you get to a
guy bracket or ring rotor), but sacrifices secure attachment to the tower.
Either way, a separate fall-arrest lanyard must always be used.

The only drawback I've found with this lanyard is that there's so much slack
that the lanyard can get in the way when not in use (i.e., when climbing.)
It's important to retract the loop to a smaller size while climbing so it
doesn't catch on anything. This leaves a considerable amount of rope
dangling free, which is somewhat annoying but usually doesn't present a
problem. I can stuff the free end in my tool pouch if it really bothers me.

Safety Strap

This is something I came up with on my own, though I wouldn't be surprised
if other climbers have something similar. I use a heavy-duty, man-load rated
6" rock-climbing strap to provide a quick way to tie off to the tower when
climbing:

http://www.rei.com/product/850347/petzl-express-quickdraw-runner

(Mine is an older model that measures 14.5 cm from end to end, but 12 cm
between the carabiners. It doesn't have the plastic piece.)

One end of the strap is attached to the sternal or ventral D-ring on my
harness with a locking carabiner, and the other end has a locking carabiner
that can be quickly snapped onto a tower rung. The short strap ensures that
if one or both feet slip off a rung, I won't fall more than a few inches.
It's pretty-much equivalent to a cable system ascender in that respect.

I use the strap in two ways: 

1.       Quick and Easy Placement of the Positioning Lanyard-- When I reach
my work position I grab the carabiner at the end of the strap and snap it
onto a rung just in front of me. This leaves both hands free to unclip my
positioning lanyard, thread it through the tower, and clip it to the other
side of my belt. I can lean back for stable positioning while doing this,
but stay close enough to the tower to thread the lanyard through. Without
the strap, I would have to grab a tower leg with my left hand, unclip and
pass the positioning lanyard through the tower with my right hand (or throw
it around the tower), grab the tower with my right hand, then grab the free
end of the positioning lanyard with my left hand and clip it onto my belt.
Lots of movement and you don't want to forget which hand is doing what!

2.       Rest while Climbing -- If I need a rest while climbing I can
quickly clip onto the tower without having to take the time or energy to
install my positioning lanyard.

When I'm at a work position for any length of time, I have both legs of the
fall-arrest lanyard clipped to the tower, the safety strap clipped to the
tower and the positioning lanyard threaded through the tower. Overkill?
Maybe. But I sure feel a lot safer!

Carabiners

Whenever I need a carabiner for my safety equipment, I always use man-load
rated locking carabiners designed for rock climbing. Petzl makes good ones,
but generally I prefer the Black Diamond products. Although screw-type
locking carabiners are much safer than carabiners with no lock at all, I
only use carabiners with advanced lock designs that can't come undone
unintentionally. For example:

http://www.gmesupply.com/m36-bl-petzl-william-ball-lock-carabiner?gclid=CM6F
jLLb-sACFSdk7Aod90MAxw

and

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing-carabiners-quickdraws/magnetron
-rocklock-carabiner-BD2102870000ALL1.html#prefn1=bd_filter_gate_style
<http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing-carabiners-quickdraws/magnetro
n-rocklock-carabiner-BD2102870000ALL1.html#prefn1=bd_filter_gate_style&prefv
1=Magnetron&gclid=CILGrbnd-sACFQQT7AodK2cASg&start=2>
&prefv1=Magnetron&gclid=CILGrbnd-sACFQQT7AodK2cASg&start=2

or

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing-carabiners-quickdraws/magnetron
-vaporlock-carabiner-BD2102890000ALL1.html#start=1

There's one exception: my Petzl full-body harness came with a screw-type
carabiner for securing the chest straps to the belt. I'm reluctant to
replace any of the manufacturer's equipment on the harness, and the nature
of the configuration makes it unlikely that the screw lock will come loose,
the gate will open, and the carabiner will pull out.

Helmet

No list of safety equipment would be complete without a helmet. If something
falls on your head from above, you could be knocked unconscious and/or
seriously injured or killed.  No way I would ever climb without a helmet.
While (luckily) I've never had anything drop onto my head from above, I
can't count the number of times I've bumped my head into antenna booms, ring
rotors and other tower structures while climbing. Sometimes hard.

I use a Petzl Ecrin Roc, which has now been replaced by the Vertex Vent:

http://www.petzl.com/en/Professional/Helmets/VERTEX-VENT?l=US

This helmet is very light and comfortable, but protects my head as well as
much heavier helmets. The vents keep my head cool on hot days, too.

That's it. I hope this information is of some use to those of you who choose
to climb. I'd love to hear about other equipment that could further improve
what I've got and make climbing even safer.

73, Dick WC1M