They didn't know/ didn't tell us
- Thread starter 67Dart273
- Start date
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dartindanno
Well-Known Member
We've had those "foot stirrups" for many years. I think we've only had 1 fall in the past 10 years and he was rescued in minutes with another piece of equipment
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
Those "little issues" can be fatal.............
Demonic
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing that has come up in the last 20 yrs or so. Makes sense.
Big Dad
Well-Known Member
Not going to affect me, Not going to climb anything taller than a bar stool
Steve welder
Well-Known Member
When I started to do boiler work in power generation, the old scaffolds had only railings on one side and were hand cranked. Since the inside of one of the boilers starts at the 34' elevation and continues to the 166' elevation you get the picture how big it is.
We had only a single safety belt that was pretty much useless if you fell. Later on working at heights we had a full harness as pictured and I hung from one once, its painful.
We had no PPE to speak of back then, no respirators and no hearing protection. Asbestos was removed by knocking it off pipes using a hammer with no protection whats so ever and thats just for openers
So many guys in my age bracket I worked with are dead of cancer and lung related conditions, at times I think im on borrowed time
We've come a long way in this country when it comes to worker safety and thats a good thing
We had only a single safety belt that was pretty much useless if you fell. Later on working at heights we had a full harness as pictured and I hung from one once, its painful.
We had no PPE to speak of back then, no respirators and no hearing protection. Asbestos was removed by knocking it off pipes using a hammer with no protection whats so ever and thats just for openers
So many guys in my age bracket I worked with are dead of cancer and lung related conditions, at times I think im on borrowed time
We've come a long way in this country when it comes to worker safety and thats a good thing
Unconventional
Well-Known Member
New to me, but it's been 7 years since I've had contact with an MSHA or OSHA inspector 
I spent 3 hours once trying to flag down a co-worker to help me escape a manlift that decided to have a mechanical issue while I was using it 
I spent 3 hours once trying to flag down a co-worker to help me escape a manlift that decided to have a mechanical issue while I was using it 
diymirage
HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
sure they can, but not as fatal as death
well, maybe, my point is, choose the lesser evil and go from there
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
yea we are taught about that in fall training.. never saw those straps though. pretty good idea.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I haven't climbed "for pay" since about 2000 and don't remember ever hearing about this issue
First tower I ever climbed was in '68 at the amateur radio club at Treasure Island, CA, while going to Navy electronics A school 120ft, and I was up that several times. Back then, no harness, just a belt, and the work lanyards had no safety lock/ latches--just the spring gate
Me, then, 20 years old
diymirage
HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
hey...wheres the pic of you in front of the truck ?
its usually included in this list (and i remember it because you look like my dad in it)
Ironracer
Gearhead
I had to climb down one, using the scissor part of the liftNew to me, but it's been 7 years since I've had contact with an MSHA or OSHA inspector
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I may have lost just a few pounds since then. Not much, maybe 10. For awhile, I was down to 175, which I weighed for nearly 20 years "back then"
I was up the my tower briefly to do some minor work, sometime after this. I haven't even been on the air now for at least 2 years
That Great Big Triangle Carbeaner works like a bomb on small towers. I can clang it quick around a leg, and "I'm hooked!!"
racerdan80
Well-Known Member
i actually got to go over that in my annual training for wearing a harness at work when using boom lifts
Yunick13
2 Time FABO NASCAR champ 2023 FABO NHRA champ
That was never brought to my attention at work. Always considered the harness more dangerous than the fall, because the tether was a tripping hazzard. Also used the buddy system when using a harness
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
I don't think they discovered the suspension trauma thing until a good while after harnesses came out. It ain't no joke, and can kill you deader'n hell in about 15 minutes! I was happy as a clam when we got full harnesses instead of the old waist belts. I never got wound up in the lanyard with the harness like I did with the ones on a waist belt. I worked on power lines out of a bucket from 1978 until 2005. In a bucket was the only time we wore a waist belt or harness. The body belt and safety that I climbed with was an entirely different thing.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I had always used "just a belt" until I worked for Motorola from about ? 95--2000 ? or so. One of the first things they did is send several of us to "tower climbing school" use to be "Com Train" back then. Nice guy, gone now, I dont recall his name right now. He came into class to demo a problem, and I could see it coming. He had a dilapidated D ring on about 6" of frayed waist belt, and a non-lock safety hook on about 6" of frayed lanyard. "You all know these, right?" Snaps them together, and obviously practiced, held them above his head, gave a magic twist, and POOF!!! they are disconnected. Turns out there's been at least a couple of fatalities. guys get the work lanyard accidently twisted, maybe snagged against the tower, and the damn thing comes apart, and next thing ya know, you are on the ground, dead
Tow school was quite interesting. They took us out to a big tower to show us various things "in practice," as well as "jumping" a couple of different shock absorb units to show how those worked. Got a guy up just high enough to jump and still be feet off the ground, and rip a brand new shock strap And, obviously, there's been changes since then.
I've always and still am VERY ANGRY AND CRITICAL of tower manufacturers who don't step up. I think the cable brake system on these cell towers (monopoles) should be revised, and I think the damn climbing pegs should be outlawed, and "real" ladders installed. and I think ALL of the Rohn self supporting stuff that is large enough to have a center ladder should be required to, instead of the one-leg staggered pegs. And there was a fatality with THOSE as well
I've posted that one before...........
Tow school was quite interesting. They took us out to a big tower to show us various things "in practice," as well as "jumping" a couple of different shock absorb units to show how those worked. Got a guy up just high enough to jump and still be feet off the ground, and rip a brand new shock strap And, obviously, there's been changes since then.
I've always and still am VERY ANGRY AND CRITICAL of tower manufacturers who don't step up. I think the cable brake system on these cell towers (monopoles) should be revised, and I think the damn climbing pegs should be outlawed, and "real" ladders installed. and I think ALL of the Rohn self supporting stuff that is large enough to have a center ladder should be required to, instead of the one-leg staggered pegs. And there was a fatality with THOSE as well
I've posted that one before...........
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67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I believe that fall arrest cables, rather than being anchored at ONLY the top of the tower, should be anchored, "let's say" every 50 ft. and yeh, I realize you have to re-connect your yo-yo. But that is better than having the failure of a top anchor kill you if you fall.
Ironracer
Gearhead
When I was an exterior finish mechanic, I worked seven stories in the air, on scaffold that was not tied to the building, at any pointb, and it was on Sugar Sand, just sitting on a couple little tiny chunks of wood, I know that don't seem much, compared to a tower dog, but man every time you put your trowl on that building, that scaffold would rock backwards about a foot. I really don't want to get into the 90 ft long four-piece trusses for a Chinese Baptist Church that I did.... that'll just raise my damn blood pressure. These idiot roofers hired me to frame it for they thought bracing things was a waste of time well they didn't listen to me and we come back the next day and all the trusses we set with the crane fell over, I got up in there to tie the crane off after I did a bunch of bracing and the crane operator pulled them all back the other way to rack them and then took his foot off the brace while I was up at the Peaks, he left Fast! I can think of two different jobs I've been on, both times, friends of mine ( other Carpenters) borrowed bus money to get the hell out of there, due to safety issues
As a first responder, they teach us to lay the patient in a "W" position once they are on the ground, and leave them in that position during transport. Then, we slowly loosen the straps on their harness as to gradually reintroduce the pooled blood in their legs to the rest of the body.
The pooled blood is oxygen deficient and contains toxins that could cause BIG problems -- heart dysrhythmia, kidney damage, etc. The same problems can occur with removal of tourniquets, which is one reason why we never remove tourniquets in the field.
The pooled blood is oxygen deficient and contains toxins that could cause BIG problems -- heart dysrhythmia, kidney damage, etc. The same problems can occur with removal of tourniquets, which is one reason why we never remove tourniquets in the field.
Ironracer
Gearhead
Thank You for What Y'all Do!
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