Tower Climbing Staffing

Not everyone has the skills and steadfastness to be a tower climber, but for those who are drawn by the salary and adrenaline, tower climbing staffing agencies can be a great way to get a foot in the door.

The official title these jobs are listed will be Radio Frequency Tower Climber, Radio Tower Climber or simply Tower Climber. These jobs are available throughout the United States and all over the world. It helps if applicants have experience or a degree in a field related to mechanics or any sort of electrical field. Staffing agencies also look for people who have experience in sales, operations, sales management, and ownership of service or product related industries.

The salary of these positions greatly depends on the demand and location someone is working in. It is not a safe assumption that larger companies necessarily pay more. Most staffing agencies work with hundreds of non-profit, business, advertising, and marketing firms. Some of the positions are short-term and others are long-term which may develop into permanent positions.

Several responsibilities fall on the shoulders of tower climbers. It is more than just climbing, snipping a wire and climbing back down. This list includes:

• Overseeing the daily operation at sites.


• Filling out the required paperwork for sites and crew.


• Ensuring the quality and safety requirements are met for both the job and crew.


• Compiling all the lockout documentation.


• Following the detailed instructions provided by the Project Manager.


• Maintaining equipment and vehicles.

It is also important to have good people skills in order to maintain relationships with co-workers and customer service representatives, as well as to properly coordinate all prospective areas within these groups. Strong leadership skills are important to train new employees but, it is also important to listen to the details and instructions of others who are more knowledgeable.

Some companies differ on what requirements they want a candidate to already possess and what they are willing to train for. In general though, candidates should meet the following requirements:

• High school diploma or GED


• PIM Testing.


• Ability to interface with BTS Equipment


• Sweep testing.


• The candidate should have knowledge of all antenna systems equipment including cable, connectors, TMA’s, antenna, grounding, weather-proofing and all of the associated hardware.


• A willingness to work any shift and overtime.


• CPR and safety training.


• Ability to read, write, and speak in English.


• Authorized to work in the respective country.


• Willing to travel if necessary.

Working in this field can be demanding and the margin for error is nil. Companies look for only the best of the best candidates in a variety of fields. Many companies offer classes in safe climbing and emergency rescue to ensure that their climbers are prepared for the best and the worst case scenarios.

Some of the companies that staff in this field are listed below. Be sure to check with the companies in your area to find what specific requirements they need.

US Electrical staffing- http://uselectricalstaffing.com/

Skyhawk- http://skyhawk.net/

Telecom Staffing Services- https://www.smartrecruiters.com/

and Wireless Estimator- http://www.wirelessestimator.com/

Tower Climbing Staffing

RF Damage

Aside from slips and falls, RF damage can be one of the most severe dangers to tower climbers. What makes it so risky is that RF waves can not be seen, wearing a properly functioning RF meter greatly reduces the risk of exposure, but even at low levels RF waves can have dramatic effects over time.

Exposure to electromagnetic fields leads to people becoming more electrically sensitive. This can lead to headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, stress, burning sensations and rashes, skin prickling, achy muscles and pain. They can be mild to severe, even debilitating, depending on the person and the length of time they were exposed.


Since there is no proof that these symptoms are caused by the electro magnetic fields themselves, there is debate within the medical community as to whether these should constitute a true medical condition. Many double blind studies have shown that people who report electromagnetic sensitivity can not distinguish between real EMF fields and faux ones.

Even though the medical community is on the fence, the last decade has shown an increase in hypersensitivity cases reported and an increase of related diseases such as cancer, neurological disease, reproductive disorders (such as sterility), and immune system dysfunction. There have also been reports of kidney damage, genetic damage and a breakdown of the neurological system.

RF exposure can come from WiFi, cell towers, smart meters, etc… but because of factors such as proximity, many scientists say that the effects are negligible in day to day activities. For tower climbers though, the proximity is greatly tripled when compared to the exposure of a non tower climber.

The main sources of RF exposure for tower climbers come from the following places:

• 
  Broadcast towers: They will transmit at various RF frequencies and range from 550 kHz to 800 MHz and various ranges in between. Small radio stations can have an operating power of as little as a few hundred watts, where larger broadcast companies can be over a million. The amount of RF exposure depends on more than just the power output since some frequencies absorb into the human body easier than others. Both the EPA and OSHA have reported that even being in the general area of an active tower can put workers at risk of exposure.


• 
  Portable Radio Systems: These systems operate in narrow frequency bands between 30 and 1,000 MHz. They are used by fire departments, business radios, and radio paging services. The antennas used by these symptoms transmit intermittently so have not been considered a main area of RF exposure but they still have the potential for exposure.


• 
  Microwave Antennas: These mounted discs can be seen on rooftops and towers all over the country. They transmit microwave signals from less than a mile to more than 30 miles away. Despite the size of these discs, they transmit with very low power levels and are usually well below the recommended RF safety exposure limit.


• 
  Satellite Systems: Since these only receive RF signals and don’t transmit them, RF radiation is not an issue. They are much like the dishes used at residences. However, they do operate at high power levels so EMF danger may still be present.


• 
  Radar Systems: Used for detecting moving objects such as aircraft, boats and weather patterns. The operate between 300 MHz and 15 GHz. A number of factors significantly reduce the exposure to RF. Radar systems send EM waves in pulses and not continuously. This means the power emitted has a much lower peak pulse. Radar is directional and the RF energy is contained in beams, like a flashlight. They also rotate so the direction of the beam changes.

When working with any of these, be sure to wear your RF monitor and make sure it is properly functioning.

http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/rfradiation.html

http://www.rfsafetysolutions.com/RF%20Radiation%20Pages/Biological_Effects.html

RF Damage

Tower Climber Boots

On the list of things that need to be protected while you’re working, your feet might be relatively low. You probably don’t think about your feet too often, unless there’s a problem. In reality, if you aren’t properly set up with Tower Climber Boots, safety footwear, and traction devices, a small issue with your feet can turn into a big problem.

Protective, safety footwear is essential to ensure safe and healthy feet. Steel toe boots and shoes protect your feet, help prevent injuries to them, and reduce the severity of injuries that may occur in the workplace. According to the National Safety Council, only one out of four victims of job-related foot injury wear any type of safety shoes or boots. The remaining three are unaware of the benefits of protective footwear. Today’s safety footwear is comfortable, flexible, and stylish and provides necessary protection from injury. The foot is the most valuable part of your body subjected to injury in industry. Because of the many potential work hazards, it is important that you discuss with your supervisor the safety shoe, boot, or other protective equipment that you need for your protection.

The OSHA requirements for protective footwear are found within 29 CFR 1910.136. The general requirements of this regulation are that the employer shall ensure that each affected employee use protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, and where such employee’s feet are exposed to electrical hazards. To ensure you have the best level of protection in your work environment, an effective fit and selection of safety footwear is required.

Protective footwear purchased after July 5, 1994 shall comply with ANSI Z41-1991, “American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear,” which is incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. 1910.6, or shall be demonstrated by the employer to be equally effective. Protective footwear purchased before July 5, 1994 shall comply with the ANSI standard “USA Standard for Men’s Safety-Toe Footwear,” Z41.1-1967, which is incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. 1910.6, or shall be demonstrated by the employer to be equally effective. Hopefully you have replaced those safety boots by now!

There are many instances where the foot and toes would be at risk. In many work places falling and rolling objects, or cuts and punctures are a serious concern. A steel-toe safety shoe would help protect workers from injuries. There are many hazards the average working person comes in contact with everyday. The proper footwear can prevent unnecessary accidents.

It is clear to see that most hazards can be prepared for and avoided entirely. Why should you wear protective footwear? It is a simple precautionary method of keeping yourself safe. If you know the risks of your job then you should prepare for them with safety work and footwear.

Tower Climber Boots

The Deadliest Job in the United States

The rapid adoption of mobile communication devices, and the seemingly endless functions they serve, is unprecedented. No other form of technology has grown so rapidly, or become so deeply entrenched in the everyday lives of its users.

But the technology that consumers use for mobile communication and computing is only a small part of the story, because for mobile communication to be truly mobile has required the creation of a global infrastructure to provide a nearly constant and reliable wireless connection to users via a telecommunications network. Consumers marvel at the technological advances in mobile devices, but the invention, refinement, and expansion of the modern cellular network is the far greater achievement. Costing billions of dollars to create, and hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain, the modern mobile cellular network is a technological marvel.

But some of the costs remain hidden.

The first commercially available mobile cell phone—the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x—offered only one phone line, was capable of storing only 30 telephone numbers for rapid redial, and had an LED display capable of showing nothing more than the phone number being dialed (Wikipedia) Today’s smart phones, on the other hand, allow the user to access the World Wide Web via the Internet; watch movies and television programs made available by streaming service providers; videoconference with multiple participants; determine their precise geographic location; capture and send high resolution video and still images; and, of course, talk, text, and tweet. Moreover, today’s cellular networks connect users’ telephones, tablets, computers, and automobiles; not to mention wristwatches, fitness trackers and other “wearables”.

As users of mobile communications technology have increased in number, so has network coverage. In 1985, there were 900 towers in the United States (Cell tower statistics), providing cellular telephone service to 340,213 subscribers (NationMaster). As of late 2013, there were an estimated 190,000 cellular towers in the United States (Cell tower statistics).; and today, there are 345.2 million (mobiThinking) mobile cellular subscriptions in the United States alone. It has been reported that the number of cellular subscriptions worldwide will exceed the global population sometime this year (SiliconIndia).

Of course, some of those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. The precise number of individual cell towers and antennas is difficult to determine, since service providers are frequently tempted to inflate the number of sites in their network to appear more attractive to potential subscribers.

Oftentimes publicized “towers” turned into raw land opportunities, structures that were owned by another company or towers that were in development – a discreet way of affirming it could be a year or two before they’re available, and possibly never (wirelessestimator.com).

Nonetheless, the growth of network coverage is unquestionable. First only available in major metropolitan areas, cellular service is now widespread across the United States, with more cell sites added each day to meet the ever-increasing demand of the growing consumer base. Not since the construction of the transcontinental railroad system have private enterprises invested so much in the development of national infrastructure.

All the more surprising, then, that the actual construction and maintenance of the towers that make up the cellular communications networks in the United States is left to a relatively small number of independent contractors; and an even smaller number of overworked and underpaid subcontracted technicians. Major cellular service providers in the U.S. typically hire management firms to oversee the construction and upkeep of their cell sites. These firms, in turn, hire tower construction companies for the on-site work.

Cell carriers give several reasons for why they outsource tower work: Building and maintaining towers, though crucial to cell service, isn’t part of their core business. Contractors have greater expertise with construction. It’s more economical to hire workers where and when needed, given the up-and-down volume of work (ProPublica).

But the industry practice of outsourcing tower construction and maintenance to smaller independent, and inadequately regulated private contractors also shields the major cell carriers from legal liability in the event that a tower technician suffers a workplace accident.

OSHA has the authority to cite carriers if it can prove they had direct control over work or knew of safety violations. Yet, even though some carriers set prices and timetables for tower jobs – and many of their technical specifications, down to how to color code coaxial cables – their supervisors typically stay off-site and do not manage jobs directly (ProPublica).

Tower climbers—or “tower dogs”, as they sometimes refer to themselves—climb cellular communications towers up to 500 feet tall—often in difficult weather conditions—building, upgrading, or conducting routine maintenance on the towers and antennas in the nation’s cellular networks. Although a few private companies offer tower climber certification courses for a fee, the job requires little formal education. Many tower climbers work on a temporary contract basis, and what little training they receive is on-the-job. Their hours are long, and their risks are high. In fact, it is precisely because of the risky nature of tower climbing that the occupation attracts a very specific personality.

Climbers live out of motel rooms, installing antennas in Oklahoma one day, building a tower in Tennessee the next. The work attracts risk-takers and rebels. Of the 33 tower fatalities for which autopsy records were available, 10 showed climbers had drugs or alcohol in their systems.

“It’s the wild, wild west of the technology industry,” said Victor Guerrero, a construction project manager and former climber. “You’ve got to have a problem to hang 150 feet in the air on an 8-inch strap. You’ve got to be insane.” (ProPublica)

Combining that personality type with the high-stress demands of a rapidly growing cellular communications infrastructure was a recipe for disaster.

In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, one of the first smartphones to be widely adopted in the United States. In a controversial decision, Apple designed the iPhone to function only on AT&T’s 2nd generation mobile cellular network. Though the move frustrated many potential buyers, it had little effect on the iPhone’s sales. Even before the day of the iPhone’s release, media outlets reported customers lining up outside Apple’s retail stores to be the first adopters of the new technology. Apple reported sales of 270,000 units in the first 30 hours of the iPhone’s release.

The following year, Apple introduced the second generation iPhone 3G, and reported sales of 1 million units in the first weekend.

In response to the iPhone 3G’s phenomenal commercial success—and to meet future demand—AT&T had to scramble to extend the coverage of their third generation cellular network.

In 2006, Verizon Wireless had 7.7 million new subscriber additions compared to AT&T’s 7.1 million. After the iPhone launched, AT&T outpaced Verizon in net subscribers adds for the next three years, according to FCC figures. By 2009, AT&T had 8.1 million new adds while Verizon had 5.9 million (gigaom.com)

The rapid expansion of AT&T’s 3G network, however, may have directly contributed to the spike in tower climber fatalities in 2008 that led Edwin Foulke of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to declare the occupation “the deadliest job in the United States.” (OSHA) Rushing to complete their work, with minimal oversight and inadequate fall protection, eleven tower climbers fell to their deaths while working at AT&T sites—more than the number of fatalities at all other providers’ cellular sites combined.

In all, eighteen cellular tower technicians fell to their deaths in 2008; and, although that number may seem small compared to the number of fatalities in other professions (Aircraft pilots: 101 fatalities; farmers and ranchers: 291; truck drivers: 940), the number of tower climbers in the U.S. was thought to be between 8695 and 9800 at that time—a number so small that neither OSHA nor the Bureau of Labor Statistics had ever bothered to include the occupation in their annual list of most dangerous jobs.

OSHA and the BLS base their analysis of industry fatality rates on the number of deaths per 100,000 workers. Applying that methodology to the 18 deaths suffered by tower climbers in 2008, authors of a joint investigation by ProPublica and PBS’s “Frontline” found that the “death rate” of cellular tower technicians was significantly higher than all other professions on the list (wirelessestimator.com; ProPublica). In 2013, following another spike in tower worker deaths, Dr. David Michaels of OSHA declared that “tower workers have a risk of fatal injury perhaps 25 to 30 times higher than the risk for the average American worker.” (OSHA)

OSHA held the subcontracted construction and maintenance firms responsible for each of the cellular tower deaths investigated by ProPublica and “Frontline”. Fines levied by OSHA ranged from $50,400 to $450, although many construction firms reach formal settlements with the government, and avoid paying any fines at all. Those firms that do pay significant fines for failing to meet appropriate safety standards frequently go out of business, rarely compensating the workers who have suffered injuries while employed at their sites, or the families of those who have died. Jay Guilford, a tower climber who fell to his death in 2008,

Left behind a fiancée, Bridget Pierce, and two young children, Emily, now 7, and Aidan, now 5. Under policies provided by Phoenix of Tennessee, Pierce received $200,000 in life insurance, but was denied worker’s compensation because an autopsy showed Guilford had recently smoked marijuana. Lawyers advised Pierce not to sue because of the drugs (ProPublica).

Over 100 tower climbers have fallen to their deaths since 2006, with over half of these fatalities occurring at cellular communications sites. In 2013, more tower climbers died than in the previous two years combined. As of today, no major cellular service provider has been fined or successfully sued following the injury or death of a climber. In 2006, AT&T was named in a wrongful death suit following the fatality of William Cotton, but settled the case for an undisclosed sum without admitting wrongdoing. When the plaintiff in the case attempted to appeal the settlement, AT&T threatened to sue him, the appeal was dropped. AT&T was removed from the list of defendants (PBS)

Over the same period of time, AT&T’s worldwide operating revenue has grown from $62.52 billion to $127.75 billion.

The Deadliest Job in the United States

Tower Climber Equipment Check

Safety equipment is, needless to say, the difference between life and death or serious injury. Tower climbing is the most dangerous job in America, but using proper equipment can lower the risks dramatically. Keeping it in good order is of paramount importance.

The tips below are suggested methods and things to look for to make sure all your safety equipment able to keep you safe. As professionals, you know that what safety gear you use depends on the details of the environment in which you work.

Tower Climber Equipment Check

Safety harness - According to NATE standards these should be secured in a way that that will distribute fall arrest forces over the thighs, waist, pelvis, chest and shoulders. Safety belts can not be used for fall arrests.

Periodically, at least once or twice a months, they should be checked for cuts, rips and tears, electrical burns, rot and deterioration (both physical and UV), chemical damage and evidence of shock loading. Any harness that is suspected of these types of damages should be discarded immediately.

Lanyards/Positioning Straps - Each end of the lanyard needs to be securely snapped into a D ring of the full body harness.  They need to be inspected for spring tension, no exposure of the inner layer, cracks, burns and corrosion, and no excessive side movement. Make sure the rivets aren’t loose or worn and that there is no chemical damage.

Carabineers - These are not the average carabineers found in tool store and retail outlets. First things first is to make sure the don’t have that infamous “not for climbing” stamped on them. Also, make sure they are rated for your weight.

Hardhats - The straps inside the hard hat should be 1” to 1.25” from the outside of the hard hat in order to protect from shock. It should fit securely, not too tight, but not able to wobble around.

Manufactures recommend hard hat replacement every five years, however, if they are exposed to a lot of sunlight, chemicals or heat then it’s recommended to replace them every two years. This guideline is important to follow because hardhats don’t show wear and tear like other pieces of equipment do. Needless to say hard hats with holes or dents should be discarded.

Vehicles - In order to keep vehicle safe from falling objects, they should be at least a half a towers length away from the climb site.

RF monitor - Making sure that they have a full charge just makes sense, they can’t work if the batteries don’t. They should be periodically checked to make sure they are reading RF waves correctly.

Radio – Just like the RF monitor, make sure that the batteries are charged and do quality checks on a couple different channels before climbing the tower.

Rope – Once or twice a month ropes should be check for wear and tear, fraying, and rot. The knots should especially be checked, if the rope has gotten wet, mold and mildew can hide under the knot, making it a hidden enemy.

Regardless of what your equipment is, it should be stored properly. Radios and RF monitors should be placed on their chargers. Ropes, harnesses, helmets, etc… should always be stored in a dark, cool, dry place. Riding around with them in the back of your truck can cause damage to your vital equipment.

Below is a link to the NATE approved checklist for all equipment:

http://natehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Equipment-Basics-Checklist.pdf
http://www.engineeringspecialtiesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Tower_Climber_Safety.pdf

Tower Climber Equipment Check

4 Things A Good Tower Climber Never Forgets

Climbing communications towers that are hundreds and sometimes thousands of feet in the air, is a very dangerous job! Most towers have no mechanical lifts, so getting to the desired height means scaling rungs hand-over-hand, usually while wearing bulky safety gear and carrying an equipment bag.

While the risk of falling is great, the freedom is greater. The Following are the 4 Things A Good Tower Climber Never Forgets

#1: A Proper Climb Plan

Working on a tower involves coordinating and planning with numerous parties even before stepping up on the first rung. Involved groups include the carrier that is contracting the work, the tower owners, and other carriers that share the tower or operate from nearby towers.

During the planning process, consider the following:

• Do you have the appropriate work permits?


• Do the carriers know the day(s) and time(s) of day that installers will be on the tower?


• Have arrangements been made to ensure reduced RF transmission levels while the installers are on the tower?


• Has a proper Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) procedure been implemented in order to protect personnel on the tower, especially if RF transmitters are controlled remotely?

A proper climb plan ensures that everyone is informed and that the work can be conducted on the tower safe and effectively.

#2: Observing Proper Warning Signage

Towers are big, hulking structures and warrant the placement of RF radiation warning signs in appropriate locations along the ladder. These signs should be large, bright, and clearly state: “On this tower: radio frequency fields near some antennas may exceed FCC rules for human exposure. Personnel climbing this tower should be trained for working in RF environments and should use a personal RF monitor.”

By observing the proper warning signage, climbers receive a clear, bold message that they are entering a hazardous zone. If communications towers lack such signage, climbing them should be avoided until the RF conditions at that site can be verified by both the occupying carriers and the tower owners.

#3: Keeping Climbing Safety Gear in Good Repair and Within Allowable Dates-of-Use

All climbing safety gear comes with an expiration date. The reason is that with extensive use, harnesses, straps, and clips become worn and stressed to the point where they may not perform as intended at a critical time.

Don’t take unnecessary chances if any safety gear has an allowable date-of-use that has expired, do not attempt to use that gear beyond that date.

#4: Climbing With Inadequate Safety and Protection Gear

Weather and hazardous conditions that exist high up on a tower are not always evident on the ground. Experienced climbers recognize that before attempting to scale a tower, they must be fully suited with a helmet, safety glasses, gloves, jackets, pants, boots, as well as outfitted with a safety harness, lifeline, carabineers, lanyards, rope grabs, and tool belts.

Taking shortcuts is never a good idea. The investment in all the necessary equipment and gear will pay off the first time it’s needed several hundred feet in the air.

These safety measures are not just ideas or suggestions. They are essential in every good climbers climb to avoid hazards and to follow sound, accepted tower climbing techniques.

Our life depends on them.

4 Things A Good Tower Climber Never Forgets

Life of a Tower Climber

When people hear that you’re a tower climber, there are usually two things that that job description brings to mind. The first is, “Wow, you must be a serious daredevil.” The second is, “And you must make some serious cash.” Anyone who’s worked as a tower climber on cellular towers can attest to the prevalence of these reactions.

“I think…the part where you tell people what you do for a living and the awestruck looks on their faces sometimes,” an experienced tower climber in the Pacific Northwest told an interviewer for Jobsearcher.com when he was asked what he would say is the most rewarding aspect of his job.

While there’s no question that tower climbers tend to be male and they obviously can’t be easily intimidated by precarious situations, the matter of compensation can be a bit of a tricky one, and there are a lot of other qualities that come into play in this job. Climbing a tower that can range anywhere from 200′ to 1500′ in the air is clearly an exhilarating experience that most thrill seekers would gladly welcome, but it’s important to remember that these workers are not up there simply to enjoy the view.

Cell tower climbers need to have a strong handle on how both electrical and computer systems work, since a good part of what they do is to inspect and repair these systems. Although there are times when they’ll be up there for something relatively easy, like changing out a light bulb, just as often they will be required at the top of the tower to fix a faulty part or to ensure that everything is in proper working order up there. Changing out things like feed lines or a bad antennae might be called for and there are other times when you’ll be involved in the actual construction of the tower, in its final stages. This means that these workers need to have not only a lot of range in their skills set, they also need to have very good eye-hand coordination to boot.

Meanwhile, it might seem obvious, but climbing almost a quarter of a mile into the sky does have a tendency to make the average person just a tad jumpy, if not straight terrified. It’s not uncommon for new people to come into the work thinking that they have no fear of heights, only to discover that they do have an intense fear of extreme heights. The climber in the Northwest has given that some thought.

“…we’ve had people come to work here saying that they’re mountain climbers, they’re not scared of heights or anything, and they don’t last a day because they can’t do it. I don’t know if it’s just being out in the open because when you climb a mountain you have a big wall in front of you so you can’t see nothing else (sic), but when you climb a tower, ninety percent of the time you can see right through it,” he told Jobshadow.

As for the great pay that everyone assumes comes with such a risky job, tower climbers will be the first to tell you that they do usually get paid fairly well, but they also point out that there are extra costs associated with this career that most people don’t think of. Take into consideration, for example, the price of life insurance when you have a job where a momentary lapse in judgment or a minor equipment flaw could kill you. In fact, as experienced tower climbers will tell you, this is one job where the health insurance premiums are low, but the life insurance premiums are high. That’s because if you fall, there’s little chance that there will be enough of you to fill a hospital bed, let alone provide hope for a recovery. One tower climber estimated that he spent almost a third of his income on his life insurance policy, although he admitted that he did have a large benefit because he felt that the risk of his family having to cash it in was so great.

The money itself can vary by what region you’re working in and a big factor in your salary will be your experience as a climber. There’s a lot of growth in this field and there is plenty of room for advancement, particularly if you are comfortable with computers and what it takes to keep them running smoothly.

Tower climbers are also usually expected travel to jobs that may take them anywhere from a few counties away to a few states away. There are benefits to the travel, of course. You do get to see the world on someone else’s dime and you get paid while you do it. But for those who have a family or other obligations at home, the constant travel can really start to wear thin after awhile.

Consider too that winter days that high up can be painfully cold. There’s normally nothing up there to break the wind, so you really are at the mercy of the elements. Some days, depending on where you work, it will simply be too cold to go up at all. Thunderstorms are also an obvious no-go for cell tower climbers, so you can at least count on having those days off, though you don’t usually get paid for work unless you’re actually there.

Tower climbing is by no means an easy job and it’s often downright uncomfortable. Those with a weak constitution definitely need not apply. And while the money may be good, the risk to life and limb is through the roof. In fact, there are plenty of arguments for why a person shouldn’t sign on to do this gig. Some might even say that those who do this job every day must be at least a little bit crazy. But a tower climber who loves the job, and there are plenty of them out there, can always come back with one simple and sincere reply: “Yeah, but check out the view.”

Life of a Tower Climber

ComTrain – Certified Tower Climbing Safety

Tower climbing is regularly recognized by various governing bodies, companies, and individuals, as one of the most dangerous occupations that a human can have. Although the work that tower climbers do is essential to the maintenance of our communication systems around the world, the job is certainly not without its risks. For example, in the year of 2014 alone, there have been six tower climber-related deaths in the United States of America. The latest two were on March 25th, in Blane, Kansas, due to the falling of a structure.

All of those people within the tower climbing industry – whether tower climber themselves, or employers of tower climbers – want to ensure that the number of deaths from tower climbing related activities can be completely brought down to zero. It is simply not acceptable that the average death rate for tower climbers is higher than any other job within the construction or building industry. This is why there is such a heavy emphasis on training and safety awareness within the companies that utilize tower climbers to help them maintain their assets.


There are two main aspects to safety when it comes to tower climbing: equipment, and knowledge. There are many different kinds of safety apparatus that it is imperative that all tower climbers carry with them at all times. For example, it is vital that a tower climber has a torch and a first aid kit, as well as a two way radio. However, they will also need a good solid harness, recommended by a safety company, as well as a rescue kit that can be used for another climber, as well as the individual carrying it. Obviously, the actual clothes that a tower climber wears are just as important as the safety equipment that they carry. A tower climber will need to wear strong and sturdy boots, and have gloves with grip patches on them. Without all of these basic safety pieces of gear, it is impossible for a tower climber to climb secure in the knowledge that he or she will definitely be able to come down in one piece.

The knowledge aspect of tower climbing is very important. ComTrain is a company that has, since the year 1996, been training tower climbers with all of the vital information that they will need to make a successful and safe climb. They also offer training courses on fall protection, and rescue training, so that if one member of a tower climbing team is injured or stuck somewhere, the rest of his or her team can rescue them. Other courses include training on hazard assessment, fixed ladder usage, and mandated safety meetings. ComTrain has offered its training to over 45,000 individuals through many different private companies and public government organizations over the years, and there are branches of ComTrain throughout the United States of America.

ComTrain’s training is internationally recognised as one of the best, and is therefore an official training provider for companies such as American Tower, Bechtel, and Union Pacific Railroad. In fact, there are many companies that employ tower climbers that will refuse to hire anyone that has not received their training from ComTrain. For a tower climber to be certified by ANSI/ASSES and OSHA, they have to be trained through a ComTrain course.

If you are an aspiring tower climber, do not even consider applying for jobs before you have seriously thought about the training courses that you will require. Without them, you will be a danger to yourself and everyone else on site, so it is for everyone’s benefit that each individual gets trained – and the best people in the business are ComTrain.

ComTrain – Certified Tower Climbing Safety

Tower Climber Safety Tips

Most employers often complain that the cost of tower fall prevention training and equipment is on the high side. These trainings are however important to prevent tower falls which are mostly very fatal. There have been cases of tower climbers falling to their death during tower installations, which makes adequate training and tower climber safety tips very important to prevent such deadly falls.

Employers know the high expenses that accompany such falls as they will be fined heavily for safety lapses by concerned agencies with their job sites closed for several months while the investigation into the falls last. Most times when such sites are reopened, the enthusiasms among the workforce reduce drastically as a result of psychological distress and rustiness. This has further enhanced the need for adequate training for tower climbers to make sure they observe all necessary safety precautions while climbing to save themselves from such falls and save their employers the losses recorded when such falls take place on their sites.


Employers have been advised to provide proper safety training, site and equipment maintenance to prevent the emotional and financial shakeups that affect all parties involved when a tower climber falls during tower installation projects.

Safety Tips for Tower Climbers

Several factors have been identified as possible causes of fatal falls for tower climbers. Such factors include weather conditions as at the time of undertaking the tower installation project, high electricity voltage, falling objects, and several other hazards that are capable of tipping the balance of a tower climber.

The need for the right safety tips and gear for climbers safety was became more evident after two young amateur climbers had fatal falls in 2011. New tower climbers are more prone to fatalities than the experienced ones. The fact that no other industry has experienced the rate of fatal falls the tower climbing industry has recorded prompted in-depth research into the major causes of these falls.

These researches showed that most of the falls experienced by tower climbers occur due to wrong use of tower gear and inadequate adherence to safety rules and procedures. Only a few of these falls occur due to gear failures. There are certain major safety procedures you must always observe before undergoing any tower climbing project. Below are some of the tips that can help keep you safe while working at height.

Be thoroughly prepared

It is wrong to start your way up the ladder without making all necessary adjustments to all your tools and equipment. Never be in a haste to get up the ladder without checking the gear and all other tools to make sure they are in good shape. Being fully prepared involves taking all necessary security measures like monitoring the weather daily to make sure you are climbing when the weather condition is more favorable. It is a known fact that when accidents occur at high heights, the weather condition can go a long way to determine the safety of the climber before help comes to him.

Be well hydrated

Most times, tower climbers are exposed to intense heat while working up there. It is advised that you stay as hydrated as possible while working at ground level, which makes adequate hydration a must for you as a climber working at great heights. Inadequate hydration can lead to a number of problems that may result in fatality cases. Some of the problems that can arise from inadequate hydration for a tower climber are; heat stroke, weakness, confusion, dizziness, nausea, fainting, and exhaustion.

Give Yourself Regular fitness checks

It is always important that you give yourself proper physical and fitness check before you embark on any tower climbing project. Make sure you feel energetic and strong enough to embark on the climbing project before you commence. Make sure you are not under any heat-related illness before you start climbing. Check for heat cramps in the muscles of your hands to forestall being unable to properly attach the snap hook of your safety positioning lanyard to an anchor point to enable you stop and rest safely at intervals while on the job. Knowing the symptoms of all heat illnesses and monitoring yourself and other members of your tower climbing team is of utmost importance.

Have a Rescue Team Handy

The truth remains that a fall may still happen at any time despite all the safety measures taken. This makes the enforcement of efficient work site prevention and emergency rescue plan to rise to the occasion in case of any falls very important. These precautions have helped handle life-threatening situations very adequately on several occasions.

Use Full Body Slings

Tower climbing equipment manufacturers continue to make the job of tower climbers easier and safer. The full body sling helps redistribute the pressure from your body weight away from the leg straps of your harness. This will not only increase your comfort, but goes a long way to keep you in a work position for longer periods. With the full body seat sling, you can afford to stretch out your leg in front of you, taking attention away from the pain in your legs and focusing on the job at hand.

Give your Crew Adequate Training

If you have a team of your climbers working with you, chances are that most of them do not have the necessary trainings and experience to prevent fatal falls while climbing. It is your job as the crew leader to hire any of the companies reputed for the quality of safety training offered to tower climbers to come to site and train your crew members. These companies offer climbing safety, climbing skills, and rescue tips. Some major climbing equipment manufacturers are also known to offer training and consulting services for tower climbers’ safety.

Following these climbing tips, techniques and using the right safety equipment the right way will help you enjoy a safe and long tower climbing career. Using the right gear for your tower climbing projects and having the required level of professional training and knowledge will keep you safe, and still go a long way to reduce your job stress.

Tower Climber Safety Tips

Biggest Tower Climbing Mistakes

Tower climbing can be a thrilling and valuable occupation. Most the people who have this occupation love it and are intrigued by the danger. In the 80’s, it was a small and highly specialized industry, but with the growth of communication over the past 30 years, the demand has grown exponentially.

Some of the most common hazards in this field are falls from great heights, electrical hazards, bad weather, tower collapse, and equipment failure. Most of these are preventable by following not just the safety procedures of your company, but by using common sense.


The Biggest Tower Climbing Mistakes and recommended prevention methods are listed below. Most people who are in the field know that falls can happen but, the risk of RF radiation is often overlooked. When in doubt, follow common sense and avoid these mistakes:

1. Not having a proper climbing plan:

Scaling rung over hand, several hundred feet in the air while carrying an equipment bag, is not a process to be undertaken lightly. Before stepping on the the first rung, everyone in the group should be able to answer the following questions: Do the carriers know when the installers will be on the tower? Have all the appropriate permits been received? Have arrangements been made to reduce RF transmission levels? Have the LOTO procedures been implemented? Everyone on the team for each tower or set of towers should know that all of these guidelines have been followed.

2. Insufficient tower climbing certification:

Not just anyone can climb a tower and possess the skills needed to execute the maintenance successfully. Experienced climbers have the instincts needed to move up and down the tower but, like any technical job, the skills, changes, and safety updates made in the field must be periodically re-taught and certifications updated. A mistake made by experienced climbers is to get set in their ways and not implement new techniques.

3. Not maintaining climbing gear:

Climbing gear comes with an expiration date. After so many years, stress will be put on clips, harnesses, and straps making them no longer able to perform their proper safety function. Gear should be routinely checked for rips, tears, and chips, even if it is within its dates. It should also, be stored properly as sun exposure and other environmental factors can make it age prematurely. Once gear has reached its expiration date, even if it shows no signs of damage, it should be discarded.

4. Climbing without proper gear:

Weather changes up in the air can not always be detected from the ground. Every climber should have their glasses, gloves, jacket, helmet, boots, harness, lifeline, carabiners, rope grabs, lanyards, and tool belts on their person and in proper working order before the climb begins. It may be tempting to buy discounted or used gear but, when it comes to safety, paying the extra amount will be worth it.

5. Not keeping RF Personal alarm on:

RF signals can’t be seen. Even if towers have been reduced in their operations to reduce RF signals, there is no way to know for sure that they won’t be suddenly turned back on. Make sure it is charges and wear it outside of the suit. It could save your life.

6. Lack of proper signage:

Signs, especially those that warn of RF radiation, should be clearly visible. Weathering and vandalism may damage signs, they should be properly replaced and maintained so that all those involved can read them clearly. If communication towers are lacking these signs, they should not be climbed until the specific RF conditions can be verified.

Following these tips is the first step towards safety. In a dangerous field such as tower climbing, going the extra mile is worth the time.

Biggest Tower Climbing Mistakes

Tower Climbing Deaths

Cell phones are our era’s ubiquitous technology device. There are more active cell phones in the U.S. than actual people. For the first time, PBS investigation has revealed the number of fatalities at subcontractors working on each of the carrier’s networks: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobil, Verizon (Day, 2012).

AT&T was racing to spin out a new cell phone network to deliver music, video and online games at more rapid speeds. The network, known as 3G, was crucial to the AT&T’s fortunes. AT&T’s cell service had been criticized by customers for its propensity to drop calls, a problem compounded when the company converted to the sole carrier for the iPhone (Day, 2012).

Tower climbing, an obscure field with no more than 10,000 workers, has a mortality rate roughly 10 times that of construction. In the last nine years, alone, nearly 100 tower climbers have been killed on the job. Alarmingly, more than half of them were working on cell sites. An investigation led by ProPublica and PBS “Frontline” shows that the convenience of mobile phones has come at a hefty price: Between 2003 and 2011, 50 climbers died working on cell sites, more than half of the nearly 100 who were killed on communications towers (Day, 2012).


Cell phone carriers’ outsource this dangerous tower climber jobs to subcontractors, a practice increasingly common in risky businesses from coal mining to trucking to nuclear waste removal. Due to this aspect, cell phone carriers’ connection to tower climbing deaths has remained invisible. In the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s database of workplace accident investigations, you will not find a single tower climber fatality listed (Day, 2012).

“For each tower-related fatality since 2003, ProPublica and PBS “Frontline” traced the contracting chain from bottom to top, reviewing thousands of pages of government records and interviewing climbers, industry executives, and labor experts” (Day, 2012). In accident after accident, deadly missteps often resulted because climbers were shoddily equipped or received little training before being sent up hundreds of feet. To make matters worse, to satisfy demands from carriers or large contractors, tower hands sometimes worked overnight or in dangerous conditions (Day, 2012).

PBS reporting revealed that AT&T had more fatalities on its jobs than its three closest competitors combined. The death toll peaked between 2006 and 2008, as AT&T merged its network with Cingular’s and scrambled to grasp traffic achieved by the iPhone. “I don’t think there’s any question that the pressure to build out the network has been a contributing factor to fatalities,” said Steve Watts, who worked as a risk manager at AT&T until 2007. All other major cell carriers would not comment and declined requests to be interviewed for this story.

ProPublica Research

Nashville-based Phoenix of Tennessee, the parent company of All Around Towers, the subcontractor that had managed the climbing crew is the only OSHA cited company for safety violations. Inspectors concluded that Phoenix of Tennessee had not evacuated broken equipment from the site or addressed unsafe work conditions in plain view. The company had to pay a fine of $2,500. All Around Towers went out of business following the accident (Day, 2012).

Kyle Waites, the owner of Phoenix of Tennessee and part-owner of All Around Towers, said he sent climbers for re-training and purchased new safety equipment after the death of Jay Guilford. “Do I feel responsible to a degree? I think everybody does that was involved with it,” Waites said. “What caused Jay’s death was a chain of events that all could have, and should have, been prevented” (Day, 2012). “Once you leave men alone, the men have to police themselves,” he said (Day, 2012).

Until the 1990s, most tower work convoluted radio and television towers, which can be more than 1,000 feet high. Some phone companies employed staff climbers to endeavor on microwave towers used for long-distance calling. However, with the proliferation of cell phones, the pace and volume of tower work spiked. Carriers blanketed the country with cell locations to extend service to the most remote areas. Many advances in service require converting out antennas and doing other upgrades. The surge of cell phone work, forever altered tower climbing; an obscure field of with no more than 10,000 workers. It attracted newcomers, including outfits known within the organization as “two guys and a rope.” It also exacerbated the businesses transient, high-flying culture (Day, 2012).

Climbers live out of motel rooms, inaugurating antennas in Oklahoma one day and building a tower in Tennessee the next day. Climbers typically earn $10 or $11 an hour. The job seems to attract risk-takers and rebels. Of the 33 tower fatalities for which autopsy records were accessible, 10 showed climbers had drugs or alcohol in their systems. An analysis of OSHA records demonstrates that tower climbing has had a death rate roughly 10 times that of construction. In two dozen cases, for example, inspectors found that workers on sites where fatalities occurred had acquired inadequate training. Faulty or misused equipment was responsible in almost one-third of the tower-related deaths since 2003. Carriers sometimes power down cell sites when climbers are on them, so subcontractors often work overnight, which increases the risk of injury (Day, 2012).

Time pressure often leads tower hands to use a technique called free-climbing, in which workers don’t attach their safety harnesses to the tower. This allows them to move up, down and around more quickly, but leaves them without fall insurance. In more than half of the tower fatalities examined, workers were, in fact, free-climbing, even though government safety regulations strictly forbid it. It is very appealing and most climbers eventually give in to it (Day, 2012).

Cell carriers give several reasons for why they outsource their tower work: Building and maintaining towers, though crucial to cell service, isn’t part of their core business, is one. Contractors have greater expertise with construction and it’s more economical to hire workers where and when needed, given the up-and-down volume of work. Handling tower work this way also insulates companies atop the contracting chain from legal and regulatory consequences when there are accidents (Day, 2012).

Tower-climbing fatalities have decreased considerably since the end of 2008. Some in the industry give credit to improved safety practices to explain the smaller death toll. Others say the recession has cut into the volume of tower work and that, after finishing 3G upgrades, much of what carriers required could be done on the ground. With the next big push i.e. building out 4G LTE networks, just getting underway in major markets, some veteran climbers continue to worry that the fatality numbers will rise again (Day, 2012).

Reference:

Day, Knutson, PBS Frontline, and ProPublica. (2012). In race for better cell service, men who climb towers pay with their lives. Retrieved from: http://www.propublica.org/article/cell-tower-fatalities

Tower Climbing Deaths

Dangers to Tower Climbers, and How to Avoid Them

Everyone knows that being a tower climber is a dangerous job. In fact, in many surveys it appears as the top most dangerous job that can be done in the entire world. Of course, this doesn’t stop people from wanting to enter into this career, and loving the job once they are fully trained, but anyone who is a tower climber should know about the dangers that they face on a daily basis, and most importantly, know how to avoid them. Here are what we consider to be the top three dangers to tower climbers, and how to avoid them:

1. Not being trained properly.

There are a huge variety of training courses and qualifications that are available to tower climbers, and it can sometimes be complicated and confusing knowing exactly what you should have to be allowed to climb towers. It is absolutely vital that a tower climber has the right training. That includes training in climbing, training in electronics, and training in all of the climbing and safety equipment that he or she will use when on the tower. This training needs to be so endemic within your consciousness that in an emergency you just react, you don’t have to think and make mistakes, because your training is so good. If you want to avoid this danger, then you need to check in with your employer and check with them exactly what qualifications they believe are the best ones, and then get them.

2. Bad weather.

Unfortunately, tower climbing is a job that is very elemental. If the sun is beating down, you are climbing up that tower. If your fingers are cold and you haven’t seen the sun for a couple of days, you are still climbing up that tower. But all tower climbers need to be smart about their decision making, and take a good look at weather reports for the whole day. If a thunderstorm is coming in the afternoon, then it is clever to adjust the timetable for the day so that all feet are on the ground by the time that it comes. If the temperatures mean that someone in the tower climbing team could suffer from heat stroke, then you need to take precautions and either decide not to climb, or make sure that everyone drinks enough water during the day. No job is more important than a person’s life, and so it is imperative that all tower climbers take the weather seriously. If you want to avoid this danger, then always factor the weather into your working day.

3. Fatigue.

We are told all of the time on the roads that tiredness kills, and this is just as true for tower climbers. No one apart from a tower climber themselves can truly tell whether or not they have the mental awareness and are awake enough to do their job properly, and so this is something that each and every tower climber will have to do as a self-assessment before climbing any tower. Reasons for being too fatigued could vary: from being hung-over, recovering from an illness, or just sleep deprived, all of these are valid reasons to doubt whether you will be able to tower climb safely that day. Taking one day out, or even just half a day, can make a huge positive difference to your work afterwards, and is always safer. If you want to avoid this danger, then be honest to yourself and your co-tower climbers about how you are feeling.

Dangers to Tower Climbers, and How to Avoid Them

Tower Climber Deaths in 2014

It has never been a particularly well kept secret that tower climbing is an incredibly dangerous job. Seen by many as more of an extreme sport than a safe working environment, there are many different courses and qualifications that have been made available to those that want to work as tower climbers, in order to better equip them as tower climbers.


Sadly, there has been an increase in people working on towers dangerously over the last couple of years. There are a few reasons for this: firstly, many people are being laid off, leaving the same number of towers for a smaller number of tower climbers. This means that some tower climbers are driving for more than twelve hours, and then immediately going up a tower. Secondly, there seems to be a level of peer pressure to climb with a smaller and smaller amount of safety gear, which is just ridiculous. And lastly, safety equipment is incredibly expensive, and some tower climbers that are just starting out do not have the initial funds to purchase all of the gear that they require.

These reasons, however, are not good enough to justify the loss of life. Nothing is. There have been many more tower climber deaths in the industry in the last few months, which is worrying many people. In 2013, thirteen individual tower climbers were killed at work sites, which was a larger number of tower climbers than those that died in 2011 and 2012 combined. It is only May, and already another four tower climbers have died in 2014.

The majority of tower climbers that die during working perish due to falls from a ridiculously high distance. However, two of those that have died in the last fourteen months were killed when a tower collapsed on top of them in West Virginia, and that was not the end of the incident, a fire fighter died trying to aid the tower climber, and another two tower workers were highly injured due to the destruction. Some have argued that tower climbers have a risk of having a fatality thirty times more likely than the average American worker, which is quite a scary prospect.

Many people believe that tower climbers are paid such high amounts of money per year as partly ‘danger money’, just as surgeons are paid a lot of money because they run the risk of sadly not being able to save someone on the table. It is also why tower climbers should always be covered by a high amount of insurance, to protect them for any potential health costs and to help them live for the rest of their lives if they cannot work again. However, this money can never be enough to cover the loss of a loved one.

There are many calls within the tower climbing industry to make conditions safer for those that are risking their lives to give us good electrical signals. Some suggestions about how to make tower climbing safer is to bring in further regulations about what sort of qualifications new tower climbers will need to have in order to practice tower climbing safety. It has been stated that the deaths this year and last were totally preventable, making them even more tragic. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to accurately follow which tower climbers have the correct training and experience and unfortunately, there really is nothing like actually climbing a tower to make you a better tower climber. It is a bit like pole vaulting: at some point, you simply have to take a deep breath, and start running.

Tower Climber Deaths in 2014

Cell Tower Climber Safety

It is imperative for any cell tower climber to think very seriously about their safety. After all, tower climbing is a very dangerous career for someone to undertake, and therefore it is vital to consider thoroughly what can be done on a daily basis to make their job as safe as it can possibly be. Companies often take a lot of time and effort to make sure that every single part of a cell tower’s day is covered by the safety regulations that all tower climbers need to abide by. In particular, it is very important that the safety equipment that is recommended to be used by climbers is always a key part of a cell tower climber’s beginning of a climb.


However, there are some climbers that are taking their lives into their own hands by neglecting to use all of the safety gear that they are provided with. These types of climbers call themselves free solo climbers, or just solo climbers for short. Solo climbers do exactly what they say on the tin: they go climbing with absolutely no equipment whatsoever. This means that if they lose their grip and fall, they fall. Many people love solo climbing – they claim that it is a more natural way of climbing, and means that climbers can move much faster because they are not being constrained by the use and changing use of different climbing gear. However, when you are a professional tower climber, solo climbing is definitely not the right choice.

For climbing enthusiasts, there are very few new challenges within the climbing world. This has meant that more and more people that are working within the tower climbing industry are pushing the limits to give themselves a bigger challenge, and a bigger thrill. This is, of course, extremely dangerous. For one thing, the amount of electricity that passes through a cell tower is astronomically high, and if a climber that is concentrating on climbing up a cell tower without any safety gear accidentally touches something that they should not, they could die just from the electrical shock. Even if they managed to avoid any of the electrical current going through the cell tower, there is still a huge potential for falling, and sustaining very serious injuries, some of which may be fatal.

On the other hand, despite all of this danger, that has not stopped one website from accidentally encouraging climbers – including professional climbers – from going up cell towers without any safety gear. TheOnlineEngineer created a video in 2010 that was intended to show people that did not know much about tower climbers and what they did, the typical day that a tower climber experienced. Although the video was incredibly informative, it also included some scenes from the helmet cam of a climber that showed that he was not using any safety lines at all – solo climbing, to be exact. What’s more, the narration did not in any way indicate that this was a dangerous way to go about climbing a cell tower. Instead, all it said was: “It’s easier, faster, and most tower workers climb this way…Free climbing is dangerous, of course, but OSHA rules do all for it. Attaching, climbing, attaching and removing safety lines every few feet slows progress and is tiring.”

Of course, this is a very dangerous video, and once concerns were raised about it, it was taken down immediately – but who can know exactly how much damage has already been done? OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, is a body that is meant to ensure that all workers are completely safe within the workplace, and many people have found it hard to believe that OSHA really permits tower climbers to run such risks with their lives like that by allowing them to tower climb without the relevant safety gear. In fact, Jim Coleman, the chairman of the National Association of Tower Erectors, personally made a statement in response to that video, stating that he does not believe that OSHA “allows for free climbing as an acceptable method of accessing elevated work.”

At the end of the day, in 2010 alone there were seven fatalities from people falling from towers. It is not precisely sure whether they were solo climbing or had the correct safety gear, but in 2013, fourteen professional tower climbers with the correct safety equipment died while on the job. Climbing up and down cell towers is not a safe occupation, and only those with the highest level of qualifications and experience should be permitted to do so – because those people are fully aware of the importance of safety. When you climb up a cell tower, you are taking your life into your own hands, quite literally, and you could also be risking the lives of your climbing companions if you choose to climb with a partner. Every time that you climb a cell tower, you would be a fool not to take the vital safety precautions that can mean the difference between life and death. This is why free climbing and solo climbing on cell towers is wrong, and should never be done.

Cell Tower Climber Safety

Tower Climber Jobs - What you need to know.

Tower climber jobs are advertised all over the internet, and if you are thinking of going into the industry and or are already within it, hoping to find a different position and then you have plenty of places to be looking. However, there are three factors that you need to consider when you are hoping to find the best states to find tower climber jobs, and not enough people give them enough thought:

1. You may never actually end up working in the state that the job is advertised for.

One of the great unknown aspects of being a tower climber is that you travel around a lot. In fact, it has been estimated that out of fifty two weeks in the year, tower climbers will actually only be home around ten weeks. That means an awful lot of traveling around the country, often sleeping out of a truck. Tower climbing is by no means a glamorous job. Therefore, if there is a particular state in which a job is being advertised, a state that appeals to you, and in which you and/or your family would like to live in, you need to make sure that you ask some serious questions of the employers. It is vital that you find out from them exactly how much time they think you will be spending in that particular state. You may find that the headquarters of the company is in that state, but that the job itself that they are advertising is on the other side of the country! Be prepared to ask some hard questions, and receive some hard answers.

2. Lots of jobs may mean lots of people leaving.

You may find a state in which there are many positions opening up for tower climbers, but this should ring alarm bells rather than celebratory bells. If a lot of people are leaving one particular company, then you will need to find out why. Maybe their safety record is not that good. Maybe they demand that their staff works too many hours, and doesn’t give them enough reward for that. Maybe that company is not family friendly, and makes it difficult for their employees to see their children enough. Whatever the reason is, you should do your utmost to find out exactly why people are not satisfied with the company that they are working for. It may be that those reasons do not apply to you ñ perhaps you don’t have a family, and want to work a high number of hours. But it is always better to be informed before you start making any big decisions, and sometimes lots of jobs opening up in one area really is too good to be true. On the other hand, it could be that a new company is setting up, which is great! The key here is information.

3. Different states will have different levels of safety.

Although there are laws which govern all of the tower climbing regulations across the country, every single different state will have a different way of implementing these rules. It is vital that you understand exactly how working in those areas will effect the working conditions that you will be expected to spend your days in. Tower climbing is a dangerous job, and you should demand and expect the most rigorous safety levels within your workplace. Some employers in states do not recognize this, and so it is key that you identify these when you are applying for jobs and because no job, no matter how great, is worth risking your life for.

Tower Climber Jobs - What you need to know.

Hiring Tower Climbers

As someone that has the power of giving people a job, you know just how important it is that you do your job right. You don’t want to be giving the job to the wrong person, because you’ll just have to let them go within a few months! But one of the most complicated and difficult job to hire for is that of tower climbers. Chances are, you never actually see what it is that tower climbers even do, so how can you decide whether a person that is sitting in front of you is right for the job?

Here are our five top tips for hiring tower climbers:

1. Find out what they actually do.

Tower climbers are people that, for a living, climb up incredibly tall towers to make sure that they are structurally sound, and that the electronic equipment that they are carrying is all working properly. They are the people that go up to mend anything when something goes wrong. It is a very dangerous job, and one that involves a high level of thinking at great heights. When you truly understand what the job entails, you will be much better prepared to start looking at job applications, and doing interviews.

2. Check qualifications carefully.

It is the law that anyone who climbs a tower on behalf of a company has the relevant qualifications, otherwise it is illegal, and you and your company could be due a huge fine. These rules are there to protect everyone: the company, and the climber. Make sure that you double check all of the qualifications that an applicant says that they have, and perhaps use some questions within the interview to make sure that their qualifications are recent and in date.

3. Consider bringing in a tower climber.

If you are really worried about not getting your head around the interview process for hiring a new tower climber for your company, then one brilliant idea would be to bring in a proficient tower climber that already works for your business. As well as being able to give you a really good idea whether someone is able to do the job well, an experienced tower climber will also be able to know whether that new person will fit into the team well. There is a huge amount of trust involved in tower climbing, and no one wants to have someone in the group that they can’t rely on.

4. Ensure they understand what the job entails.

You will need to ask very deep and searching questions at this point. A large part of being a tower climber is travel ñ one tower climber, Lauren James, stated that she spent thirty days straight on the road climbing towers, and then one full week at home. That doesn’t give you much time for a social life, let alone seeing friends and family. It is vital that you make it clear to the person that you are interviewing that that is the way that most tower climbing jobs are, and if they are not happy with that, then they are not right for the job.

5. Go with your gut.

Sometimes, there is not great formula for deciding who should get a job or not. Instead, it will come down to your instincts, and going with the person that you just think is right for the job. This is especially important when you are trying to decide between two people that are both very good for the job. Unless there are two positions, then only one person can join your company, so go with your gut.

Hiring Tower Climbers

Women Tower Climbers

Tower climbers throughout the world are known for their incredible strength and daring. Climbing up towers that are completely exposed to the elements, in all weathers, carrying a large amount of equipment that is incredibly heavy, is not really for the faint of heart. Add into that the detailed knowledge, experience, and qualifications that a tower climber will need to have in the field of electronics, and it is no wonder that many people, when they are asked to imagine within their mind’s eye the typical tower climber, think of a man.


But this is changing. More and more girls are finishing school with a deep interest in science and electronics, and are discovering at university or college that there is a whole world of electronics based careers that they can go into. At a very basic level, there is absolutely nothing from preventing a woman from studying electronics, and excelling at it. Having a womb doesn’t mean that you can’t think, and it doesn’t preclude you from understanding some of the most difficult and complex theories, as well as complicated practical working environments.

This trend can be seen throughout the computing and electronics industry. One brilliant example of this is Limor Fried, a woman who has created a highly successful company based around offering people simple kits to modify the electronics that they already own. Her company Adafruit Industries is fast becoming a world leader in allowing people and both men and women and to take control of the electronic devices that they own in a very positive way. She was also the very first woman that ever graced the cover of the highly popular electronics magazine Wired in 2011.

There are many women throughout the electronic and computing industries that are challenging preconceptions about what a woman can and can’t do and but the world of tower climbing is slightly different. Without contravening the laws of political correctness, one of the very necessary requirements of being a tower climber is a high level of power and strength, which is not something that many women possess. There are also many stereotypes of women that have them panicking every time something small goes wrong, and not being able to keep their heads in a crisis. So is it possible for women tower climbers to be successful?

Lauren James would argue yes. At the young and tender age of merely twenty four, she is one of the very few tower climbers that is both earning well, and a woman. Out of the 9000 tower cell tower climbers that are working in her area, she is only one of fifteen that are female. This hasn’t dampened her spirits, however, and she loves challenging people’s stereotypes of what a tower climber should look and sound like. It is the love of climbing that brought Lauren James to the world of tower climbing, not that of electronics, proving that there is more than one way for a woman to find herself deeply set in the world of tower climbing.

If you are a girl or a woman that is interested in tower climbing, do not let the male dominated environment put you off. You have every chance of being just as successful as any man ñ after all, not every man that you see could be a successful tower climber! It is all about how you approach your job: if you work hard, and put in some serious preparation before hand, there is no reason why you cannot climb any tower, just like the rest of them.

Women Tower Climbers

Being A Tower Climber: Dangers And Rewards

From the beginning of time there have always been those people known as excitement seekers or adrenaline junkies who love living life on the edge and taking on jobs that would terrify most people. Then there are others who take on those dangerous jobs due to wanting to make the world a better place or simply for the money that jobs supplies. While most of us immediately associate jobs with the police force, or as firefighter as dangerous, but one of the most dangerous jobs today is that of a tower climber. Here is a brief look at what a tower climber is, what their job entails, and the dangers and rewards of being a tower climber.

What Does A Tower Climber Do?

Tower climbers work on cell phone towers, they routinely climb 200 to 500 feet off the ground, inspect different towers and do both troubling shooting and making repairs. Since there are so many cell phone towers and more being built on a daily basis, tower dawgs are in high demand, and often travel long distances and work long hours often 7 days a week to keep those cell towers in good shape and supply service to the majority of self phone users.

Tower climbers need to be unafraid of heights, and have a good upper body strength as they not only climb hundreds of feet off the ground, but they do so carrying heavy equipment to conduct tests and make repairs.

What Makes A Tower Rigger’s Job So Dangerous

There are several things that makes a tower climbers job extremely dangerous. One thing is the number of miles they are expected to travel from job site to job site, often then being required to immediately climb the tower without adequate sleep or rest after traveling. Lack of proper rest results in slow responses and increased mistakes that can result in falls or injuries that can leave a climber seriously and permanently injured or even dead.

Another thing that often results in serious injury and death, is that the work load for this job is so heavy, that workers are actually encouraged to do their jobs as quickly as possible, which often results in the tower climbers climbing those towers without first putting on or using the proper safety equipment, that would ensure their safety should they slip or fall.

It is estimated that there have been at least 100 tower climber deaths over the last ten years, many of which could be avoided if safety procedures were followed. This figure is expected to rise with more and cell towers being built and needing to be maintain unless some safety procedures are locked into place and followed.

Rewards for Tower Climbers

The main reward for towers climbers is the monetary amount they received. Climbers make on average a little over $20.00 an hour and for people with only a high school education. In a time when good paying jobs are scarce and job security is practically unheard of, having a good paying job where your skills are constantly in demand provides a real measure of job security.

Of course some people find that simply being able to do a job that many are unable to do has it’s own reward, and for those adrenaline junkies the fact, that they are physically challenged each and every day is a reward in itself.

Being A Tower Climber: Dangers And Rewards

Best Tower Climbing Gear of 2014

When you climb towers for a living, you want to know that the equipment that you are using will hold you. You want to know, beyond any doubt, that you are safe. But as we know, all technology eventually reaches a point where it cannot be used any more, and when you are a tower climber, your safety is more important than pinching pennies. If you are new to tower climbing, you may consider the prices ridiculously high, but actually they are very reasonable when you are paying the price of protecting your life. So what is the best tower climbing gear that you should be looking into this year?

1. Tower climbing harness kit.

The best thing that you can start out with is a complete tower climbing harness kit. One of the best ones on the market at the moment is actually on sale, down from $899.99 to $849.99, and is called the GME Supply 90005 ExoFit NEX Tower Climbing Harness Kit. So why is it one of the best that you can buy? Well, when you are looking to invest in really good quality tower climbing gear, then you want something like this that you know will last for years. It is also designed for comfort, which is perfect for when you are spending hours in it.

2. Safety monitor.

When you are climbing a tower, falling to the ground is not the only danger that you are dealing with. Of course you need to keep an eye on RF levels. Without a high quality monitor to keep an eye on anything, you can become severely unwell due to being exposed to high levels of electromagnetic activity. The best on the market at the moment is the FS8000 fieldSENSE Public RF Safety Monitor. Tower climber safety is always better when you have one of these by your side. The greatest feature of this device is its simplicity and it is incredibly easy to use, which is perfect for when you are very high up and have a million and one other things to think about. You can find out more about it, and purchase it for $499.

3. Two way radio.

Every single tower climbing team needs to make sure that they have a set of good radios on them. Communication is the best way to keep yourselves and other people safe, and good tower climbing gear is not complete without them. The greatest radios are those that are two way, so the most open communication can happen. Motorola CLS1410 On-Site Two-Way Radio is in fact one of the cheapest on the market at $209, but don’t let the low prices fool you. The radios have four channels and voice operated transmission, which leaves you with your hands free to sort things out while you chat to your colleagues.

4. Tower rescue pack.

Tower climbing safety rules are all centered around the importance of bringing every person back down to the ground safely. That is why tower rescue packs are so critical. If you want to ensure the safety of your team, then it is probably time to purchase a PMI Towerpack II Self Evaluation/Tower Rescue Pack for $941. It also comes in a variety of lengths, from 164 feet to 400 feet, for all of the different towers that you and your team will be climbing. You should never climb a tower without an emergency plan to get back down safely, and this is perfect way for you to make sure every climb is a safe one.

Get it from here: GMEsupply.com

Best Tower Climbing Gear of 2014

Entry level tower climber jobs

In the recent period tower climbing is getting really popular among workers looking for entry level tower climber jobs and there are many reasons for that. One reason is the advance of technology and the growing number of newly erected cell towers that require maintenance and in some cases repair and installation. Of course, those who are looking for a job that involves repairing and installation must have the needed qualifications and proper training.


This job is certainly not for those who are afraid of height. In most of the cases this job involves working at heights ranging from 150 feet to more than 500 feet. In order to perform the task properly, the potential tower climber must be physically fit, have no fear of heights and possibly enjoy climbing. This means that people who love rock climbing and those who love working outdoors will certainly find tower climbing an entertaining and interesting job. Getting on top of these towers is usually performed by climbing specialized ladders. Although this might sound easy, keep in mind that you will have to carry equipment and tools and all these things add weight and make the climbing really difficult. On top of that, the weather is not always perfect and in order to deal with all sorts of weather (like snow, rain, wind and high temperatures) you will have to be perfectly fit.

In some cases tower climbing requires working at night or during holidays because these towers usually serve for providing services that are very important (communication, media etc.).Besides doing regular maintenance, tower climbers can sometimes be sent to check if the tower is in good condition and notice if there is any damage to tower that needs to be repaired. Entry level tower climbers usually don’t fix these problems and they are left to more experienced tower technicians.

As we have mentioned before, tower climbers must have excellent physical shape, because in some cases the task will require spending the whole working day at tower heights. This requires exceptional physical strength and high levels of energy. This is the only way to increase the safety in this dangerous job.

Since there were many accidents in the past, the level of safety is increased and the safety equipment a lot of things that other workers (including construction workers) usually don’t have.

According to some experts the number of tower climber work positions will rise in the future so this profession might be considered to be perspective. The fact is that the salary is constantly getting higher and choosing tower climbing as an entry level job is a good idea. Finally, this job position can serve as a starting point for building a career in this field and the opportunity for upgrades makes it even more attractive.

Entry level tower climber jobs