Tower Climber Equipment and Prices

Where safety is concerned, no price is too high, but what equipment is really needed? What can you wait on and the biggest question of all, how much will it cost? A lot of companies will either supply the equipment you need to get started or take care of it for you. Some places though, may require you to purchase tour own equipment, then reimburse you or it will come off as a tax write-off (yeah business expenses).

Safety Harness – Arguably the most important piece of equipment for any tower climber, especially a newbie. These come in a wide variety of styles and are made from several different materials, many are equipped with added padding for comfort, different colors for safety (or style) and even built in tool belts.

The least expensive one that was found on an internet search starts at $283.00, not including tax or shipping. From there, they average seems to be $300-450.00. One deluxe model runs just above $600 and is made of a lightweight aluminum, with six adjustable straps for an amazing fit. It also has quick lock closures and back support.

Helmets – Just because they are for safety, doesn’t mean they can’t be comfortable as well. A few select models are available with a favorite team logo, making them easily identifiable. Unlike a construction workers helmet, the hard hat for a tower climber needs a strap (for obvious reasons).

Overall, these run from $100 to $160. Models come in different colors, but the really important differences in these helmets is ventilation and material. When you are working in the heat, head sweat is not only gross, but dangerous if it gets in your eyes. Some of the models had removable built in head lamps, but without these, a headlamp can be secured to almost any model.

Carabineers – Do not, I repeat DO NOT use the ones you can buy at the grocery store for a buck or two. The Carabineers needed for climbing are safety rated by weight. It goes without saying that you need to get one rated for your weight PLUS the weight of your tools and equipment.

Compared to helmets and harnesses, a carabineer is relatively inexpensive. Most are under $100, just keep in mind that you will want to buy multiple carabineers. The low end of the spectrum is $20 a piece, with a higher end just under the $100 mark. Shape and the ability to lock it into place are big factors when pricing.

Gloves – For a tower climber, any old glove will not do. Gloves will get a lot of use and need to be replaced several times per year. The very basic gloves designed for climbing cost less than a single carabineer, but, grip and fit are important. Surfaces may be wet, hot, cold, sticky, slippery who knows what else. If gloves are too big, they could slip off your hands, too tight and your hands will ache by the end of the day.

Basic black ones, I found starting at $4-10. A really nice pair was found for $20. With the exception of one sight which had a single pair of gloves for $90, I found few that were above $30-35.00. If you are going to spend $90 for climbing gloves, ask if you can pay that 5 more times throughout the year. Most will settle for a pair with a good fir and a great grip.

There are a few more things to factor in such as boots, bags and rope, but these are a bit more discretionary and, with some exceptions, don’t have to meet rigorous safety standards. Just for the equipment listed above be prepared to spend $473 (price factored for four carabineers and a $10 pair of gloves) to $1,200 to get all of your equipment situated. If your budget is more in the $500-700 range, it will require smart shopping on your part. If even the $473 is making your debit card cringe, see if any of your co-workers have something extra they would be willing to let you borrow.

Tower Climber Equipment and Prices

Tower Climbing Hazards

Tower climbing, or cell-tower climbing, is the most dangerous job in America. Between 2003 and 2008 there were 70 job related death in the US, and only 10 reported internationally. While this could make someone wonder about the safety standards in the US, remember that more towers exist in the US, so it is more likely that deaths would occur in the US. Also, some countries may not accurately report deaths.

On most lists, tower climbing ranks #1 as far as dangerous jobs. On all lists, it ranks top 10. New requirements in this industry have made the tower climbing industry a lot safer than it used to be and proper preparedness and training on the part of the climber can prevent most injuries.


Tower climbers may have to climb as high as 1700 feet to reach the peak of certain towers. This is higher up than the Sears Tower and Empire State Building. It is not a violation of OSHA regulations for climbers to “Free-Climb,” that is climb without a safety harness. And while this is the way most tower climbers climb it is also the cause of most falls. The logic behind the free climb is that the amount of energy expended fastening, unfastening and refastening the harness clips will cause the climber to tire more quickly than free climbing.

Even with great gloves and a firm grip, the bars that serve as a ladder can be slick or unnoticeably wet. The tool bag which must be carried up can weigh 30 pounds. As climbers are unlikely to know what tools they will need, they must bring everything they could possibly need to handle any situation. At great heights there is a serious risk of the wind grabbing the bag and throwing the climber off balance. Wind speeds are hard to determine from the ground. A 5 mph ground wind can become a 50 mph wind once up in the air.

Storms are another element to climbing that is very unpredictable. Blue skies can be inhabited by storm clouds in the time it takes to climb to the top. There are metal “flowers” attached to the top of antennas that are designed to disperse electricity. In the event of a lightning strike, these flowers would not prevent a climber from getting struck by 100 million to over 1 billion volts of electricity.

Advanced weather monitors can help a climber determine the likelihood that the clouds will develop into electrical or other storms. Lightning is not the only danger that comes from storms. Rain drops, ice drops and hail are more likely at higher elevations, regardless of the season. Anything unexpected can be deadly for a tower climber because there is no “quick escape.”

Radio Frequency, or RF, damage has been covered in other articles. But, this is perhaps the most dangerous of the hazards a tower climber may face simply because it is unseen. The companies that own the towers will lower the frequency while people are on the tower. But, sloppy paperwork or miscommunication can lead to the towers not having their RF frequency turned down. Without a properly functioning RF meter, the only indication a climber would have to a tower being “hot,” would occur after the climb has already begun. The warning signs could be a sudden rash, a burning or tingling in the arms and legs, even a numbness.

There are other seemingly small matters that can be dangerous on the job. Poorly maintained equipment, malfunctioning equipment, dead batteries on a radio or RF meter can all reek havoc. Experienced climbers develop a sense for the ins and outs of the unforeseen. New climbers can learn a lot from the insights of those who have been doing the job longer than others.

Tower Climbing Hazards

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

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

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