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 - More than the Usual Career

The life of a tower climber is not one for many. It is a highly specialized occupation that requires focus and precision.

What if you had the kind of job where you had to climb thousand foot structures on a daily basis for major cell phone carriers that care more about money than they do about your well being? Instead of being in the trenches with the thousands of tower climbers, these corporate professionals can more likely be found in the board room or on a corporate jet totally detached from the realities of the industrial hazards and pressures.

I think time is the worst factor because it wears down the mind in an insidious manner. Work environments vary and all are extreme. There are many factors at play that when all combined could result in a catastrophic injury. Workers climb on a daily basis so they are very confident about doing their job, which could lead to a serious lack of judgment that could result in fatalities.



Tower climbers are well aware of the choice they make when they decide to climb towers. A major precaution is when you get comfortable doing something, almost with everything, it is human nature to relax and take shortcuts, as you find ways to get results regardless of unfavorable conditions. In other words, it is human nature to push the limits and it is easy to take chances.

The difference between someone who does not take extreme occupational risks and tower climbers is that the slightest bit of error in their job could be fatal. It is not unusual that this risk usually comes with inadequate insurance.

Another factor to be mindful of is location, which determines weather, which is another factor. Regardless of the weather towers have to be climbed because consumers are not going to stop using their cell phones. As a matter of fact, nowadays people are using cell phones even more. There are more towers being built for the growing number of mobile telephone users everyday. And that is a good thing. More towers, more jobs.

But the reality is that with so many opportunities, there are so many things to consider. For instance the weather, which is out of control of everybody’s hands. For instance, if you are not from California or working in California, the time of the year matters because there are some places where it snows or rains profusely that may interfere with the safety of the worksite. Many jobs are in the east and midwest where the weather is takes drastic turns.

Tower climbers usually go out to the middle of nowhere to work. One of the bad things about that is if there is an accident on the worksite, most likely it would take longer for the help to arrive on the scene. When every minute saved or lost can make the difference between life and death, workers should have the security and comfort knowing that the most that can be done will be done by the employer to assist them and their crew.

Tower climbing is a high demanding occupation. And it is very likely that it will remain that way in the future as growth and expansion of the wireless industry continues. The outlook is good, as long as everyone’s outlook is considered.

Tower Climbing - More than the Usual Career

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