Tower Climbers - Things you didn"t know

Tower climbers rarely get the credit for bravery that firefighters, police officers, and US troops fighting wars do. It takes strength, finesse, guts, and perseverance to climb towers everyday, sometimes 60 hours per week, in every condition known to man. Those who choose the profession aren’t in it for the glory, the recognition, or the fame. Those who become tower climbers get a good salary, but there is a fearlessness that can’t be taught.

There are many things that those outside of the field don’t know about tower climbers.

1) More than just climbing – Tower climbers are responsible for building new towers, from foundation to tip. When towers become obsolete, they tear them down, piece by piece. The time in between erecting and dismantling towers, the climbers tend to all of the maintenance related to the towers. This includes putting on lights, changing the bulbs, painting the towers, running the lines and even scraping the rust. All of these are essential for keeping cell phones, football games, and wi-fi services running at full optimization.

2) There is no off-season – When a tower goes down, they can’t wait until spring to fix it. This means climbing towers at freezing temperatures, in 115 degree heat, and everything in between. When they are climbing a 400 foot tower they can’t just climb down for a cup of coffee or to warm their hands.

3) Its not a 9-5 – Climbers have to work around the operating schedules of broadcasting stations. If a television station goes off the air at two am, they are on the tower shortly after, climbing in the dark. Everything from changing bulbs to repairing wiring is done 1,500 feet up into a moonlit night.

4) Travel may be required – There are companies that employ road crews. These crews travel wherever they are needed. Some never stay in a location for more than a few weeks. Other companies have more centralized locations, but there is often a lot of road time and hotels involved.

5) It’s not just a job – In order to make it as a tower climber, you have to be physically fit and truly want to do the job. Like any job, if it’s not enjoyable, it wont last. This is especially true with a job like this which has such rigorous demands.

6) It’s completely outside – Except for a quick stop in the office, this career path is outside all of the time. Anyone with aversion to the elements should avoid this career.

7) Problem solving is not optional – The crews are often out in the middle of nowhere and each situation is a little different. The blue-prints don’t always go according to plan (no pun intended) and they must be prepared to make it work.

8) Not a one man job – When they climb up with a teammate, if one tower climber completes their job, they don’t just climb down and relax. No man (or woman) is left on the tower. It is the true definition of team.

9) Pay scale – While tower climbers make more than other hourly employees, it is based on experience and skill. Some make $50,000+ per year, but the hours are varied and full. This is why tower climbers can’t just be in it for the paycheck.

10) Need for focus – Most people think of tower climbing as a very dangerous job, while this is true, it is mostly dangerous for those who don’t pay attention. As long as tower climbers aren’t easily distracted, it doesn’t have that dangerous of an occupation.

The misconceptions aside, tower climbers are as fearless as any fireman, and while they don’t save lives, they do keep everyone’s lives running. From Facebook to Twitter to texting to cable, these are made possible by tower climbers.

Tower Climbers - Things you didn"t know

Cell Tower Climbers: Dos and Donts

In 2013 thirteen professional cell tower climbers were killed on the job. Between 2003 and 2011, nearly 100 were killed. Thirteen people doesn’t seem like a whole lot of people compared to some other hazardous jobs, such as loggers or structural steel workers, but there are comparatively few cell tower workers making the rate of fatalities much higher than the numbers seem to reflect. In 2004, there were 10 deaths among approximately 8,700 workers, for a death rate of 115 per 100,000, making professional tower climbing one of the nation’s deadliest professions, ahead of both logging workers and airline pilots, who died on the job at a rate of 92.4 per 100,000 each. Some of these towers are upwards of 1,000 feet high.


If you work, or are considering a job, as a cell tower worker, I say this not to scare you away from the job, but to make you aware of just how hazardous the job can be, especially when proper safety precautions are not observed. Most cell tower workers are employed by small subcontracting companies, not the major cell carriers, and some of these smaller companies try to cut corners on safety. No matter who you work for, there are some things you can do to improve the chances that you will make it home at the end of every day.

Do:

• ALWAYS STAY ALERT!!! All the safety equipment in the world can’t protect you if you aren’t paying attention.


• Make certain you have adequate safety gear, including a full body harness, positioning and shock absorbing lanyards, hard hat or helmet with chin strap, weight rated carabiners in various sizes, and a good tool bag.


• USE your safety equipment, and use it properly. All the safety equipment in the world is no good to you if you leave it in the truck, or if it isn’t secure, or if it isn’t adjusted properly.


• Regularly inspect your safety gear to ensure it is in good working condition. Replace your gear any time it starts to show wear.


• Stay hydrated. Dehydration can affect your balance and your ability to focus.


• Always have the next safety line in place before detaching the last one.


• Know exactly where you are. In an emergency, you need to be able to give responders your exact location, street and address, and directions to get to you.


• Climb with your legs, not your arms. Use your leg muscles to propel you up and your arms for balance. If your arms are tired before you even get to the top, it will be hard to use your tools effectively.

Don’t:

Get in a hurry. When you start to rush, you start to get careless. Take your time, it’s nice to get home early, but going home alive is much more important.

Work alone. Should you get into trouble, you may not be able to call for help.

Climb when tired. It’s difficult to pay attention and stay alert if you’re not well-rested.

Climb if you hear thunder. Where there is thunder, there is lightning, and if you’re in a tower, you’re a target. If you’re already in the tower when you hear thunder, climb down and wait for the storm to pass. Also avoid climbing in high winds.

Throw tools or other items off the tower. Does this really need an explanation?

Allow visitors or onlookers. You don’t need the distraction, so for your safety and theirs, don’t let people hang around the tower while you’re working.

Alter your harness or other safety equipment in any way. Punching extra holes in straps or making other alterations not intended by the manufacturer can weaken the material, making it less able to protect you. If your equipment doesn’t fit properly, you need new equipment.

Use drugs or climb if you’ve been drinking. It’s sad that this even needs to be said, but seriously, keep it sober and clean. Not only will drugs or alcohol impair your judgment, but worker’s compensation will not pay if you have anything in your system.

If you find yourself working for a company that doesn’t observe safe practices, you might want to consider finding a different job. Until then, you may have to take matters into your own hands. Just remember, if you are injured or killed on the job, it’s your family that suffers, not your company. They will hire someone to take your place and keep going like nothing happened. Your family can’t replace you that easily.

Ultimately, most of the fatalities in cell tower climbers can be traced back to inadequate or poorly maintained safety equipment and/or a worker neglecting basic safety protocols. If you stay alert, keep your safety gear in good working order and use it properly, you will be far more likely to make it home at the end of the day. Stay aware, stay safe, stay alive.

Cell Tower Climbers: Dos and Donts

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

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