The Early Years of Tower Climbing

While tower climbing is still considered one of the most dangerous jobs, not just in the US but worldwide, it has come a long way in the past 60, 40, 20 and 10 years. The emphasis on safety in recent years has become a priority that was not around when the first towers were being climbed.

Free climbing, while it is still practiced by experienced climbers, was more commonly practiced in the early years of tower dogs. The importance of proper harnesses, knots, boots, and helmets was not part of general safety curriculum. It was a new field and, like when any new career field comes into the world, trial and error is the surest way to learn. Unfortunately for the field of tower climbing, deaths had to be the sacrifice made for progress. As technological advancement explodes, there are constantly being developed newer, more reliable, and safer methods to get the job done.

Communications began as a few wealthy households possessing telephones. As TV, phones and later Wi-Fi, internet and satellite communications began to dominate and change the world, more towers needed to be created to keep up with the demand. This means that more people to service, build and maintain these towers were needed. This also means that there has been growth in the variety of communications devices a tower climber needs to be familiar with.

When one or two towers supplied lines to a community, it didn’t take an army of people to keep them running. Today, it is seen that tower climbers work long shifts for weeks at a time. They often travel from city to city, tower to tower, just to keep the internet at the fingertips of millions and text messages travelling at unfathomable rates.

The size of towers has increased as well. The bigger a city gets, the more obstacles that can interfere with the signal, especially of satellites. The placement of towers on top of buildings helps alleviate this problem. This means however, that a 500-foot tower may reside on top of a 20 story building. This was not a practice utilized when tower climbing got its start.

There are now protocols in place that have to do with line of sight. Little gets in the way of the signal coming from or going to a 700 foot tower, but the smaller ones have to be placed so that trees, traffic lights, and other signals do not disrupt the patterns being sent or received.

Tower climbing, at its start, was completely for men. While the vast majority of tower climbers are still men, women are beginning to brave this field as well. One of the first female tower climbers began her career in the 1970’s. This was a time when gender roles were just beginning to change.

One important thing seen in the towers climbing career path is that while other jobs still pay women a certain percent per dollar to what they pay men, this dichotomy is not present with tower dogs. It seems that all the advancements have boosted the tower climbing industry ahead of the curve in many ways.

The Early Years of Tower Climbing

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