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Communication tower work hazards

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Photo: CharlieChesvick/iStockphoto

Falling from height, electrical hazards, inclement weather, equipment failure and structural collapse of towers are some of the hazards that communication tower workers face, according to OSHA. The agency recorded 13 communication tower-related fatalities in 2013, 12 in 2014, three in 2015 and six in 2016.

What tower climbers and ground crews need to know

OSHA states that tower climbers and ground crew employees should know how to properly report unsafe working conditions, use safety equipment and stop work completely if necessary safety equipment is unavailable or malfunctioning. Other safety precautions from the agency:

  • Workers should certify their commitment to “100 percent tie-off” every year. This is a firm commitment that workers will tie-off at every worksite at all times when climbing.
  • Before climbing work begins, comprehensive safety planning should take place, including a Job Hazard Analysis and an emergency action plan.
  • Workers never should perform climbing work if the weather poses safety risks.
  • Workers never should work at height if their physical or mental health is impaired (for example, if a worker is taking over-the-counter medication that causes drowsiness).
  • Tower climbers and ground crew personnel should perform regular safety stand-downs and seek regular training to keep safety skills sharp.
  • Workers should ensure tools, hoisting and rigging equipment, and other machinery is in good working condition.

According to OSHA, carrier and tower owner responsibilities include establishing an incident reporting system with “a clearly defined, streamlined process for responding to incidents in a timely manner” and creating a standard protocol that ensures all employees report unsafe conditions on tower worksites to the carrier and tower owner.

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m.kumar raja
February 14, 2019
need more details about communication safety and precautions

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Piyam Abdul Majeed
June 2, 2021
I wonder when high tension electricity towers will improve the safety of climbers by including life lines in the designs. The step bolts alone is not enough.

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Name
February 26, 2022
Look at the amount of comments made on this post ...all you hear is crickets... muzzle orders come attached to riggers contracts.In this line of work your career will end if you question things that effect the bottom line.This is an industry wide problem not any single company problem.look online at the amount of positions available we are about to see big changes like it or not it's happening and no amount of money can be thrown at it to fix it .The hands of companies,Ceo's ,GM's,,CM's,field Manager's and foreman are tied to mindlessly keep doing what we have to do while we wait and pray no one becomes a victim of this thankless industry flying under the radar like it has been.Lets get ahead of this thing now ppl it's time for real training real policy and procedure and protection for the few experienced riggers left seeing the signs of towers from another generation slowly slip past the point no return.How many ppl will get hurt or die before we actually practice what we preach ,I'm one guy not sitting back in fact I stepped back to train the new generation of riggers to know what to look for for.Nobody can say a dam thing about me when I'm in the field every day doing the job,if you are in a office if you have an opinion you better be belting up beside me or in the field because if your Not your just going threw the motions don't kid yourself....what you do next determines everything about you and your true commitment to safety.This is a government level issue in need of the the government to ease the strain on the company's developing the new wave of employees.A company and all of it's management can only work with the tools provided to them just like the workers in the field.its time for all levels of this business to come together from federal office to carrier's to company to CEO, Engineer,manager ,foreman , technicians because we are all here to do a job and want it done yesterday.We are in a small window of opertunitty we need to take advantage of to stop thinking about ourselves in our personal career's and start thinking about the future.All I can say is I'm guilty! and 95% of you are to. time to grow a pair and rethink the way we do things.