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Scary video - tower climb

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LAN_403

GalFisk

Tue Sept 21 2010, 01:13PM

Registered Member #3013 Joined: Mon Jul 19 2010, 07:53AM
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Posts: 3

I'm not afraid of height, but the wide angle video made me disoriented. I don't think I'd have a (mental) issue doing that climb. The hard bit would be to have the strength and energy.
And climbing down again would suck, though I don't think their job allows them to bring parachutes and BASE jump down...

Dalus

Tue Sept 21 2010, 04:17PM

Registered Member #639 Joined: Wed Apr 11 2007, 09:09PM
Location: The Netherlands, Herkenbosch
Posts: 512

They should have a zipline going down

GhostNull

Wed Sept 22 2010, 08:04AM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

and going up!

HV Enthusiast

Wed Sept 22 2010, 06:42PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
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Posts: 3068

They had a show on TV showing how many BASE jumpers were climbing antenna towers such as these, but the STUPID DUMBASSES were climbing when the antenna towers were operational and radiating. Morons.

Martin King

Wed Sept 22 2010, 09:23PM

Registered Member #3040 Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237

I'd already seen the video before I saw this thread and it annoyed me TBH. There was no reason for them to freeclimb it, fair enough if you're an individual doing it for kicks, but these are supposedly professionals doing a job. If the top guy fell he would stand a good chance of taking his colleague with him on the way down. Either the tower should have had a permanently installed safety system or they should have belayed each other over short sections (which wouldn't slow them down significantly). Double lanyard climbing is another option but is tedious and tiring. According to the video commentary free climbing is allowed in the US ! There is no way it would be allowed in the UK. I've climbed many towers (nothing this high but height is irrelevant it's the ground that matters) and never needed to freeclimb.

Chris Russell

Wed Sept 22 2010, 10:51PM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Excellent video. Really got my head spinning.

I did a little digging. The tower being climbed is KRIV's broadcast tower, in Texas. The FCC data is here:

, and here's a link to the site in Google Maps:

,-95.493611&spn=0.002,0.002&t=h&q=29.574444,- 95.493611.

The general consensus seems to be that OSHA does not, in fact, allow freeclimbing, and that the video is wrong in stating that it was. Additionally, the BLM Manual Handbook 1292-1 specifically states that workers must be attached to an anchorage point at all times. Looks like they just wanted to get up and down in a hurry, tedious safety efforts be damned.

Martin King

Thu Sept 23 2010, 09:16AM

Registered Member #3040 Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237

Chris Russell wrote ...

The general consensus seems to be that OSHA does not, in fact, allow freeclimbing,

Glad to hear it and explains why the original poster of the video keeps trying to get it pulled (good luck with that!)

Martin.

HV Enthusiast

Thu Sept 23 2010, 02:28PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
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The problem is who is going to enforce the regulation? Its not like you can have an OSHA safety officer sitting next to these individuals climbing the towers.

Martin King

Thu Sept 23 2010, 06:26PM

Registered Member #3040 Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237

No you can't. I don't know what the situation is like in the US but here in the UK the employer is just as liable as the employee which tends to focus their minds on who they employ and work practices etc. You don't even need to be a direct employer, e.g if a company calls in an external/freelance window cleaner and that window cleaner falls due to non use of (or faulty) safety gear then the company that bought him in can be held liable. So in the case of this tower if the climbers (assuming they're freelance) fell then in the UK it's very likely the broadcaster would get prosecuted.

Martin.

Chris Russell

Thu Sept 23 2010, 06:56PM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Gravity is doing a fine job of enforcing the regulation on its own. "Tie or die" has become something of an industry motto. Unfortunately, many climbers do fall to their deaths. It's one of the most dangerous jobs in America, but sadly, shouldn't be. I asked around a bit, and it seems that the problem is basically this:

1) It costs money to install permanent safety systems on a tower. They're not required to be installed, so plenty of tower builders are willing to leave them out to bring down the bottom line of the tower.

2) This kind of work is contracted out. The person who gets the contract is usually the one who can complete the job for the least amount of money in the least amount of time. Climbers willing to push the envelope or completely disregard safety are the ones who will get the job done the fastest and cheapest (provided they do not fall). Nobody is telling climbers to disregard regulations, but as EVR points out, there's not exactly an OSHA inspector on site, so there's a strong disincentive to follow the rules.

"I probably won't get caught" is a pretty shitty reason to put one's life at risk. "I want to be able to provide for my family, and I'll get outbid if I don't push the safety envelope a bit" is more understandable, but still a pretty crappy situation overall.

On the bright side, there are associations of climbers, and they seem to be pretty universally frowning on the actions represented on this video. Hopefully climbers are able to work something out to improve safety before government intervenes with a snarl of new regulations, inspections, and fines.

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