The Six Biggest Tower Climbing Mistakes …
and How to Avoid Them!
Climbing communications towers that are hundreds and sometimes thousands of feet in
the air, is a very dangerous job! Most towers have no mechanical lifts, so getting to the
desired height means scaling rungs hand-over-hand, usually while wearing bulky safety
gear and carrying an equipment bag.
While the risk of falling is great, the much bigger problem
while working on communications towers is the risk of
exposure to unseen radio frequency (RF) radiation.
Specialized towers are designed to transmit and receive
RF signals via antennas at various levels on the tower.
Thus, working on a tower means installers always will
always be close to an antenna, and potentially exposed to
RF radiation.
Following are the six most common mistakes or fail-to-do’s
that tower climbers unfortunately make when working on a
tower.
Mistake #6: Failure to Have a Proper Climb
Plan
Working on a tower involves coordinating and planning
with numerous parties even before stepping up on the first
rung. Involved groups include the carrier that is contracting
the work, the tower owners, and other carriers that share
the tower or operate from nearby towers.
During the planning process, consider the following:
 Do you have the appropriate work permits?
 Do the carriers know the day(s) and time(s) of day that installers will be on the
tower?
 Have arrangements been made to ensure reduced RF transmission levels while
the installers are on the tower?
 Has a proper Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) procedure been implemented in order to
protect personnel on the tower, especially if RF transmitters are controlled
remotely?
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A proper climb plan ensures that everyone is informed and that the work can be
conducted on the tower with minimal service interruptions and reduced RF radiation
hazard.
Mistake #5: Lack of Proper Warning Signage
Towers are big, hulking structures and warrant the placement of RF radiation warning
signs in appropriate locations along the ladder. These signs should be large, bright, and
clearly state: “On this tower: radio frequency fields near some antennas may exceed
FCC rules for human exposure. Personnel climbing this tower should be trained for
working in RF environments and should use a personal RF monitor.”
By using the proper warning signage, climbers receive a clear, bold message that they
are entering a hazardous zone. If communications towers lack such signage, climbing
them should be avoided until the RF conditions at that site can be verified by both the
occupying carriers and the tower owners.
Mistake #4: Insufficient OSHA- or NATE-Recognized Training or
Tower Climbing Certification
Climbing communications towers is a specialized skill that not everyone can do. Many
experienced climbers are instinctive in how they move up and down a tower, but as is
the case for every highly technical job, the skills associated with the job need to be
updated periodically with the latest techniques and climbing safety measures.
It is critical to note that as the demand for new tower sites or add-ons to existing sites
continues to expand, new, and often-inexperienced climbers are joining tower crews.
OSHA-recognized certification courses are recommended for new climbers who require
basic climbing skills, and for experienced climbers who can expand their skills, including
how to handle rescue situations.
Mistake #3: Keeping Climbing Safety Gear in Good Repair and Within
Allowable Dates-of-Use
All climbing safety gear comes with an expiration date. The reason is that with extensive
use, harnesses, straps, and clips become worn and stressed to the point where they
may not perform as intended at a critical time.
Don’t take unnecessary chances – if any safety gear has an allowable date-of-use that
has expired, do not attempt to use that gear beyond that date.
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Mistake #2: Climbing With Inadequate Safety and Protection Gear
Weather and hazardous conditions that exist high up on a tower are not always evident
on the ground. Experienced climbers recognize that before attempting to scale a tower,
they must be fully suited with a helmet, safety glasses, gloves, jackets, pants, boots, as
well as outfitted with a safety harness, lifeline, carabiners, lanyards, rope grabs, and tool
belts.
Taking shortcuts is never a good idea. The investment in all the necessary equipment
and gear will pay off the first time it’s needed several hundred feet in the air.
Mistake #1: Failure to Keep an RF Personal Alarm Turned On at All
Times
Consider the case of a climber wearing an RF suit and an RF personal monitor while
working on a TV broadcast tower. He initially climbed the tower after all three FM
antennas on the tower had been reduced to 10 percent of their normal operating levels.
Even at reduced power, however, it was determined that RF field levels were still too
strong for the climber to be safe, so the transmitters were turned off. The climber then
removed the hood of his protective suit, shut off his RF personal monitor, and climbed
back up the tower. It was only when he noticed that his legs were getting warm and his
RF suit was starting to smoke that he realized the transmitters were turned back on, and
he hustled back down to safety.
Keeping the RF personal monitor turned on at all times is critical. You can’t see RF
signals. Using the RF personal monitor is the only way to know whether RF signal levels
are above the FCC’s Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) limit. Leave it on, and
wear it on the outside of the RF suit. It will save your life!
These safety measures are not just good suggestions. It is mandatory that maximum
care be taken to avoid RF hazards and to follow sound, accepted tower climbing
techniques.
Your life depends on them.
For more information and to order from TESSCO’s complete line of Safety Products and
Training Courses, contact us today.
Call Today! 800.472.7373
Visit www.tessco.com/go/safety
About TESSCO
Positioned as Your Total Source®, TESSCO Technologies (NASDAQ:TESS) architects and
delivers innovative product and value chain solutions to support wireless systems. TESSCO
works closely with its customers to solve their requirement of on-time, reliable and productive
voice, data and video system deployment and support. The convergence of wireless and the
Internet is revolutionizing the way we live and work. New applications and systems are
unlocking human potential at an unprecedented rate. TESSCO is there and is committed to
delivering, fast and complete, the needs of wireless system operators, program managers,
contractors, utility, transportation, enterprise and government organizations and resellers.
800.472.7373
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Call Today! 800.472.7373
www.tessco.com/go/safety
Visit www.tessco.com/go/safety