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[TowerTalk] Fall Protection Suggestion

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Fall Protection Suggestion
From: aa4lr@arrl.net (Bill Coleman)
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 09:09:08 -0400
On 10/9/01 7:48 PM, Dan Levin at djl@andlev.com wrote:

>Most towers that I have seen and/or climbed have no 
>fall protection system installed.  The climber uses a 
>fall protection lanyard, either with a single clip or 
>a forked lanyard with two clips.  In either case, you 
>either have to climb unprotected (efficient, but very 
>dangerous), or clip and unclip every couple of steps 
>up and down the tower.  With a single lanyard, every 
>unclip to move your protection is risky.  With a 
>double lanyard you don't have the risk, but you still 
>have the hassle of moving your protection every 
>couple of steps.
>
>In at least some (maybe all, I don't know) 
>professional tower installations, a permanent fall 
>protection system is put in place.  These systems use 
>a track or cable to provide 100% continuous fall 
>protection to the climber.

Don't you need a double-lanyard system to climb safely to install the 
fall protection system? Don't you spend the a lot of time on the tower 
when erecting it? (In which case, the fall protection system would not 
yet be installed)

>The summary is that for around $200 ($116 for the 
>Microloc, $35 for the cable, a few bucks for the 
>clamps, spacers, etc.), I have a full time reliable 
>fall protection system.  In the context of a multi-
>thousand dollar tower system, $200 seems well worth 
>it.

A fall arrest lanyard, and a short safety lanyard can be had for little 
more than $100 from places like Champion Radio.

I climb with three: a 6' fall arrest, a 3' rope lanyard that I use as my 
safety when I reposition the fall arrest, and an adjustable belt lanyard. 
I got all my climb safety gear from Champion Radio for less than $300. It 
was one of my first purchases, right after the tower sections themselves. 
Well worth it.

I don't mind the constant repositioning of the clips. But then, my tower 
is short (44 feet). I have seen experienced tower guys free-climb and 
then belt-in. That makes me nervous just watching them from the ground.





Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


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