Belling the cat

100% Tie-Off 24/7

Every time I see or hear of this well-intended campaign; the fable of Belling the Cat just pops into my head. For those of you who have not heard of it, here is a short version of the fable.

Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last, a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. “You will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighborhood.”

This proposal met with general applause, until an old wise mouse got up and said: “That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?” The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:

“It is easy to propose impossible remedies.”

But is it really impossible? Let’s quickly analyze this.

Not understanding that being 100% tie-off will be good for you in case of a slip is NOT the issue. Everyone agrees, just like the mice agreed and praise the idea of a bell on the cat. By repeating over and over 100% tie off is like repeating “Bell the cat, bell the cat”. This actually makes others think, tower climbers must be suicidal, forgetful or something like this. If you tie off and fall, you won’t hit the deck, every tower climber knows this!

So, the question is: why are tower climbers not tying off? Or more specific: why are tower climbers not staying tied-in?

There are two straightforward answers to this:

1. Tower Climbers do not know how to maneuver efficiently (fast and safe) on the tower while maintaining a 100% connection.
2. The actual towers do not provide permanent safety systems to rig and move throughout the whole structure, including all add-ons or accessories.

Wally Reardon, a third-generation veteran tower climber said that when he was climbing, he often found it “next to impossible” to be in compliance and meet employers’ quick turnaround expectations. When free-climbing, Reardon said it took about two days or so to get a job done; when staying tied to the structure and wearing heavy safety equipment, the same job could take five to seven days. It’s a dangerous climbing technique that often occurs within clear view of on-site supervisors.

“Even the safest people I’ve worked with in the industry will eventually cave to it,” he said of the pressure to use such shortcuts.

His comments and those from many others that I have personally interviewed, confirms my theory. Tower climber is not being well trained…that is, technically trained. Most courses do not cover skills that apply to the actual climbing and maneuvering, particularly for today’s overloaded towers. Just ask any tower climber about this and most likely they will confirm what I’m saying. Their main training is a form of prevention: safety meetings, checking their gear and keeping a record of its use, to mention a few. Theory and more theory. Maybe some accidents have been avoided thanks to this matter, we will never know. But what we do know is that most accidents that have occurred are not related to this.

Tower climbers are falling because they do not know how to maneuver safely and time efficiently around the tower while maintaining their connections. Once at their working spot, they do not know how to build or identify a safe anchor and get in the right work position. As an excuse for their lack of knowledge and/or skills, they will always say: “it was time pressure that made me free climb”. If they had more time to get the job done, they would probably do the same thing in the same way, maybe more carefully.

So now the real question is: How do we stay connected?

The curriculum of the classes needs to get more technical and the tower climbers also. The status of a tower climber needs to be raised to become technicians. Tower climbers need to be not just trained, but well trained specifically on the problems they are encountering on an everyday basis.

Then and only then will it be possible to move safely and rapidly while maintaining the 100% tie off. So yes, it is possible to “bell the cat”.

Another idea will be “Let’s get a dog”!

This is the equivalent of, “lets redesign and restructure the towers with the tower climbers in mind”.

For people that have never climbed a tower, especially one that has been overloaded with equipment, it’s not about climbing, it’s about maneuvering. Maneuvering through a maze of accessories, brackets, lines and bolts to name a few, where gear, clothing and body parts get snagged, ripped or cut. Sometimes it could be just the opposite. To get to your working spot there’s just a beam, air and lots of exposure. And that’s just to get to your working area. Then you have to get to work. Many times, you have to raise and lower heavy gear, make wire connections, take pictures and more, all of this while being exposed to the elements and radiation from the antennas. Then you have to get back down.

Adding fixed safety gear and regulating the installation of all the accessories that are added to the towers will be a quick and easy way to control this outbreak of accidents and fatalities.

Some examples are:

1. All towers should always have an upper section of the tower of at least 6 feet above the last balcony free of accessories. This is only for the climber to anchor. If a fall occurs the forces on the climber’s body will be reduced.
2. Eliminate those annoying and dangerous pegs installed on monopoles for climbing. Add a ladder or equivalent like sturdy U bolts.
3. Any bracket or accessory added to the tower must also include a safe and simple access for maintenance to its furthest point.
4. Design the antennas with the option of connections at the top or bottom.
5. Have fixed safety lines or life lines that permit not only vertical movement but horizontal as well.
6. Have bridge type structures that connect different sides of the tower.
7. Any obstructions created by the installation of accessories to the tower that affects the safety of the tower climber should be fine and removed immediately. A common case is coaxial lines running over the vertical life line.

Lots of work, money and time will be needed, but in the long run all 3 areas will benefit. Work will get easier, money will be saved and time will be cut. But most importantly, accidents will be prevented therefore tower climbers’ lives will be saved.

Author: Rossano Boscarino