My guess is that you would then be totally dependent on it, and you would never have hands free to hold onto the actual structure. Not to mention a lot of people not having the arm strength to haul themselves up hundreds of feet, even with the pulley taking some of the weight. And then there would be the problem of getting off some kind of pulley chair and transitioning to the structure once you get to or near the very top.
It does seem to me, though, that they could run some kind of safety cable down from the top, and the must be some kind of device you could attach to it that would let you pull it upward as you climbed, but would catch you if you fell. That would take care of issues of attaching detaching yourself from the structure every few feet.
I would guess that OSHA does have some generic rules on “unsafe practices” that have been used to ding some person or company doing this and other stuff.
I’m thinking that construction work is so wildly variable that it’s just impossible to write a rule that can be universally enforced.
The moment that really got to me (and maybe its the part you’re referencing) was when the guy was transitioning to the top portion of the antenna. He was grasping around on those giant nuts on that big flange, seeking a handhold…while not tied off to anything and over 1700 feet into the air.
That video makes my balls seek shelter in my lower intestine.
Physically, that climb wouldn’t be that demanding. Not that I would ever do it - or that I could. It’s all about your mindset.
Back in college, I worked construction for a summer. I spent a week installing a grain elevator that transferred grain from the top of one 200’ grain silo to the the top of another one. So, that meant I had to climb a 200’ ladder with probably 20lbs of tools 2-4 times a day.
The first time I did it, my arms cramped up and my legs turned to jello at around 60’. By the end of the week, I was doing all 200’ without getting tired at all.
I don’t believe for a second that my conditioning got that much better. What did change is that I went from having a terrified death grip on each rung to being more relaxed and not freaking out.
I don’t know that I could ever be relaxed at that height, but honestly, I’d be just as dead falling from 200’ as I would from 1700’. I’d just have longer to think about it.
Sign me up. I’d love to climb that, though I don’t think I could do it untethered. I think I have seen running tethers, I think, that allow you to move some distance without untethering. I couldn’t tell you how they work, though, so maybe I’m wrong. I’m a little surprised they don’t have some kind of a dumbwaiter for their tools, and the way that they tie off on bars that aren’t loops scares me; I’d worry about bouncing off.
Climbing a Guided Broadcast Tower (1760 feet up!). I couldn’t watch the video without looking away and trying not to fall off the couch. (The climb starts at about 22 seconds in.)
It was an interesting video. Not something I’d want to do though! I’m especially surprised that using safety equipment is optional, and most climbers don’t use it.
My husband, Jim, (a construction safety officer) thinks they could arrange a system of retractable tie-offs on each section, so maybe someday they’ll retro-fit these towers. Of course, the problem then is getting someone down who’s dangling a thousand feet up.
Wow, my palms were sweating watching that, I couldn’t watch the whole thing. No safety line because it takes more effort, and OSHA is okay with that!! Wow…no way in hell would I do that.
When I received this video at work today I was on the edge of my seat, kinda freaking out, for the whole damn thing. I mean, one minor slip and it’s game over, man! Game over!! A 1700 foot fall is not one you’re going to walk away from, with the added bonus that you’ll have plenty of time on the way down to think about it. D’oh! Naturally, I had to show Cat Whisperer when I got home. Why should I have all the fun?
I don’t think I’ll be shifting my career path in that direction any time soon…
