# I don't want this guy's job **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594 "2012-03-12T22:02:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/1 "2012-03-12T22:02:54Z")
[Climbing a 1768-foot high transmission tower to change the light bulb at the top](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=07b_1284580365) (video is from his helmet-cam). Be patient - you have to wade through about thirty seconds of cartoon credits to get to the actual video. Yeah, the first 1600 feet is via elevator - but the final 1168 feet is climbing by hand, part of which is without the use of support clips (which the video claims is allowed by OSHA “for efficiency purposes”). The final bit made me queasy! (Forgive me if this has been posted before - searching for it didn’t come up with any hits.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/2 "2012-03-12T22:14:21Z")
[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578368) the original thread. The video was deleted but it may be posted downthread somewhere when it resurfaced elsewhere on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/3 "2012-03-13T02:57:48Z")
There ain’t enough money in the world… ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/4 "2012-03-13T13:52:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578368) the original thread. Oops. Obviously my search-fu isn’t what it should be. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/5 "2012-03-13T14:24:09Z")
Can someone explain why, when watching that, I get weird twitching feelings in the soles of my feet? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/6 "2012-03-13T15:02:05Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > … (Forgive me if this has been posted before - searching for it didn’t come up with any hits.) thanks for posting this, i missed it the first time round. this would make a great Omnimax movie! just knowing he’s not clipped on really adds to the vertigo. how strong are the winds at that height? shouldn’t the top be swaying? /shudder ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/7 "2012-03-13T15:45:23Z")
Yep. Fuck a bunch of that. No matter what he gets paid it’s likely not enough. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/8 "2012-03-13T15:56:29Z")
Just out of curiosity, I tried googling to see how many people die doing this job. I don’t have a complete statistic, but [April to May 2008, seven fell to their deaths in the US.](http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/april-may-2008-deadly-for-antenna-tower-workers/) Yeah, fuck that job. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/9 "2012-03-13T16:56:59Z")
Every time I watch that, my hands and feet get sweaty. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/10 "2012-03-13T18:12:37Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Can someone explain why, when watching that, I get weird twitching feelings in the soles of my feet? I don’t know, but I do too. OTOH, I feel that way just walking through a city and looking up a skyscrapers. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/11 "2012-03-13T18:15:35Z")
(Eyes covered) I won’t click, I won’t click. I won’t click. I might fall. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/12 "2012-03-13T18:19:31Z")
Where are all of the ‘Fallen Tower Workers’’ memorials? After all, they are giving their lives to provide us with wireless service. Seems like a pretty dangerous job that requires a certain type of person willing to sacrifice their personal safety for the benefit of others. Sound familiar? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/13 "2012-03-13T18:39:44Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Where are all of the ‘Fallen Tower Workers’’ memorials? > > After all, they are giving their lives to provide us with wireless service. Seems like a pretty dangerous job that requires a certain type of person willing to sacrifice their personal safety for the benefit of others. If workers followed the safety rules/laws, it should not be _that_ dangerous. As the video points out, it seems that a lot of people free climb it to save time. The article I linked to says that these accidents should not be happening, as climbers should practice what apparently is known as “100% tie-off.” ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/14 "2012-03-13T20:24:57Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > [Climbing a 1768-foot high transmission tower to change the light bulb at the top](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=07b_1284580365) (video is from his helmet-cam). > > Be patient - you have to wade through about thirty seconds of cartoon credits to get to the actual video. > > Yeah, the first 1600 feet is via elevator - but the final 1168 feet is climbing by hand, part of which is without the use of support clips (which the video claims is allowed by OSHA “for efficiency purposes”). Not sure how 1600 + 1168 = 1768. Are you sure it isn’t the final 168 feet? Which is bad enough, I hasten to say. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/15 "2012-03-13T20:44:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If workers followed the safety rules/laws, it should not be _that_ dangerous. As the video points out, it seems that a lot of people free climb it to save time. The article I linked to says that these accidents should not be happening, as climbers should practice what apparently is known as “100% tie-off.” As far as we know the workers are under pressure to complete the change in under a specified period of time. I used to know a cable installer who said they took all sorts of safety shortcuts because they were only allowed so many minutes per install. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/16 "2012-03-13T22:39:57Z")
No. No. Fuck no. It would be cheaper to build a NEW tower than to pay me to climb that. Aren’t there robots that can do that job? Couldn’t some engineer engineer a pulley system? Seriously, fuck that job. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/17 "2012-03-13T22:52:10Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Where are all of the ‘Fallen Tower Workers’’ memorials? > > After all, they are giving their lives to provide us with wireless service. Seems like a pretty dangerous job that requires a certain type of person willing to sacrifice their personal safety for the benefit of others. Sound familiar? these are tv and radio broadcast towers. telephone communications towers are not as tall for their designed functions. lots of people work with danger as part of their job. working safe is important. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/18 "2012-03-14T00:49:39Z")
Ohhh my God! That looks $#%&in’ **awesome**!!! Anyone know who’s hiring? (there’s a reason I was named “Spiderman”!{though not from climbing anything that high}) Oh, & I believe that the reason the elevator only goes 1600/1768 feet is that to do this job, your elevator can’t go to the top floor; definitely true with me! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/19 "2012-03-14T02:28:00Z")
I’m getting queasy just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594/20 "2012-03-18T09:18:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If workers followed the safety rules/laws, it should not be _that_ dangerous. As the video points out, it seems that a lot of people free climb it to save time. The article I linked to says that these accidents should not be happening, as climbers should practice what apparently is known as “100% tie-off.” i was showing this to my friend and i noticed that, on the final bit to get on the tiny platform at the top, there isn’t even a way to clip yourself to anything without having the clip be below your legs when you climb up onto it.. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-want-this-guys-job/615594.md?page=2)