This video made me a little anxious watching it. http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u...er?a=config&item_token=07b_1284580365&embed=1
Jesus Christ! MY HANDS A SWEATY AND MY HEART IS RACING JUST WATCHING THAT $%^#$#. I mean really? We pay CEO how much to do WHAT?!?!?! Give this man a hand!
Just like an iron worker, people like this are a whole different breed. I have the utmost respect for these tradesman, they do a job I will not do.
I also do not have a fear of flying, but have a problem with heights and thinking about falling, even in my dreams. When he kept climbing without being tied on that got to me.
Back in the day, towers and smoke stacks were not a big problem for me. I might, if pressed, climb a parabolic cooling tower again, but stacks and towers are off the menu. Heights don't bother me too much, but I've become fond of full enclosures ----. Those guys have to be strong to carry the weight of their stones.
Every time i see that, I'm fine until he looks down. You couldn't pay me enough money to do that for a living.
And to think I used to gripe when I had to pull belly plates off a machine in the mud.Hats off to these guys many times over.
What amazes me is the free climb...."OSHA rules allow for it"....my azz....after 20-30', one slip and you're history. I kinda seriously doubt OSHA rules say "You got to wear the stuff, but use is optional" Why even bother to have safety gear if you don't plan to use it ? And whoever employs this guy, and the tower owner ( the next deep pocket ) ought to be having a heart attack watching it. Only hundred feet compared to this guy's 1780, but I have 3 lanyards on my harness, (two 6' climbers with shock absorber built in, one 2' working/resting ) and I guarantee ya 1 of the climbers is ALWAYS attached while moving up/down. Heights don't bother me at all, but I'm not a big fan of stupid.
WOW that guy has some stones. I would much rather be shot at than do that. Look like a good place for a base jump.
I thought the same thing, I was under the assumption you had to be 100% tied off. So I looked it up and found the following. The scariest video you have ever watched in the name of science This video contains no special effects, and no fancy stunts. But it will scare the crap out of you. That's because you're watching from a head-mounted camera as an engineer scales an antenna tower over 1,700 feet high. Created for The Online Engineer site, what this video captures isn't just a thrill ride - though frankly it is that - you also get to see the different parts of the giant antenna. And learn a little bit about OSHA rules, which apparently say that it's OK for people to free climb a tiny pole hundreds of feet in the air with a thunderstorm brewing in the distance. Seriously, when I realized the guy wasn't attached to this pole with anything other than his hands and feet, I almost had a heart attack. via The Online Engineer UPDATE: According to industry site Wireless Estimator: Jim Coleman, Chairman of the National Association of Tower Erectors viewed the video this morning on YouTube and was troubled by the comments concerning free climbing. He was also concerned that it was entitled as a tutorial. "I'm unaware of any guidance by OSHA that allows for free climbing as an acceptable method of accessing elevated work," Coleman said . . . The man that shot it using a helmet camera, and who approved the edited version, said "he was getting calls from colleagues telling him that they were concerned about what the video showed," according to [The Online Engineer site] owner, Russ Brown. It was removed due to Brown's concern for his friend who provided the climbing footage. ANOTHER UPDATE: FAA-FCC licensing specialist Timothy Doughty with law firm Keller and Heckman told io9 that he's confirmed that OSHA does not allow free climbing. He wrote to us in e-mail: "According to the BLM Manual Handbook 1292-1 climbers are to maintain 100% attachment at all times." Nevertheless, it does appear that the US Labor Department's OSHA regulations do allow free climbing on towers in some cases. Here is a quote from the OSHA regulations, section 1910.269(g)(2)(v): Fall protection equipment is not required to be used by a qualified employee climbing or changing location on poles, towers, or similar structures, unless conditions, such as, but not limited to, ice, high winds, the design of the structure (for example, no provision for holding on with hands), or the presence of contaminants on the structure, could cause the employee to lose his or her grip or footing.
that's nuts... I do not like heights.. TnAndy...good on ya, but that 100 feet is even too high for my taste
My stomach was churning the whole time I watched it! Put me in mind of the steeplejacks (does this occupation exist any more????) of my childhood...we kids would stand in the street looking up at these brave men, oohing and aahing over it all!. I don't think they had safety equipment in those days! All I have to do to feel sick is close my eyes and just THINK about standing at the top of some steep stairs! These folks are so gutsy....I hope they get paid mega-bucks and that they are well-insured. I wonder how their mums and wives feel about this occupation! Also wonder if there are any women in that field?
I'd do it for the right amount of money. (but it would be a serious amount of money!) I've no fear of heights and I've done a 30 ft climb to repair an antenna connection on a ship. Try soldering a coax connector with 20 knt wind and 6 ft seas. What a pain.