Jim Mullin - W8KKK SK

A great loss .

Jim you will be missed by not only us Hams in N.E.Ohio,but by all the friends you've made through the years, all over the world !

 

Very sad indeed thoughts and prayers will go out to him and his family.

It sounds that his belt failed which is why they must be throughly inspected before each use.

A "safety belt" is now illegal anyways because of the injuries associated with them.

I agree that using a rigging "positioning" harness in conjuction with a proper fall arrest harness is the best way to do it.

Also if we are dragging OSHA into it I doubt that many of us have a tower that has any tie off points that would support the load that OSHA specs say they must meet.

Any and all tie off points must be rated to handle at least 5000#.

 

Does OSHA even come into play when you are talking about your own privately owned tower on your own property??

 

I was wondering that also. I do not believe it does, but just because it doesn't apply doesn't mean it should not be practiced.

 

AL7PQ

We who are yet living sound so wise! Well, I think I identify with this guy. HE would rather to have gone on to heaven than stay here and not be useful. It sounds like he lived the life of a servant, and it would have been impossible for him to go on living here on earth and be anything less. I wish I could have been there when he came face to face with the Lord Jesus and heard, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord." I do plan to look him up when I get there, though. Yes, it is wisdom to learn from other peoples' accidents, but we show our lack when we overlook all the wisdom he had and criticize one mistake he made which happened to end his life. May The God of Peace give his family peace.

 

I am showing respect.

To the living who MIGHT learn from this.

I spent a lot of time building elevators, 8 hours a day, 5 says a week, for years. All the time wearing a full body harness and shock absorber lanyard.

Falling to your death IS NOT an ACCIDENT.

Wear your safety gear kiddies.

Rege

 

I saw a special on I think The Discovery Channel on those shock absorber harnesses a couple of years ago. Totally amazing devices. The invention was so simple but so effective. It showed high rise steel with webbing down the center of all the floors that everybody hooked to. It was one of those few programs that I didn't get out of the chair for a snack or channel blip at all.

But I wonder, are they actually available to consumers? Like the home tower climber? And how would you hook them up? Unless you left a line in place, you'd have to climb first and then hook up. But I suppose that's better than not having it at all.

As to the belts, I've seen guys climb a tower with those things on, and then lean back like a window washer to work. Yeah, window washers do that wearing their belts, but they ALSO have a fall harness on.

 

OK What does OSHA have to do with some Ham tinkering on his own tower in his own yard...

Nada...

 

30 years ago I put up a 127' Rohn 25 single-handedly, using a gin pole. I used a leather Signal Corps climbing belt, with a second lanyard added, so I could stay tied off at all times.

I wouldn't use the thing now. In fact, I recently threw it away. Wouldn't trust the old leather and besides, it was heavy, uncomfortable and clunky to use. Modern harnesses made of synthetic fabric are much lighter in weight and more comfortable, as well as much safer than a simple belt.

His error was not so much in using the simple belt, but not thoroughly inspecting it before each use. Unless he slipped and the belt snapped while trying to arrest the fall, I don't see how the seam could possibly have been in such poor condition that merely leaning back on the belt to work would cause it to come apart, and that defect not be obvious with even a casual visual inspection.

I use a lightweight climbing belt even when climbing a ladder to paint, work on the roof, etc. Not so much to tether me to the ladder, but to help prevent losing balance in the first place. When working at the top of an extension ladder I always tie both sides of the ladder down in guy wire fashion, using rope tied to each leg at the top of the lower section running to a screw-in anchor about 20 ft. away, like the ones used to pitch tents.

OSHA doesn't have any control over work you do at home, but it certainly would not be a bad idea to observe OSHA standards when using safety equipment anywhere.

Also, if a belt or harness has ever arrested a fall, the manufacturer will tell you never to use it again; the whole thing must be replaced. That's why I would never trust used gear bought at a hamfest.

 

Why did it have to? Threads mutate with time...

Or is this supposed to be magical?

 

I've seen two types of belts. I've been up a tower years ago, and the belt I wore was a heavy leather belt, but there was 'strapping' that went around the the belt to the attachment rings. The leather didn't seem to be anything for actual holding, but more to position the strap. In that sense, the leather was nothing more than padding for the strap.

The other belt I saw but never used was essentially a leather belt and that's it. Back then I wouldn't have thought about it, but now, when I think about it, I get a cold chill. If any of the parts of that belt gave out, good bye!

I'm wondering now if one of those belts were 'modified'. Either to add the strap for safety, or take it off simplicity and a shot at a Darwin award...

 

We have lost a member of our "family of ham operators!"

I did not know our brother operator. By the kind words I read of him I can tell he was a wonderful person. Those that write ..."I always use... and I never that..." This thread IS NOT ABOUT YOU! This thread is for us as a community to share the wonder stories of our brother operator. It is for us to comfort eachother during this time of grief, it is a time for us as a community to make sense of a senseless death. IT IS NOT THE TIME NOR THE PLACE FOR US TO CRITIQUE OUR brothers' performance. The sad and terrible result says MORE THAN ENOUGH ON THAT SUBJECT.

Although I did not know our brother operator Jim, as a Christian, I need not know him to pray for his soul.

He is with the Lord, so rejoice, for the gates of heaven opened and our brother Jim now sits with his LORD.

 

simply put...

No.

And there's no such thing as "illegal" when working on your own tower either.



John K5MO

 

Climbing towers should be done by professionals, not AMATEURS.

 

Wow it is always sad to hear of a ham falling from a tower.

Amen!! I don't know if I will ever put up a tower, but if I do, I hope to be able to install a commercial guide wire/grab system which you clip your full harness into.

Belts are for RESTRAINT only - to keep you from reaching an edge. Because so many people misuse "safety belts" they are banned at all my job sites. Full harnesses only - even if only being used for restraint.