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Construction Fatality Narrative: Communication Tower Worker Falls 260 Feet

File Language:
English


Details

  • Corporate Authors:
    Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
  • Description:
    A 24-year-old tower climber fell 260 feet from a communication tower under construction. The climber was one of three workers on the tower who all worked for the same tower erection service. He was a certified instructor and the designated safety person and fall protection trainer for the company. He was wearing a full-body harness equipped with a positioning lanyard and a Y-lanyard. The crew was in the process of adding the final 20-foot section to the self-supporting tower. They were using a triangular lattice gin pole to "stack" the tower sections. They had just jumped, or raised, the gin pole into position in order to lift the final section. They used a jump plate to help lift and position the gin pole. The plate was a 6-foot long square steel tube with a steel loop welded in the center. The climber was in the process of unbolting the plate so they could lower it to the ground. He removed the last bolt that secured the plate to the tower and then leaned back. When he did, he fell 260 feet to the ground. The climber did not connect either pelican hook of his fall arrest Y-lanyard to an anchor point on the tower. The plate was still attached to the winch line when it swung down and struck his coworker in the chest. An investigation found that: The employer had developed safe rigging and lifting plans for the job and had provided all required personal protective equipment (PPE) and training to the workers. The climber's harness, D-rings, lanyards, and pelican hooks were not defective and in safe working condition. The crew and employer were unable to identify circumstances that did not allow him to tie-off. REQUIREMENTS: This employer was not cited for violating any safety standards. Employers doing similar work should review: Safety Standards - WAC 296-32 Telecommunication - Pocket Version. Accident prevention program and safety meetings. Fall protection. Gin Pole Installation. Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification and Maintenance of Communication Structures. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences: Establish and maintain a communication system among all workers on site and ensure workers on the tower communicate and confirm step-by-step procedures anytime they change positions or perform tasks that require them to detach and reattach their fall arrest systems. Frequently reinforce training on proper use of fall protection equipment with emphasis on always maintaining one point of attachment and reattaching immediately after detaching so that workers maintain 100% tie-off while on the tower. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Series:
    Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
  • Publisher:
    Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Cooperative Agreement
  • Genre:
    Report
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    1
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20064503
  • Citation:
    Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-215-2022, 2022 Feb; :1
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2022
  • Performing Organization:
    Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20050701
  • Source Full Name:
    Construction fatality narrative: communication tower worker falls 260 feet
  • End Date:
    20260630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:7ac713cc275b6f5ec8a51c2eb9d9afdcbf7a829d4af9ba3a041ffabf1e2bbbf1dc079d8a03baecfebc5be87a1b1e16a018832e94517a2490e2efab5ed481d7a7
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 278.14 KB ]
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