Cell Tower News: Tower bear and the sting of indifference

Bear climbs tower for eggs

We’re all doomed. The large hairy killing machines known as bears are now bringing their endless appetites off the ground and into the skies. O.F. Mossberg & Sons captured this surprising video of a bear that managed to climb an electrical tower to feast on eggs in a nest. In the video you can see the mother bird flapping around the bear, obviously unhappy about what is taking place.

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While this isn’t the first time we’ve covered a bear on a tower site, that time the bear was on the ground. With this latest development it seems like only a matter of time before climbers are working on a tower and looking down to find a bear dozens of feet in the air after their lunch.

Climbers indifferent to safety initiative?

A month ago RCR Wireless News reported that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was asking for public feedback on ways to improve tower climber safety. We even listed three different ways of submitting your comments to let OSHA know how you feel and what can be done to improve safety. However, not many tower climbers have taken the time to fill out the OSHA RFI safety survey.

This has tower industry blogger Wade Sarver pissed off at what he sees as indifference to safety improvements for climbers. In his article, “Do you want to improve tower climber safety? Apparently not!” He attempts to stir response in climbers by using anger, calling out climbers for being too busy “shaving their backs” and “spending time on Facebook complaining or posting rude pictures” to be able to fill out the survey. It’s quite the entertaining read and worth your time, for not only its content, but also as a reminder that inaction is hurtful to good causes like increased safety to prevent further tower deaths.

Safety is of the utmost importance and OSHA will have a much harder time improving safety measures without your input! Please take the time to fill out this survey. Your feedback may make the difference in industry changes that could save someone’s life.

Drunken tower climbing

Imagine it: you’re drunk with your buddy at a graduation party – at a skating rink no less. And then you think to yourself, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we went and climbed this nearby tower?” You may not have, but a man in Pineville, La., did decide to do this with his buddy. These two threw a beach towel over the barbed wire fence, climbed over and climbed the tower. One man got halfway up before sense got the better of his ambition and he climbed back down. The other man was not so sensible, and climbed all the way to the top and refused to come down. The Pineville Fire Department’s Special Operations Response Team had to be called in to put on harnesses and climb up the tower and bring the inebriated man down safely.

The comments section of the story is entertaining, but this one is just too true.