Numbers of Falling Tower Workers Climbs

Two months and two days after Edwin G. Foulke Jr., who heads the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) told an audience to reduce fatalities to zero, at the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), Charles Lupton became the first victim falling 150 feet to his death. He was working on a cell tower in Wake Forest, NC, according to Channel 14 News.

Lupton had been working with a co-worker on the tower, April 14 at the time of the accident and officials are still investigating the cause of the fall. OSHA will also examine the incident.

Lupton’s fall was part of a spate of accidents that included another cell tower worker on April 24 who slipped and fell 100 feet to his death in Natchez, MS., according to The Natchez Democrat.

Mark Haynes was reported to have been wearing a safety harness when he fell, and it is unclear if he was re-securing his safety harness when he fell and received extensive head and chest injuries.

• On April 14, another tower technician fell to his death in Moorcroft, WY.
• James Friesenhaun, 38, died April 14 from a 225 feet fall from a tower located near San Antonio, TX.
• William Edward Bernard, Jr., fell to his death April 17, while working on a tower in Frisco, NC.

NATE responded to the spate of disasters with a memo reminding its members of the importance of safety on the job. Patrick Howey, NATE executive director, hopes NATE members and non-members alike will take their crews aside and discuss the recent events, reminding the climbers that their job decisions directly affect their safety.

“Please remind your climbers of the importance of following the training they have received. Emphasize that 100 percent tie-off is mandatory,” Howey wrote. “Above all else, take this opportunity to let them know that their decisions are essential; their lives depend on the choices that they make.”

The human toll really underscores the dedication to safety in the work that NATE does, he said.

“The events of the last couple of weeks drives home the fact that we need to continue to do our work to ensure that everyone in the industry operates safely,” Howey said. “One of the challenges is making sure that everyone buys into this idea that safety is the only way to operate.”