Infographic: Safety Tips For Pole Climbing
Fall hazards have become one of the greatest risks linemen face after electrocution. There is a tendency for some experienced climbers to get complacent, but by following these safety tips you’ll always be secure.
Why Is Climbing Still Necessary?
With the availability of bucket trucks, some might wonder why climbing is even necessary. However, there are scenarios when climbing is the only viable option. It’s true, ascending a wooden pole is a skill that must be learned over time, but no matter how good you become at it, a fall can occur at any time. Thankfully, the introduction of fall protection units is making things safer.
Fall Arrest
This option is now available for wooden poles. For poles that have substantial obstructions, like foliage, vines, and equipment where climbers require extra mobility, vertical base lifeline systems enable the worker to ascend freely without needing a secondary position strap. Wooden pole-based fall arrest mechanisms function through securing a rope positional tube along with a dielectric lifeline above the pole.
The worker will elevate their tube from a surface and then drop it over an anchorage point which is suitable near the pole’s zenith, utilizing a hot stick style tool that is extendable and can be inserted into the tube's end for manipulating it within the position.
When a hot stick is extended, it can be utilized for capturing an eye inside the lifeline that can then be ground retracted. The carabiner should be applied for choking a lifeline back near the pole’s top. Rope grabs with shock-absorbent lanyard that is integrated may be connected with the complete body harness dorsal D-ring to enable climbers to safely move into a position, getting around almost every obstruction. The advantage of using this particular fall arrest system is its rapid ascension capabilities without needing connections or adjustments every time the lineman reaches a pole obstacle.
Work Positioning
This enables linemen to work with their hands free through securing the positional strap around the pole. The mechanism requires a strap positioned over the object which can support the weight of a climber during falls, but such work positional systems have limits which are usually two feet or under.
Fall Restriction
This utilizes the body weight of the lineman for mechanically cinching the device around the pole for stopping falls during a cut out (where the lineman loses pole contact). When properly applied, such systems are highly effective since they provide tremendous versatility. Fall restriction units are generally comprised of two components, which are an interior and an exterior strap.
Its exterior strap will make pole contact while being lowered or raised into position through the hitchhiking motion. The strap also uses adjustable hardware which points the connection into an interior strap. Its interior strap will pull an exterior strap to produce a cinching action. This part will also connect the body belt of the climber while giving extra adjustments from them to control pole distance. In order to maintain one hundred percent fall prevention, these restriction systems need a secondary position strap during transfers under or over obstructions.
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