pturner@eng.auburn.edu (Patton M. Turner) (06/30/91)
mka <sean!mka@uunet.uu.net> writes: > I have a bunch of strange telephone stuff for sale, much of which came > from a boiler-room (the jerks who call to sell you stuff at dinner > time) auction and a alarm company auction a few years ago. Also some > flea-market stuff. I believe that all of it still works OK. > 1 - set of pole-climbing hooks and waist belt. for those closet > linemen (or women) out there. I'd just like to take a moment to warn the readers of TELECOM Digest of the danger of using old pole safety straps. About a year ago a ham operator died in south Alabama after his strap broke while climbing a tower. There are a lot of leather straps around that are not safe to use. OSHA, as well as the safety personel of every telephone company I've ever worked for (SCB, Southern Bell, Contel, Alltel, and GTE) do not allow all leather straps at all. There is a company that makes leather covered nylon straps that are approved by OSHA. Klein also makes a neoprene impregnated nylon strap that has the feel (at least to me) of leather. Anyone who wants to learn to climb should be taught by an expert. Poles are easy to cutout of if your don't have the proper equipiment or your hook's aren't properly maintained. Pat Turner KB4GRZ pturner@eng.auburn.edu