Jim Idelson, K1IR, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, recently provided a club meeting program on ham radio tower safety for the Billerica Amateur Radio Society (BARS). Kayla Creamer, W2IRY, recorded and edited the presentation and made it available online. It runs approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.

In his presentation, Idelson said an estimated 38,000 amateur radio towers are standing in the US, with 24 hours of climbing time per tower each year. He noted that two tower-climbing fatalities have occurred in the past year, with a calculated fatality rate that’s twice that of commercial tower workers. In more than half of amateur tower incidents, the climber fell while tied into the tower, while another 37% involved falls. Idelson advised radio amateurs to plan, identify, and mitigate risks in advance of a climb, to focus and be patient, and not to get distracted.

“Risks of tower work are far too high,” Idelson told his audience. “Success depends on creating a culture that values safety.”