Deadliest job in America: Working on cell phone towers

Tue Jul 8, 2008 4:06PM EDT

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Next time you can't get a cell phone signal in the middle of town, put your problem in perspective: New figures show that the deadliest job in America now goes to the men and women who construct, upgrade, and repair cell phone towers.

According to a story in this week's RCR Wireless News (updated with live link), building and climbing towers (which can be hundreds of feet tall) is more dangerous than ranching, fishing, logging, and even ironworking. The fatality rate is currently 183.6 deaths per 100,000 workers: Five tower workers died during one 12-day span earlier this year alone. 18 tower workers died on the job in 2006.

The cause for the runup in tower worker deaths isn't completely clear, but it's likely a combination of careless working practices (workers not using safety gear 100 percent of the time, or not using it correctly) and network operators pushing to build out and upgrade their networks too quickly. Hard to blame carriers for wanting to get faster networks up and running, but not at the cost of human life. (RCR is careful to note that the investigation into the rise in fatalities is too early to attribute to any specific source.)

Oddly, a loophole in OSHA rules may make it difficult for changes to happen quickly: Towers are often constructed by small contractors instead of the carriers or the owners of the towers. Since the carrier isn't on site during the construction of the tower, the contractor receives the fine and the carrier and owner face no sanctions. (That hasn't stopped the families of some of the deceased workers from suing carriers, though.)

Up next: Workers and their unions are hoping to push through federal legislation which could lead to more thorough regulations covering safety in this largely ignored industry.

Update: The original story concerns only accidental deaths in traditional vocations, not combat-related fatalities, so military careers are not included in the "deadliest" tally. No offense intended to our men and women in service.

LINK: Tower climbing: deadliest job in U.S.

Comments on Deadliest job in America: Working on cell phone towers

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  • 46 Posted by dramaqueen0627 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Cell phones are being used by half of the world's population. Even farmers in 3rd world countries use them for their work. It is important to most people that they can be covered in more places. But a human life is more valuable than some cell phone that will be outdated eventually, like every other cell phone. I say we make sure that those workers give us more coverage are garunteed better safety equipment, and such things. May the workers all be safe!

  • 48 Posted by boutemr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you hire a legal, licensed contractor to work on your house and one of their employees dies in an accident, should that employees family sue you? Why is there the assumption that the carriers should be liable? If they are responsible for deaths or injuries, throw them in jail, fine them, whatever, but is are you assuming that they are somehow culpable because carrier companies are larger? Shouldn't any need for increased regulation address any negligent contractors doing the work rather than their customers who presumably hired them in good faith and wanting to avoid job site deaths?

  • 50 Posted by gilesjoe on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    Every life is precious to some parent, spouse, or children. There is no need to heedlessly endanger workers to improve the profits of owners or carriers and just to bring a beeter picture to the TV screen.

  • 52 Posted by i_shall_rule_you_all on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    That made me laugh, hard. But yeah, really i attribute the deaths to human error really, if your that high up in the air the only way to die is electrocution or your safety gear failing, in no way the fault of the phone company. Its neglect of safety procedure most likely.

  • 53 Posted by trollerblades on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    "The cause for the runup in tower worker deaths isn't completely clear, but it's likely a combination of careless working practices (workers not using safety gear 100 percent of the time, or not using it correctly) and network operators pushing to build out and upgrade their networks too quickly." Learn to use the darn safety gear you friggin' morons

  • 54 Posted by panzeetunes on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    I became involved in a company called BIOPRO technologies over 2 1/2 years ago, and even back then it was evident that using cell phones was causing brain tumors after long extended use. Folks who worked in buildings that were located near cell towers were developing cancer. It's the harmful exposure to the electromagnetic radiation (EMR). But folks feel that if you cannot see it, or touch it that they are not in danger. It's nice to know that the information is finally coming to light. Phyllis Kasterkoff of Tucson AZ

  • 55 Posted by nopetr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sounds thrilling to me! How do you get the job? It could be the end of my current boring job!Please advise!

  • 57 Posted by johntheadams on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yet another political Milk Bone for federal legislators to nibble on. It's the lack of unionization in the United States that is endangering workers thyrough the lack of safety programs that have traditionally been part of union contracts. U.S. workers who hate unions are undermining their own safety.

  • 58 Posted by onert62 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow falling into the bering sea, freezing waters, wow now its falling off owers from dumb----- s... This amazes me.... Who is really the smartest for knowing this? It sure must pay good better than Min. wage?....

  • 59 Posted by shjasnow on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is absolutely incorrect. 183 deaths per 100,000 comes to roughly 1 death out of 500 workers. The United States has had 42 people as president (G. Cleveland twice), with 8 having died while holding that job. That comes to roughly 1 death out of 5 workers.

  • 60 Posted by coreypokeefe on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    Cell Phone towers killed my father..and raped my mother.

  • 61 Posted by idmoonrise on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    Enjoy life people..........no one gets out alive anyway.

  • 63 Posted by vithiesfeld on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's ridiculous the rate of these workers deaths. Just imagine the more advance technilogy gets; the more demanding of people's deaths.

  • 64 Posted by condenny on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree totally but i have watched Discovery's "MythBusters" and they did a myth about cooking a turkey on a tower like that i believe. They said the radiation wasn't enough to kill, but could some of these deaths be from something random like safety malfunction, and if so why havent the companies done anything about it?

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