Trapeze artists have them, bridge workers have them, window washers have them. Why not tower techs?
Joshua Deadrick, CEO and Founder of Vertical Tower Safety Netting had time on his hands while on job sites to think about how to make them safer places to work. As a six-year veteran of the telecommunications industry he has climbed towers in all weather conditions (including being hit by lightning), and started to wonder why the only real safety measure in play was a climber’s body harness. “There was an obvious need for a secondary safety system,” he said. “Ensuring that employees come home safely to their families every night should be the industry’s top priority.”
Motivation comes in many forms for Deadrick. On Thursday he heard from the mother of a climber who died in a fall in July of 2013, in South Dakota. “She said ‘I love your idea and wish the tower my son was working on had it.’ ”
A netting secured around the tower….Deadrick has designed it for all types…can not only arrest human falls but falling objects as well. “I’ve been guilty of dropping a screwdriver,” he said and cited a recent case where a Verizon worker on the ground was struck by a falling object from the tower and is now suing for $70,000.
Deadrick has a patent pending for his tower netting system. Once he reaches his funding goal on GoFundMe, he will have it drop-tested and certified by OSHA. “The netting itself already meets OSHA standards,” he said.
While he said some of the most significant organizations in the industry have shown their full support, he has had his share of doubters. But once he explains how it works, the objections have turned to “good lucks.” For instance, the net is secured just six feet below the work area on the tower so whatever falls has a limited drop. The net can also be quickly attached and detached for gin-pole loadings.
Deadrick feels it’s the right product at the right time as the workload spikes with every “G” and “5G” which means new upgrades, more deadline pressures to get things done quickly, longer hours on the tower and more equipment loading of heavier objects on the tower. “There will be much more equipment with 50 and 60 pound bundles of the latest technology being hauled topside once 5G comes along,” he said.
Currently his GoFundMe site has $500 in it with $12 thousand as the objective to get it to a testing stage. Like all entrepreneurs, he has a vision and a goal along with a desire to make it a safer industry.
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