When Tower Safety President and Founder Kathy Gill posted her blog on rigging techniques on July 13, she called it “a dynamic artform.” The blog, entitled “Rigging With a Carabiner,” cited ANSI standards and specific applications for use of the omnipresent clip in certain situations. Dynamic it is. Since then, a firestorm has ensued, drawing in NATE, the nascent union CWA and letting loose the “tower dawgs” of social media. The discussion centers on how and if carabiners have a role in rigging, given ANSI standards and industry-accepted usage.
On July 20, NATE responded to the article by issuing an Advisory Bulletin compiled by what the association defined as “top subject matter experts and consensus standard representatives, including Tower Owners.”
The bulletin stated:
“Carabiners are NOT* intended for rigging applications involving material handling and overhead lifting. After consultation with many of the industry’s major tower owner/vertical real estate companies, carabiners will NOT* be allowed for material rigging applications on any of their sites. Violation of this policy could lead to immediate job shutdown and possible suspension from future work.“ (*their emphasis)
The recently formed tower workers union, CWA, followed the association’s bulletin yesterday afternoon with its own statement saying NATE’s message was “threatening climbers, declaring that jobs will be lost if tower technicians rig with a carabiner.” CWA said tower technicians recognize the need to select the best possible tool for every situation. “This can include the use of carabiners under certain circumstances as a safe and more efficient tool on a job if used correctly and according to manufacturer guidelines and ANSI standards,” the union statement read.
Gill’s blog stated the stipulations of the ANSI 10.48 standard, calling it “one of the most controversial and confusing topics in telecom rigging.” In 2016, the ANSI 10.48 was released for best practice when lifting telecom equipment. “The 10.48 standard is a positive for ensuring rigging plans are created for each lift, understanding sling, block, and tag line angles,” Gill’s posting said. “However, the standard does mention carabiners are okay to use if specifically classified by the manufacturer for lifted loads, interpreting that verbiage; carabiners need to have ABS, MBS, WLL, or FS for use,” she wrote.
A review of various tower climber social media sites found a range of commentary on the issue:
- “If you’re going to try to regulate problems out of the industry,” said one tower tech on TD4L (“Tower Dawgs For Life”), “at least do it the proper way. Any load under 250 lbs can be lifted using a carabiner. Any load greater than 250 lbs requires shackles. Make it a requirement no different than the class 1 through 4 rigging plan requirements.”
- “Use them per the ANSI and ASME standards and you have to worry about losing your job,” said a commenter on the site Tower Hands.
- “Carabiners don’t kill people,” said a posting, “lack of common sense does.”
NATE told Inside Towers the Advisory Bulletin was never intended to be a “threat” to contractors, or employees, but was a notification to know your client and their policies. The Association issued the following common standards to Inside Towers for clarification:
- When rigging for material handling and overhead lifting, carabiners are not to be used because of B30. Note, Qualified engineers may allow use with the proper rigging plan, that they approve.
- For Fall Protection or Controlled descent, or other Applicable Scopes, they can be used as long as they are used in accord with the proper standards and regulations that apply.
- No matter what your use case, it is important for you to verify what your client may or may not allow on the project you are working for.
By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor
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