Fall restraint

[Lineman North Florida]

Today we got our first taste of wood pole fall restraint protection, the company is getting us ready for what is to come, after using it while climbing I realized that I am glad that I am close to retirement. Everything about using it felt so un-natural and uncomfortable, I felt like I had worked for an hour just getting up the pole, I realize it being new and not broke in probably didn't help, but I don't think I will ever be able to get used to using one, I would have never believed that I would see the end of the good old days, it's a shame that a lot of guys will never know how easy it could be to get up a pole, just needed to vent a little.:D

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmmmmm fortunately ( for me)I retired before that stuff became mandatory. I cannot imagine gettin up a pole with all the phone n cable drops running in every direction. I've watched videos usin that stuff and it looks like a major pain. Just what does one do when the phonies have placed pole steps from the base to the phone? and when you do fall and swing into one of those metal steps I suppose that thing wont gut or nut ya neither?Sad commentary for the entire industry.

[bren guzzi]

Don't fight "progress". We've been using it for years. And the young guys. Know nothing else. Its safer..... So therefore better....

Us old fosils will have to just step a side and remeber the "GOOD OL DAYS". When men were men an sheep were scared.......... LOL...... :)

[rob8210]

We have been using some form of fall restraint for almost 20 years. First it was the posi-belt , now its the pole choker by Jelco. There are others out there but these 2 were most predominant. The posi-belt could be left loose enough , with a small piece of rope around the pole strap and held in your left hand , you could climb a if you were free climbing, except when you came to ome obstacle. The pole choker 4 by Jelco is ok, you have to climb the pole by sliding the belt up.It takes getting used to. we climb a lot less now than when I first started, the rules here are if you can get a bucket to it you have to use it.

[Koga]

But its what they require , so I always WEAR mine ! :rolleyes:

[HookinAintEasy]

first time ive ever climbed with one was last week used "the super squeeze"! but i have to say that it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be but then again it was a pretty clear pole! comin down is when i started gettin aggrivated with it... ill stick to free climbin till they make it manditory i hope they wont but it will:nightmare:

[Volcom]

Throw the bucksqueeze/ super squeeze away and ask for jelcos , we make all these stipulations for not using it ie rescue, safety , contested pole, just go back to the old way, let it weed out the weak if they can't climb without getting hurt, oops sorry just woke up from my lunch nap must have been dreaming again

[bobbo]

Slap a ladder past the secondary. And you dont have to worry about all the gay rules or the dreaded bucksqueeze. The jelco is nice because you can whip that yellow strap when the faggot birddogs come. Be honest no one is using it. To use it it would have to be a bare pole. The apprentices are using it but they are learning bad skills: hitchhiking not in line, positioning with their hands, cant lay out. . . They say its progess, safety and all that but I see it as loss of market share for Americans some day. If You have been to any hurricanes lately, the trimmers come straight from Mexico. If someone told them if they have to use fall restraint, they can say "no comprende senor". My first hurricane tree trimmers were white trash toothless guys who would clear up anything. Now They dont understand english, all the big contractor trimmers recruit out of mexico. They dont have those nice cherry pickers in the numbers we have here, they climb, use hand saws, rig old school. We are going to make ourselves more expensive with all the crap we have to do. Down the road we are going to be replaced with short brown men because they will plead ignorance, "no comprende, senor." you can say progress qll you want, but I say we will all be replaced. It only took ten years for the trimmers to be gone. You can claim insurance rates and insurance companies want this. We are expensive, union or non union. But whose to say we are doing it for insurance rates. Wouldn't it be better just to get fillipinos, central americans, poor mexicans to do this work. If they die off, they pay out 1000s to their families. If we die off they have to pay out millions. If they do it now with line clearance trimming, why not linework? Delphi is in Mexico. Every modern car plant is in Mexico. All of our material in the line material comes from mexico. Why not this industry?Thank the lord I only have a few years to go.

[reppy007]

You make a good point bobbo,ive thought of that when the topic of where this industry is headed was asked,didnt want to put any input into that but it is a possibility.I would have named it where dont you want this trade to be in the coming years.....its already done here with carpenters...you dont see any white or black guys doing that anymore....unless you get out of the city....guys on tractors arent white anymore.....in the trenches its still the spanish speaking guy,but up on the ground watching its not a anglo anymore......all road work is done by folks from mexico,at least here it is......a building going up is the same way....you cant blame anyone for wanting to work.I would hope this trade wouldnt take that path,but it could.

[bobbo]

You make a good point bobbo,ive thought of that when the topic of where this industry is headed was asked,didnt want to put any input into that but it is a possibility.I would have named it where dont you want this trade to be in the coming years.....its already done here with carpenters...you dont see any white or black guys doing that anymore....unless you get out of the city....guys on tractors arent white anymore.....in the trenches its still the spanish speaking guy,but up on the ground watching its not a anglo anymore......all road work is done by folks from mexico,at least here it is......a building going up is the same way....you cant blame anyone for wanting to work.I would hope this trade wouldnt take that path,but it could.

The food industry not only restaraunts but industrial butchers and chicken processors. That was once a job where you had health benefits and a sustainable wage. That job now goes to mexican immigrants. Twenty years ago whatever was a good paying job is now extinct. Steel worker made 12 to 16 in 1970, makes 14 today. Mexican immigrants are not in the southwest but they are in new york, virginia, new jersey. They will work for nothing. Pack twenty of them in an apartment and send all their oomoney home. When they are doing all the concrete work for a va hospital and none were documented we have problems. A davis bacon job going to illegals, they get 10 and the company gets 150. The union and the government is going to box us into extinction. Seen it. I dont see any mills running. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York... The USWA what are they? Teamsters what are they? My grandchildren are going to hear "IBEW" what were they? I ll point to a rat crew full of men not speaking the english language, and say "Americans use to do that work, but we got sold out" I love when I pick up a Hubbel product, Made in China, or a squeeze on Made in Mexico. I met a bunch of carpenters from New York and they say they have all the work, and then I go to Home Depot and Lowes and all these Jamaicans, mexicans and whomever pulling out tons of wall board and 2by 4s. Yeah you guys have all the work. Right. Give it another ten years, lineman ill be like the tree trimmers. Poor gfs will have to have interpreters to get anything done. Most of the M class is gone in the IBEW, as far as work for electricians I have seen 4men pile out of sation wagon with ladders and EMT and could speak or read english let alone anything about NEC. Who do you blame? The government for not policing this? The state of CA boycotted Arizona for its stance. The state governments arent watxhing contractor licenses, no one is inspecting local construction (city government). I have no clue what the union does with my dues, nor do I care anymore. I just eork, bust my ass everyday, do the best job as I can with what I have got. And that is my only solution!

[reppy007]

The food industry not only restaraunts but industrial butchers and chicken processors. That was once a job where you had health benefits and a sustainable wage. That job now goes to mexican immigrants. Twenty years ago whatever was a good paying job is now extinct. Steel worker made 12 to 16 in 1970, makes 14 today. Mexican immigrants are not in the southwest but they are in new york, virginia, new jersey. They will work for nothing. Pack twenty of them in an apartment and send all their oomoney home. When they are doing all the concrete work for a va hospital and none were documented we have problems. A davis bacon job going to illegals, they get 10 and the company gets 150. The union and the government is going to box us into extinction. Seen it. I dont see any mills running. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York... The USWA what are they? Teamsters what are they? My grandchildren are going to hear "IBEW" what were they? I ll point to a rat crew full of men not speaking the english language, and say "Americans use to do that work, but we got sold out" I love when I pick up a Hubbel product, Made in China, or a squeeze on Made in Mexico. I met a bunch of carpenters from New York and they say they have all the work, and then I go to Home Depot and Lowes and all these Jamaicans, mexicans and whomever pulling out tons of wall board and 2by 4s. Yeah you guys have all the work. Right. Give it another ten years, lineman ill be like the tree trimmers. Poor gfs will have to have interpreters to get anything done. Most of the M class is gone in the IBEW, as far as work for electricians I have seen 4men pile out of sation wagon with ladders and EMT and could speak or read english let alone anything about NEC. Who do you blame? The government for not policing this? The state of CA boycotted Arizona for its stance. The state governments arent watxhing contractor licenses, no one is inspecting local construction (city government). I have no clue what the union does with my dues, nor do I care anymore. I just eork, bust my ass everyday, do the best job as I can with what I have got. And that is my only solution!

You made your point,but when it comes to unions you should care,its not what the union is doing it is what the members are doing....try to look at it this way ...you are voted in as a union business manager,the members dont care,they wont even show up at the meetings....so when you go to the company and try to bargain a deal for your members.....they will laugh at you cause they know that your not being backed up,hell,your members wont even show up at a monthly meeting..ask yourself what would you do?....I have always said and will continue to say .......the union doesnt make the members,the members make the union..............period!

[lewy]

Slap a ladder past the secondary. And you dont have to worry about all the gay rules or the dreaded bucksqueeze. The jelco is nice because you can whip that yellow strap when the faggot birddogs come. Be honest no one is using it. To use it it would have to be a bare pole. The apprentices are using it but they are learning bad skills: hitchhiking not in line, positioning with their hands, cant lay out. . . They say its progess, safety and all that but I see it as loss of market share for Americans some day. If You have been to any hurricanes lately, the trimmers come straight from Mexico. If someone told them if they have to use fall restraint, they can say "no comprende senor". My first hurricane tree trimmers were white trash toothless guys who would clear up anything. Now They dont understand english, all the big contractor trimmers recruit out of mexico. They dont have those nice cherry pickers in the numbers we have here, they climb, use hand saws, rig old school. We are going to make ourselves more expensive with all the crap we have to do. Down the road we are going to be replaced with short brown men because they will plead ignorance, "no comprende, senor." you can say progress qll you want, but I say we will all be replaced. It only took ten years for the trimmers to be gone. You can claim insurance rates and insurance companies want this. We are expensive, union or non union. But whose to say we are doing it for insurance rates. Wouldn't it be better just to get fillipinos, central americans, poor mexicans to do this work. If they die off, they pay out 1000s to their families. If we die off they have to pay out millions. If they do it now with line clearance trimming, why not linework? Delphi is in Mexico. Every modern car plant is in Mexico. All of our material in the line material comes from mexico. Why not this industry?Thank the lord I only have a few years to go.
Around here our tree trimmers use a rope system with a Blake's hitch or taught line hitch, there belt is not used for fall protection. We have a bigger issue with there lack of respect for the lines.