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134 LOMEN AVE SE, SOLWAY, MN 56678
Standard 19100268 C
Initial $500
Standard 19100268 G01
Communication Tower Worker Is Killed in Fall
At approximately 5:50 p.m. on June 26, 2012, Employee #1, of Midwest Steeplejack s, Inc., Fargo, ND, was working with Coworker #1 on a 300-foot telecommunication tower in Solway, MN. They were pathing the tower's communication dish with anot her communication dish located on a telecommunication tower in Bagley, MN, where Coworkers #2 and #3 were working. The task of pathing involved the sending and receiving of microwave signals between the two dishes to align and adjust them s o they communicated more effectively. Both dishes had been installed previously. Employee #1 was wearing an ExoFit XP Tower Climbing Harness equipped with a pos itioning device and twin lanyards. Witness interviews obtained from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Department indicated that Employee #1 was using only one tie-o ff point when he unhooked his positioning device to reposition himself at a diff erent location on the tower. He fell feet first approximately 153 feet. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene.
Data sourced from Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry, Minnesota Attorney General, federal OSHA, and municipal permit offices. Records are public and may not reflect pending appeals or corrections.