Update, Wireless Horizons fined in 2005, OSHA  and Wireless Estimator.

New link http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/03/26/local-men-killed-communications-tower-collapsed/6930099/

OSHA is investigating a communications tower collapse in Blaine, Kan., that claimed the lives of Seth Garner of St. Peters, Mo., and Martin Powers of St. Charles, Mo. The men died when the communication tower they were working on collapsed. Powers was pronounced dead at the scene and Garner died at a local hospital.   http://ehstoday.com/fall-protection/telecommunication-towers-claim-more-lives-two-workers-dead-kansas

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/03/26/two-dead-after-tower-collapse/

First, say a silent prayer for the fallen, This is starting to be a terrible year! Please, environment is strong, make your work environment overcome bad habits and hazard assessment errors. I don’t know what happened yet but I will share with you what I have. Please, no more, I don’t want to send out any more bad news after this! 

Here is what I know and the links. 

Two people died after a pair of communication towers collapsed near the junction of Highways 16 and 99 near Blaine, according to the Pottawatomie Co. Sheriff’s Office. The towers fell shortly after 11:00 a.m but the tower fell about 9:30AM, stories vary. Both victims were more than 250 feet above the ground when the tower fell. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other at a hospital. Emergency personnel said one of the towers was recently built and the other was an older structure that was being dismantled by the two workers who died. Blaine is located about 50 miles northwest of Topeka. Four workers were on site. Apparently two towers collapsed. They were on one of them. There was an older tower and a newer tower which was put up just a few weeks ago. The construction crew was in the process of dismantling the older communications tower, but the cause of the collapse of both towers is unknown at this time. The identities of the two workers haven’t been released.

http://m.cjonline.com/news/2014-03-25/communications-tower-collapse-kills-2-pottawatomie-county  Two contractors died Tuesday after two Union Pacific communications towers collapsed in Pottawatomie County. When first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered two towers had collapsed. One worker who had been on the older tower working to dismantle it at the time of its collapse was pronounced dead at the scene. The second sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he died. Ralph Suther, who said he owns the property on which the towers stood, said the older tower had been located on the property for about 50 years. He said Union Pacific began building the new tower in December and had told him they would be taking the older tower down and would be finished in about two weeks. Union Pacific has a 99-year lease on that property for the tower, Suther said. Suther said the old tower was anchored by four cables, and he was told the new one was anchored with three cables. Three Union Pacific employees were surveying the rubble Tuesday afternoon after first responders cleared the scene. They were unable to comment. The towers’ support cables were embedded in the ground, and piles of twisted metal from the structures lay along the ground. The names of the workers who died hadn’t been released as of 4:30 p.m. Riat said they “are not local to Pottawatomie County.” 

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Two-Kansas-Towers-Reported-Down-Possible-Injuries-252268221.html?device=phone  (click on the picture for the slide show of the broken tower)

http://www.kndyradio.com/2014/03/25/update-two-dead-in-communications-tower-collapse-near-blaine/

http://cjonline.com/news/2014-03-25/communications-tower-collapse-kills-2-pottawatomie-county#.UzHWKyhbVlk.facebook

http://www.therepublic.com/w/KS–Tower-Collapse-Fatalities

http://ksn.com/2014/03/25/two-killed-in-communications-tower-accident/

http://www.kndyradio.com/2014/03/25/breaking-two-cell-phone-towers-collapse-near-blaine-two-reported-dead/

http://themercury.com/articles/1-killed-1-injured-in-tower-collapse

Wireless Estimator did a report on the fatalities, for those of you who missed it; http://www.wirelessestimator.com/generaldoc.cfm?ContentID=9