Ask a Former Cell Tower Worker

Our investigation with ProPublica into Cell Tower Deaths vividly portrays the risky, high-pressure work of cell tower climbers. In the past 10 years, climbers have died at 10 times the rate of other construction workers as cell carriers raced to build and service America’s expanding cellular infrastructure.

“People don’t understand what the danger is to tower climbing,” former climber Robert Hale says in the film. “One person drops a wrench, it’ll kill somebody.”

So why do they do it? What’s the work really like? How much pressure are they under, day to day?

We asked Wally Reardon, a former cell tower worker who appears in the film, to take your questions about the job, the industry and his experiences. From 1992-2002, Wally worked as a climber on building and servicing communication towers. Today, he’s the project manager for Tower Climber Protection Project.

What are your questions for Wally?

Ask him today on Reddit here, and join a live chat with him and the film’s reporters today at 1 pm ET.