Abstract: Employees were removing 1,000 ft of 5 in. coaxial cable from a 1,154 ft tall radio tower. They were using a system of rigged lines and hoisting grips, which were spaced every 200 ft, to remove 200 ft of cable at a time. A safety backup line that used a barrel hitch had also been attached just below the hoisting grip to each of the three 200 ft sections that the workers had removed from the top. Employee #1 was at the 200 ft level on the tower. In preparation for sawing the cable, he had removed the cable brackets that held it to the tower. The weight of the cable, which had not yet been transferred over to the rigged lines by his coworker at the 400 ft level, was being held only by the hoisting grip. The cable came out of the hoisting grip and struck Employee #1. His safety belt link failed and he fell to the ground. Employee #1 was killed.