I hate to say this, but....

I think I've mentioned before that Mrs TLW is one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Health and Safety. For US people, think an OSHA inspector but carrying a warrant from the Crown to do the job, including prosecution of occupational health and safety offences.

She has seen that video, as have some of her colleagues.

Their pronouncement on it is, in plain English English, "a complete load of bollocks from start to finish".

Because -
1. OSHA definitely do not allow free-climbing in that situation.
2. Neither does anyone else in the advanced world.
3. They do not free-climb, they use tie-ons in the same way rock-climbers use ropes.
4. She has seen other, longer, videos of the climb up that tower, and it's always two people not one, they take frequent stops to get their breath back and they tie-on. One reason for it being two people is that if one does fall a safety harness will then constrict their blood supply. Which means the person will generally be killed by the harness after 20 minutes or so hanging in it unless rescued. Another reason is the amount of stuff that's needed when they eventually get to the aerials.

None of which takes away anything from the people doing that job. It still needs nerves of steel. Just that they're not daft enough to queue up for a Darwin Award every time they go to work.

tlw
She has seen other, longer, videos of the climb up that tower, and it's always two people not one, they take frequent stops to get their breath back and they tie-on. One reason for it being two people is that if one does fall a safety harness will then constrict their blood supply. Which means the person will generally be killed by the harness after 20 minutes or so hanging in it unless rescued. Another reason is the amount of stuff that's needed when they eventually get to the aerials.

 
Yup, I can see another guy at 2:33 and other points in the video.

I hope they brought extra parts for what they are fixing in case they were to accidentally drop a part. That's what always happens to me when I fix something.

I can verify what tlw is saying. When I had to climb lighting towers, there was a pipe that ran up the middle of the ladder. The pipe had teeth on it. You strapped on a belt and the belt has a big casting that slid over the pipe. So as you climbed, the attachment ran up the pipe smoothly like a ratchet wrench. It could only move in the up direction and was locked from going down. If you slipped you would only fall about 12 inches, the distance from your belt to the safety device. When you wanted to come down it was slow because you had to hold a release button and could only move a few feet at a time.
Happy days.

KenB123
I hope they brought extra parts for what they are fixing in case they were to accidentally drop a part. That's what always happens to me when I fix something.

Same here. Or a washer drops down the back of the engine to an out of reach place it can't be seen but will end up damaging something if it's left there.

And I wouldn't like to be the guy who carried the spanners up all that way and when his mate asked for the 1/2" wrench found I'd left it on the ground.

I remember when building the frame of my first house and having to sit up in the rafters because I couldn't back down to the ladder. Was there for hours until my father in law happened along and helped get me down. No mobiles to call anyone in hose days. I'm over that now but still get sweaty palms talking about real heights like in the vid.

Some might find this video particularly hard to watch...heh heh
More proof that people are absolutely out of their freaking minds. 
 

sharke
Some might find this video particularly hard to watch...heh heh
More proof that people are absolutely out of their freaking minds. 
 

Unbelievable. I was especially impressed by the start and the corner turn: Getting the rear wheel to land on the rail doing the 90 degree turn from the table. I just hope he had someone walking behind him holding a safety rope to make him fall on the safe side of the rail in case he'd slipped.

On the positive side, if he manages to land on his feet instead of his head, his brain may be given to someone more deserving since it has never been used.