[drpixie]

Traditionally, winch cables are single strand steel (fencing) wire - I guess because that's cheap. But they break quite often.

Cable falls can be a problem. A cable falling over power lines causes all sorts of fuss!

Cable breaks can be terrible. The cable will spring back, whip around, and is incredibly destructive - hence the cage around the winch operator. I would not have been standing anywhere nearby and certainly not next-to or behind the drum.