Sounds like you have never had an RF burn before. The sensation is a lot like a sunburn, but is hard to get if you are electrically close to the ground. Higher frequencies can still give you RF burns when you're standing on the ground.

RF exposure on the ground from an aerial are likely non-harmful. Right next to the antenna can still give burns. There's also issues of arcing, lightning, and other electrical issues when dealing with high power radios.

Electricity is unforgiving and a lot of the safety rules in licenses above Technician try to instill that fact.