The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Sam Matheny, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has joined the organization’s Board of Governors. The organization made the announcement from NWSA stakeholder meetings that are being held in Dallas, Texas this week. The NWSA is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization …
TIRAP sets goals for telecom workforce development, safety standards at CTIA
The Executive Board of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) met during the annual CTIA Super Mobility conference this week in Las Vegas as part of the group’s ongoing mission to champion workforce development issues within the U.S.’s telecommunications industry. Board Chairman Scott Kisting said the board discussed multiple issues facing the telecommunications sector and committed as a group …
Verizon Exec Laurie Gebhardt joins National Wireless Safety Alliance Board of Governors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Laurie Gebhardt, Director – Network Engineering and Operations at Verizon Wireless, has joined the organization’s Board of Governors. The NWSA’s leadership made the announcement at the 2016 CTIA Super Mobility Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. The NWSA is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization that has been established to provide …
NATE responds to the ‘game changing’ ANSI/ASSE A10.48 Standard
On Aug. 3, 2016, Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the A10.48 Standard, Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification and Maintenance of Communications Structures, the first voluntary national consensus standard strictly dedicated to protecting workers in the communications tower industry. Although the standard has yet to be published, National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) Executive Director Todd Schlekeway, said …
Safety alliance continues efforts to launch tower tech certification programs in December
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) convened its 28-member Board of Governors today in Pittsburgh, Pa. to discuss key action items and activities related to the organization’s worker certification program development process. The NWSA Board of Governors consists of representatives from a broad cross-section of the industry and are tasked with developing policy and overseeing the activities of the various …
NWSA honors AT&T, Black & Veatch and Teltech Communications as meeting sponsors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) has recognized AT&T, Black & Veatch and TelTech Communications today for their instrumental role in hosting and sponsoring the recent NWSA Subject Matter Expert Task Force meetings that were held in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. From December 2015 through June 2016, the NWSA Telecommunications Tower Technician Task Force met at three venues to work on …
State by state industry deaths analysis provides a linch pin for continuing dialogue
For 13 years, Wireless Estimator has been compiling data on industry-related fatalities, and presented that information last month to a dozen public and private safety professionals for analysis to see if there are any common threads that could be explored to reduce tower climber deaths. The only commonality, however, was that although there were 116 fatality incidents since 2003, assigning any significance based upon …
Tower tech beta testers needed to evaluate upcoming written exams
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) is seeking qualified volunteers who are willing to take part in a beta test of the Telecommunication Tower Technician Certification exams on June 30, 2016 in Dallas, Tex. The ideal candidates to take the beta test are those individuals who are currently working as tower technicians and who have received at least some formal …
Chuck Slagle hired as executive director of National Wireless Safety Alliance
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today the hiring of wireless industry veteran Chuck Slagle as the organization’s Executive Director. Slagle, who previously served the NWSA in a consulting capacity, is a former Sprint Environmental Health & Safety Executive with over 38 years of experience in the industry. The NWSA’s leadership announced the hiring at the 2016 Wireless Infrastructure …
From Whoop! to knots, task force moves forward with tower tech certification development
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) convened 35 industry leading subject matter experts this week to continue the assessment and certification development process for the Telecommunications Tower Technician I (TTTI) and Telecommunications Tower Technician II (TTTII) programs. The intensive NWSA task force meetings occurred over a three-day period and were hosted by AT&T at the AT&T Center for Learning in …
Wireless industry tackles needed improvements for failing safety climb systems
Officials from the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), which aims to promote worker safety, quality and efficiency within the wireless infrastructure industry, gathered representatives from wireless carriers, tower companies and safety climb system equipment manufacturers to hold a Safety Equipment Manufacturers Summit to maximize the critical role safety climb equipment plays in protecting climbers. The purpose of the gathering …
NWSA job task survey concludes with industry workers receiving gift cards
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today the winners of the Job Task Analysis Survey Response prize drawings. The NWSA recently concluded an industry-wide Job Task Analysis (JTA) survey of telecommunication tower technicians to ensure that NWSA’s technician exams reflect today’s work environment, regulations, and technology. The JTA survey is a required part of the process to ensure NWSA’s programs achieve …
Safety alliance spreads its message at Las Vegas’ IWCE 2016 confab
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) hosted a Town Hall Meeting Wednesday at the 2016 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas, Nev.. IWCE is a popular annual event for communications technology professionals in the working world. Over 7,000 individuals attend from a diverse group of industry professionals including government/military; public safety (law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical & 911); …
Tower tech survey plays a vital role in developing future certification requirements
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that it is conducting a Job Task Analysis (JTA) of telecommunication tower technicians to ensure that NWSA’s technician exams reflect today’s work environment, regulations, and technology. The JTA survey is a required part of the process to ensure the NWSA’s programs achieve ANSI ISO 17024 accreditation, which is the premier accreditation for personnel …
NWSA outlines its excellent worker certification progress and other key developments
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) convened its 28-member Board of Governors yesterday in New Orleans, La. to discuss key action items and activities related to the organization’s worker certification program development process. The NWSA Board of Governors consists of representatives from a broad cross-section of the industry and are tasked with developing policy and overseeing the activities of the various …
First climber death in 2016 reported in Iowa after tech falls from Hamilton County tower
The Hamilton County Iowa Sherriff’s Department has confirmed that a 28-year-old tower technician fell to his death yesterday at approximately 4:45 p.m. from a cell tower. The man has been identified as Stefan Watermann who was employed by Tri-State Tower of Marion, Ia. A spokesperson said that Watermann lived in Anamosa, Iowa. The investigation is underway into finding the cause. …
Great video tips unveiled in NATE’s 100% tie-off safety video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a 100% Tie-Off Safety Video as part of the Association’s Climber Connection campaign. The video was released by the Association in advance of next week’s NATE UNITE 2016 Conference in New Orleans, La. The video highlights practical 100% Tie-Off safety tips for industry workers to follow to ensure that they are …
Workshop panelists ferret out tower climber concerns and possible solutions
During his opening statement at a Department of Labor / Federal Communications Commission tower climber safety workshop on Feb. 11, 2016, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said that “everybody has to be proactive,” emphasizing the need to champion pre-emptive strikes by all wireless industry stakeholders in order to continue to improve upon a lower climber fatality rate that was achieved in 2015. …
FCC Chairman’s zero fatality message is clear even with slightly different fatality count
Thursday’s message at the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the Federal Communications Commission workshop was loud and clear as stated by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “The industry that provides world-class wireless service must have world-class safety for its employees and contractors. Period,” said Wheeler in his opening remarks during the half-day session (video available here) at FCC headquarters in …
TIRAP and NWSA accord will enhance wireless worker skills development and unify titles
Two leading wireless industry organizations that are separate in their structure, one an apprenticeship training program, the other an accreditation organization, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will allow them to work together toward the goal of developing one aligned body of knowledge with common job position titling based on input and coordination between both groups. The Telecommunications …
