Two key industry organizations are continuing to collaborate to achieve common goals of a safe, skilled and qualified telecommunications workforce. Officials from the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) and the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA), which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last year, met recently at the Safety LMS training facility in Austin, Tex., as part of …
Black & Veatch exec Martin Travers joins National Wireless Safety Alliance’s Board
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) has announced that Martin Travers, Group President of Black & Veatch, has joined the organization’s Board of Directors. Travers was nominated and formally appointed to serve in this leadership role during the NWSA Board of Directors meeting held in Fort Worth, Tex. on March 2, 2017. NWSA, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, is a national non-profit …
NWSA lauds America’s first trailblazing telecommunications tower technicians
Workers successfully complete assessments; recognized with professional NWSA Certification The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced the names of individuals who are among the first workers to obtain NWSA Telecommunications Tower Technician (TTT) certification at an educational session that was held Tuesday in conjunction with the NATE UNITE 2017 Conference in Fort Worth, Tex. The following industry workers have obtained …
MacEntee named safety alliance’s executive director, Trego and Cook join staff
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Duane MacEntee has been selected as the organization’s new Executive Director. MacEntee replaces Chuck Slagle who has retired from his position as NWSA Executive Director and is transitioning to a consultancy role within the alliance. “NWSA is thrilled to welcome Duane MacEntee as our new Executive Director,” stated President Don …
Carriers and towercos plan for enforcement of new tower technician certifications
Nationwide NWSA certifications mark historic milestone for the communication tower workforce The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced the official launch of two industry-wide certification programs, Telecommunications Tower Technician 1 (TTT-1) and Telecommunications Tower Technician 2 (TTT-2), and carriers and tower companies have informed Wireless Estimator that they are assessing when they will require full certification compliance of all technicians …
Black & Veatch’s Benjamin Afton appointed to safety alliance’s board of governors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Benjamin Afton, Safety & Health Manager for the Telecom Business Line with Black & Veatch in Overland Park, Kan., has joined the organization’s Board of Governors. Afton was appointed to fill one of the seats reserved for the Large General Contractor sector of the industry. “The wireless construction industry is …
NAB’s Sam Matheny appointed to Wireless Safety Alliance’s Board of Governors
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 …