Canada’s Structure, Tower & Antenna Council (STAC) will host its 3rd annual conference April 17 and 18, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Calgary in Alberta. From its location in the Stampede City, the STAC 2018 Conference & Exhibition will feature two full days of discussion and presentations by industry leading thinkers on the most important issues in the Canadian tower …
Massive new workforce development, training needed for success of 5G
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has announced the release and publication of a new white paper titled “Getting Ready for 5G: Preparing a Skilled Workforce for Future Wireless Networks.” The new research focuses on how next-generation of mobile communications networks will dramatically change the way network infrastructure is designed and deployed, requiring many new qualified engineers and technicians. The paper …
FirstNet’s buildout strains resources of qualified infrastructure workers
According to Wireless Estimator’s hiring trend data, infrastructure hiring has bounced back to ambitious and overwhelming 2013 LTE buildout levels when Verizon was racing away with its LTE expansion and AT&T was ramping up for its own 4G LTE Roll-out that would require spending $14 billion on network upgrades through 2016. “But that came to a screeching halt in May …
Washington’s ‘Little Red Book’ could easily save tower tech lives
The State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries’ (L&I) extensive Safety Standards for Telecommunications became effective Jan. 1, 2018, and in order to get the rule into workers’ hands, the agency, at no cost to the individual or their company, is providing a downloadable copy of the 129-pages of rules in Chapter 296-32 WAC. The department is also providing …
NATE offering free rigger awareness training throughout the country
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today the dates and locations for their 2018 Rigger Awareness Training Courses. Twelve courses will be hosted nationwide and will be offered free of charge to attendees due to a Susan Harwood Training Grant (SH-31235-SH7) from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Throughout 2018, NATE is planning to …
RSI asks for steep and immediate prosecution for counterfeiting training documents
By Miranda Allen, CEO RSI Corp. Fraudulent safety training cards are circulating putting us at risk. The definition of a fraudulent act is intentional deception of a person or entity by another made for monetary or personal gain. Fraud can be prosecuted both civilly and criminally. Wire fraud is a federal crime and occurs whenever a person uses a phone, …
Tower Technician Practical Examiner workshops to start in early 2018
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) is encouraging industry employers, trainers and workers to register for the upcoming Telecommunications Tower Technician Practical Examiner Accreditation Program (PEAP) Workshops. NWSA will be facilitating several workshops throughout 2018, and is announcing the first two on the following dates: January 29-February 2, 2018 – Vista, CA (Hosted by Pacific Safety Solutions) February 12-16, 2018 …
Crane accident takes the life of 48-year-old Arkansas industry worker
Update: Nov. 7, 2017 – Services for Clarence “Cory” Hale, 48, of West Fork, Ark. who passed away Nov. 2, will be held Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at Sisco Funeral Chapel of Springdale, Ark. Visitation will be Nov. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. He was born April 9, 1969 to Kenneth Don Hale and Lana …
Copyright accusations fly as Washington adopts its extensive telecom safety standard
The State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) adopted their Safety Standards for Telecommunications, Chapter 296-32, on Monday with a Jan. 1, 2018 effective date for the comprehensive 106 pages of rules. Industry associations had challenged some of the major inclusions, but the final version released yesterday saw mostly definition changes, and clarity revisions that do not require …
High angle rescue brings down two tower techs in North Carolina
Two workers had to be rescued after being unable to get down from an approximately 125-foot Crown Castle monopole in south Charlotte, N.C. Thursday night. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, two techs were working on the tower, located at 1800 Rama Rd. when one of the men became ill. The other tower climber proceeded to help his coworker, but couldn’t assist …
SEMC’s mission: Create commonality in wire rope climb terms, inspections, loading design
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) recently applauded the work of the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Consensus group (SEMC) when it met at the USA Telecommunications Insurance Services facility in Atlanta, Ga. to finalize the first revision of the Wire Rope Climb for Antenna Supporting Structures Guide. SEMC has been working with the staff and leadership from the Telecommunications Industry …
NWSA begins development of Telecommunications Tower Foreman worker certification
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) today announced that a group of nearly 40 subject matter experts, representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications industry, are convening in Dallas, Tex. this week to begin the development process for the Telecommunications Tower Foreman certification program. NWSA made the announcement at the 2017 GSMA-CTIA Mobile World Congress Americas event in San Francisco, …
TIRAP on pace to achieve 1,000 registered apprentices, finalized new occupations
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) announced that the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), which serves as the National Sponsor for the program, is on pace to sign up a total of 1,000 registered apprentices through participating companies. “This is exciting because the employers are not only utilizing the existing program but supporting the creation of new occupations and endorsements …
California tower technician rescued by emergency crews
A tower tech working on a 120-foot self-supporting tower in Los Flores Ranch Park, southeast of Orcutt, Calif. was rescued after he became weak and nearly fainted, and could not descend the tower this afternoon. According to Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni, the worker was doing repair work on the structure owned by the city of Santa Maria, …
NATE’s WIN Great Plains September conference agenda and speakers unveiled
The National Association of Tower Erector’s (NATE) and Wireless Industry Network (WIN) unveiled the speaker line-up and agenda for the NATE WIN Great Plains Regional Conference on Wed., Sept. 27, 2017 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Bloomington, Minn. The conference will feature dynamic speakers and informative sessions on cutting-edge industry topics. The event will also offer tremendous networking …
NATE’s all-time high membership count is attributed to benefits
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today that it had established a new all-time record of 828 member companies, a continuing increase in membership that the Association has seen for a number of years. NATE’s 828th member is Construction & Telecommunication Services, Inc. of Danvers, Mass. “NATE member companies encompass all layers of the wireless infrastructure chain and …
WIA endorses Trump administration apprenticeship reforms, TIRAP welcomes 12 contractors
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) and the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced today that 12 companies have signed agreements to be Participating Employers in the nation’s only telecommunications apprenticeship program. This pledge from private businesses will accelerate the fulfillment of TIRAP’s goal to address the skills gap in the telecommunications industry by adopting an apprenticeship model, which is …
Calculating the job risk online, cell tower technicians are ‘doomed’ – but it’s unlikely
A study that has been kicking around since it was published by researchers at Oxford University in 2013, has gained a second life in the last few months after two online entrepreneurs made it easy to find out how susceptible 702 occupations were to being replaced by machines. The university report by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne was created …
Industry applauds OSHA / FCC’s long-awaited Communication Tower Best Practices guide
The FCC and OSHA today released their Communication Tower Best Practices guide following a concerted joint effort on industry safety when the two agencies began the initiative with a workshop in Washington, D.C. in 2014 and continued the effort with another group of industry stakeholders in 2016. Although the guide is advisory in nature, and is not a standard or regulation, …
WIA launches new industry education and training programs
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced the creation of the Telecommunications Education Center (TEC), a new program and online portal that aims to provide the wireless telecommunications industry with a series of education and training courses with the goal of building a stronger and more diverse workforce. TEC (www.tec-online.org) aims to improve safety and quality, reduce costs of wireless …
