As the battle against falls from height rages on in the workplace, falls remain a leading cause of work-related deaths across the globe. “Surely no one sets off to work saying ‘this is the day I want to die’,” says Loui McCurley, one of the industry’s most knowledgeable climbing and rope access rigging experts as well as an author whose …
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 …
New NATE video emphasizes the gravity of not respecting gravity
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a Gravity Video as part of the Association’s 2016 Climber Connection campaign. The video features testimonial footage of a tower technician articulating the importance of respecting gravity at all times when working in the communication tower industry. The video also includes practical safety tips for industry workers to follow in order …
TIRAP releases new job safety video exploring standards for tower work
Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) Board Chairman Scott Kisting today encouraged members of the wireless infrastructure industry to watch a new online video that focusses on the ANSI/TIA 1019-A standard for telecommunications towers. The ANSI/TIA 1019-A standard provides construction considerations and loading requirements for telecommunications structures under construction related to antenna supporting structures and antennas. The standard addresses the …
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 …
NATE’s tower inspection video covers multiple practical tips
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a Tower Inspection Safety Video as part of the Association’s 2016 Climber Connection campaign. The Association unveiled the video at the 2016 Wireless Infrastructure Show in Dallas, Tex. The video highlights practical safety tips for industry workers to follow when performing tower inspections. The video includes both ground-based and aerial footage of …
OSHA is readying new RF, fall protection and hoist standards
Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had known that fall protection in the wireless construction industry has either been used improperly or inconsistently due to the high fatality rate of tower climbers, after analyzing the responses to their 38 questions on tower safety published last April, the agency has decided that it will be moving forward with revising their standards …
Lack of industry stand-downs doesn’t mean safety has been kicked to the curb
It will be a while before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identifies how successful this year’s national safety stand-down was, but from an overview of wireless construction company participants, it received a weak effort. However, that’s not to say that the wireless industry isn’t concerned about worker safety, especially preventing falls which accounted for 337 of the 874 …
W4W selects Safety LMS again to provide training and new course development curriculum
Austin, Texas-based tower industry training provider Safety LMS has signed a new operating agreement with Washington DC-based Warriors 4 Wireless. Since early 2014, Safety LMS has been developing curriculum for the White House-endorsed program that provides training and job placement services for returning military veterans. The signing of the new agreement by W4W President, Kelley Dunne and Safety LMS President, JP Jones, solidifies …
Participating in the stand-down? Let us give your company a plug
This week’s national safety stand-down to prevent falls in construction’s goal is to reach 5 million workers. If OSHA meets that goal, they will have touched more than half of the construction workers in the country. That count will double last year’s 2.5 million workers. Anyone who wants to prevent falls in the workplace can participate in the stand-down. In …
Severely injured tower workers now eligible to receive scholarships
The Tower Family Foundation announced today that the eligibility criteria for its scholarship program has been expanded to include severely injured or permanently disabled tower workers. The revised scholarship guidelines are effective immediately and will ensure that eligible tower workers who sustain serious injuries on the job can now receive a Tower Family Foundation scholarship to continue their post-secondary education …
Trainer of thousands of climbers passes peacefully after doing what he loved
Thousands of the industry’s tower technicians arrive home safely every night because of their training by ComTrain Senior Instructor Coda William Witt, who passed away on Thurs., April 21, 2016 at age 71 while on a camping trip in Arizona. According to ComTrain President Zane Windham, Witt had trained more than 2,500 climbers after joining the tower safety training organization …
Safety trainer CITCA lands Jocko Vermillion to expand their services
Steve Wilder, Chief Operating Officer of CITCA, LLC of Bourbonnais, IL has announced that Jocko Vermillion will be joining the safety training organization effective April 18, 2016. Well-known in the tower safety industry, Vermillion will assume the role of Vice-President of Safety Management Services. In that role he will work with both CITCA clients and with clients of CITCA’s sister …
Co-worker assists in tower tech’s rescue in Maryland
Update: April 7, 2016 – “The employee in distress informed the other crew members that he was in need of assistance and the other crew members immediately began the process to assist him off of the facility,” Steven Weber of Network Building + Consulting (NB+C) said in a statement to The Enterprise. The worker was taken to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, …
Industry workers participate in NATE’s Ohio fall prevention training
On Tues., March 29, the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), in conjunction with curriculum and training provider Safety Controls Technology (SCT), hosted a Fall Prevention Worker Training Course in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The course was attended by 43 industry workers representing tower service and maintenance companies located in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The Fall Protection …
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); …
Training, rigging and respect emphasized in NATE’s cathead video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has released a Capstan Hoist & Rigging Safety Video as part of the Association’s Climber Connection campaign. NATE unveiled the video at the 2016 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas, Nev. The video highlights practical safety tips for selecting and utilizing capstan hoists. Additionally, the video footage includes a testimonial from …
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 …
Thirty-four Big Easy ‘Train-the-Trainer’ graduates announced by NATE
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today announced the graduating participants of the Train-the-Trainer Course the Association hosted on Feb. 21 – 25, 2016 in New Orleans, La. NATE, in conjunction with curriculum and training provider Safety Controls Technology (SCT), offered a five-day course at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The course was offered free of charge to eligible …
