Category Archives: Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Do You Want to Improve Climber Safety? Maybe Not!

You know, somebody should do something to improve the industry, If only you had a say! Wait, you do have a say, don’t you! I was reading an article on Wireless Estimator about the RFI response and how response is poor at best, article found here. Wireless Estimator OSHA RFI entry website found here.

My responses are here, take a look! Download it.

If you completed the RFI response, than thank you and you‘re a shining credit to the safety of the tower industry! It shows that you care and that you want to make a change for the better in the industry. Way to go! If you didn’t, then read on!

Learn more on Wireless

Are tower climbers deadbeats? I would bet most people reading this would say no, and yet all you had to do is respond to the OSHA RFI, but you were too busy doing something more important, like shaving your back! 38 questions were there to be answered; some specifically asking for the tower climber’s opinion, but you didn’t have time to type out a few sentences, did you? You will quick to bitch about conditions and pay, but you could take the 30 minutes or so to even look at the first section of the RFI.

Worried about the deadline, well don’t, just respond today, tonight, tomorrow morning, but don’t wait any longer!

Most of you that didn’t answer probably spend a lot of time on Facebook complaining or posting rude pictures, so why not do something to help the industry?

All you had to do was answer some questions, but were you too busy or too lazy!

All you had to do was log into Wireless Estimator and answer the questions, but you didn’t do it.

What was more important? Was it that TV show you were watching at night?

You know, I put a lot of effort into writing these blogs so help people, but you’re too busy to let OSHA know where the tower climber needs help.

Maybe we’re fine, maybe the tower industry is fine. Maybe all that most climbers are worth are $10/hour to risk their lives. Maybe all the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, boys, and dog-tags_clearbackgrondgirls that lost a family member mean nothing to you. it wasn’t you that got hurt, only a fellow worker in the wireless industry. A brother or sister that does the same job as you, a fellow elevated worker, someone who has a family who may never climb again, may never work again, or may never get to kiss their loved ones goodnight again. Once they are gone, it takes away everything, all they ever had and all they ever will have.

I hear so many of you complain, here is your chance to do something and most of you just won’t. Are you lazy, that is how I see it if you didn’t fill out part of this. Maybe it is a lack of commitment. Maybe you want to see your fellow workers get hurt, after all, doing nothing is like letting people die, so why not just sit back and hope that it’s not you or your work mates that die.

This is my plea for help, this is me asking you to get off of your lazy ass and do something. Complete the RFI response. Go to my blog here for instruction on what to so. The sooner the better!

Did you do it? Are you done? I didn’t say it would be quick or easy, but it needs to be done.

You know what, if you’re not going to do it, then maybe we should just continue to blame the climbers for all the faults, after all, most of you are not motivated to change anything. Complacency is the problem, and if you look in the mirror you will see the problem if you choose to do nothing.

Just remember what that you could have done something, and you chose not to. Way to go slacker!

Did you do the right thing? Let me know today!

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Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

 

 

 

Be smart, be safe, pay attention, and complete the RFI! 

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Do You Know Cell Tower Leasing?

You may understand cell tower work, but what about site acquisition and cell tower leasing? I previously shared that I did a very short stint in site acquisition. It is a tough job, kudos to all the site acquisition people out there. So what about the leasing space and land for cell towers? Do you fully understand the leasing aspect? I was curious about cell tower leasing, because people have reached out to me in the past, asking me about leasing cell towers and leasing the ground beneath the tower. How does it all work?

Leasing support for everybody! FYI – 2015 USA OSHA Stand Down May 4th to May 15th!

I saw an interesting blog from Airwaves Advisors, http://www.airwaveadvisors.com/blog/ that talked about the leasing of cell towers. This prompted me to reach out to Nick Foster, the President and Founder of Airwaves Advisors, to ask him more about cell tower leasing. While I didn’t get him on the podcast, he was nice enough to let me interview him about this aspect of our industry.

First, it is important to understand that Nick does not represent the carriers, or the big tower companies. Nick works for the land owners. You know, the ones who know little about the tower industry, and think that if they get a few hundred dollars for a cell tower on their property, or on their roof, that they are getting a good deal. Well, let’s be fair here, Nick is an advocate for the landlord, the people who can benefit with a better understanding of the true value of a cell tower lease. These people are members of our community and deserve to get a fair-deal. It is their land, or building, and they have to deal with the tower on their property, the constant vendor access, and the workers showing up on their land for the construction.

So what if a carrier, Crown Castle, or American Tower, wanted to build a cell tower on your property, or rooftop? Would you know how to structure the lease, or to make changes to the lease, based on the addition of a new carrier to the cell tower? Well, Nick can help you structure the lease up front, he is the one you need to call first. He has a page to tell you who he can help, http://www.airwaveadvisors.com/who-we-help/, that shows you he is in the corner of the little guy. He is the one who will stand up for you, the property owner. He has helped not only land owners, but commercial property owners, religious institutions, governments, and cell tower owners.

My conversation with Nick was interesting. He was working in the commercial real estate industry in Washington D.C. before moving to San Diego (one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion). He did a stint in site acquisition and realized how often property owners had no representation, often leaving thousands of dollars on the table. This prompted him to think about what type of business to start. Then people were calling him asking for help. The next thing you know this guy is working the business and growing. He knows how to deal with the big boys, because if they are looking to go somewhere, it is usually for a good reason, they need to be there to fill dead spots.

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Thank you Tower Safety!

Oh, and if you think he is dealing with the carriers direct, well guess again, it is usually a site acquisition or a law firm, not the carrier or tower company. The carriers and tower owners usually are ready to bring in the big guns immediately to ensure they secure a favorable deal. To balance the power, Nick is here to help out the property owner.

You probably think I have been talking about just the monthly income, right? Well, there is more than the rent and the recurring revenue. If the tower owner adds another carrier to the tower, the land owner should be able to get some more money for each carrier in a revenue sharing option.

What about the access road, who is going to maintain it? You or the tower owner? What about the landscaping, is there a governmental ordinance that the land owner is held to? Will the taxes change? What about the zoning, did you think about it?

My point here is that you have options and you should never go into the negotiations without being fully prepared, or represented. Tower Worker Logbook OfferRemember that knowledge is power, and chances are you will need someone who is as knowledgeable as the person negotiating against.

This is only going to get more intense with the growth of small cells, and the smaller cell sites with LTE. I think the carriers will need to install more assets that will be closer to the people to help carry load and capacity needs. All the property owners out there will need help. They will be looking for someone to help them negotiate those leases up front, so that when the small cell expansion happens, they will be able to get a fair price without having any damage done to their property, and to maximize their value.

Remember that you need to make sure that you are fairly represented.

If you need help now, reach out to Nick at http://www.airwaveadvisors.com/, or call his office at (888) 443-5101.

Look out for my safety initiative coming out soon!

What do you think about leasing land for a cell tower?

Do you log your climbing and driving time? Do you log your work Tower Worker Logbook Offertasks and projects and locations? Well why not? It may mean the difference between proving you did the work or not. It may mean that your employer does not understand how much you climb. You need to have a record of it so keep a daily log. Click on the link below to gain more knowledge! Get the template to get started by clicking the link below.
http://wadesarver.com/tower-worker-logbook/SOW Training Cover
Do you know how to read your scope of work (SOW)? Do you understand what to do on the job site? Are you being asked to write a SOW? If so, then get some training! Link is below!
http://wadesarver.com/tower-worker-logbook/



 

See what you can learn! Click here for more information!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Click here for more information just for you!

 

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Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

 

 

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To become a certified project manager you need to take your Project Management Professional Certification test. Then will be a certified PMP, Project Management Professional. If you are studying or preparing for it then my partner can help.Click Here! 

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When working in project management it really helps to have some templates to get started. I have a partner that has the toolkit you need! If you need some tools then I think this will help. Get some templates and tools that would help you improve your PM work.Click Here! 

 

Water Tank Painter Dies and other Tower Top News!

Climb forward climbers! Let’s all deploy wireless! Thanks to Tower Safety Inc. for all of their support and sponsorship!
Breaking news! Water tower painter dies in fall! New is here. This is very sad that anyone had to fall this year. While not doing antenna or tower work, this is very sad and my sympathies go out to the families. Link below.
http://fox2now.com/2015/04/27/water-tower-worker-falls-to-death-in-damiansville/

FYI – 2015 USA OSHA Stand Down May 4th to May 15th!

Click here for OSHA Stand Down page!

dog-tags_clearbackgrondGuess what! FirstNet Releases RFP! It is a draft RFP so they can figure out what to do, how to build, and how to sustain it. I know that $7 Billion sounds like a lot of money, but it’s not enough to deploy a system to cover 95% of the continental US and all of its territories. Links below.
http://www.firstnet.gov/
http://firstnet.gov/resources
http://www.firstnet.gov/sites/default/files/firstnet-third-notice-2015-04-27.pdf
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=55fa4d3227d5ac0173e4613e04368c86

Look out for my safety initiative coming out soon!

OSHA news! In 2013 4,585 workers died on the job due to unsafe working conditions! Believe it or not that number is lower than 1970!
http://ehstoday.com/safety/4585-reasons-workers-memorial-day?NL=OH-05&Issue=OH-05_20150428_OH-05_831&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1&utm_rid=CPG03000003583068&utm_campaign=4890&utm_medium=email
Do you log your climbing and driving time? Do you log your work Tower Worker Logbook Offertasks and projects and locations? Well why not? It may mean the difference between proving you did the work or not. It may mean that your employer does not understand how much you climb. You need to have a record of it so keep a daily log. Click on the link below to gain more knowledge! Get the template to get started by clicking the link below.
http://wadesarver.com/tower-worker-logbook/SOW Training Cover
Do you know how to read your scope of work (SOW)? Do you understand what to do on the job site? Are you being asked to write a SOW? If so, then get some training! Link is below!
http://wadesarver.com/tower-worker-logbook/

What do you think about all of this? Tell me how your company will honor OSHA stand down week!

 

See what you can learn! Click here for more information!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Click here for more information just for you!

 

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Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

 

 

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To become a certified project manager you need to take your wsarver1-projdocs-qrcode-SMALLProject Management Professional Certification test. Then will be a certified PMP, Project Management Professional. If you are studying or preparing for it then my partner can help.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

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When working in project management it really helps to have CCNA Study Guidesome templates to get started. I have a partner that has the toolkit you need! If you need some tools then I think this will help. Get some templates and tools that would help you improve your PM work.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

OSHA RFI Response for Suitability for Work

If you didn’t do it yet, complete the OSHA RFI, it is easy and OSHA values your response. I’m tired of hearing you complain, now is your chance to make a difference. OSHA doesn’t listen you say, maybe you are not complaining to the right people! Here is your chance. If you disagree with what I say, and then tell OSHA what the right thing to do it, it is very easy!

Prefer to listen on YouTube?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWT2Gt7vd0A

I uploaded my comments to the Wireless Estimator page this morning. I am writing this on April 25, 2015. Did you respond yet?

dog-tags_clearbackgrondLook up my answers on Wireless Estimator OSHA RFI site by searching for Wade4Wireless or Wade Sarver. Go ahead, log in and look around, see what others have said, that is what I am doing. Click on the view comments to see what others have done.

Here is how I responded to the 2 questions for Suitability for work.  (Short and sweet today!)

  1. Are employees directly engaged in tower work assessed for physical fitness? If so, how? Are physical fitness requirements and assessments addressed in contracting agreements?
    • Not in most cases, many are just asked if they can climb and asked to do a drug test.
    • What should be offered is a complete physical because this is a physical job that requires endurance.
  1. What physical limitations should employers be aware of when assigning an employee communication tower work? What hazards might be associated with such limitations, and how could those hazards be mitigated?
  • It’s a physical job requiring strength, sight, hearing, and common Tower Worker Logbook Offersense. If an employee is short any one of those qualities then there is danger to that person and the workmates. If all the physical parts are intact then the common sense can be taught through apprenticeship and experience.

FYI – 2015 USA OSHA Stand Down May 4th to May 15th!

The thing that I didn’t address here is the common sense value, the figure thing out value, and the emotional stability factor. These are all factors that could affect the worker’s effectiveness at the site. I speak more about it on the podcast.

See what you can learn! Click here for more information!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Click here for more information just for you!

 

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Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

 

 

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SOW Training Offer
Click me for more on SOW Training!
Tower Worker Logbook Offer
Click here for more information about the tower worker logbook!
Wireless Field Worker's Offer
Click here for more information on the tower worker’s field aid!

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 CCNA Study GuideInterested in gaining your CCNA? I have an affiliate with a great study guide! Learn more, Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

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To become a certified project manager you need to take your wsarver1-projdocs-qrcode-SMALLProject Management Professional Certification test. Then will be a certified PMP, Project Management Professional. If you are studying or preparing for it then my partner can help.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

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When working in project management it really helps to have CCNA Study Guidesome templates to get started. I have a partner that has the toolkit you need! If you need some tools then I think this will help. Get some templates and tools that would help you improve your PM work.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

OSHA RFI Questions for Tower Climbers

I wanted to make sure we all respond to the OSHA questions. I have been working on them for the past 3 days. I am still looking them over because this is very important to me. I really want to make sure we give OSHA a good foundation for the future of tower climber safety. I plan to upload them to the Wireless Estimator page this week. I am writing this on April 22, 2015, and plan to upload them tomorrow.

dog-tags_clearbackgrondFirst, I want to share them with you. This may not be the final but you can look me up on the Wireless Estimator OSHA RFI site by searching for Wade4Wireless or Wade Sarver. Go ahead, log in and look around, see what others have said, that is what I am doing. Click on the view comments to see what others have done.

FYI – 2015 USA OSHA Stand Down May 4th to May 15th!

Since this is so long, I have put the tower climber questions in this post. I will release a post for each section. You don’t need to answer every question, but please, make sure that your answers are going toSOW Training Cover help. You have to look at this as your contribution for change, so if you decide to be a smart ass with a stupid answer, then you don’t care. You should find a new industry to work in because we want to make this a better profession! Remember that professionals work in this profession!

OK, I am done preaching, here are the questions and answers.See what you can learn! Click here for more information!

Prefer to listen on YouTube?

Questions for Tower Climbers

  1. As a tower climber, what are the most significant hazards that you encounter on the job? What circumstances or conditions create or contribute to these hazards?
  • Hazards: Falling, fatigue, injury from over exertion, stress from travel and working at heights. The climber’s job is at height and outdoors so weather is also a hazard. The climber must work in all climates causing another risk to be taken into consideration. Frostbite and heat exhaustion are all factors that cause problems when working at height.
  • Circumstances: Often time the circumstances that cause problems are when the schedule is pushing the climbers to work quickly and longer hours in the air. The deadlines need to be realistic and take into account that there are delays due to delivery and weather and other customer’s schedules. This is often why inexperienced crews do much of the work because the roll outs of all the carriers happen simultaneously. Look at the auctions, all the carriers win the frequencies at the same time so they all have to deploy along the same schedules. This causes the current contractors to book up very quickly. This falls into the realm of taking short cuts. If the climbers would remain tied off 100% of the time then you would think the problem would be resolved. The schedule causes them to take shortcuts. Also, a big part of this is getting paid, low pay makes for poor quality of worker, training, and lack of PPE. When the crews don’t get paid, either by their owners or contractors, for any reason, they can’t continue safely.
  • Conditions: Working at heights for prolonged periods in all environments and in odd positions while moving heavy weight cause many problems. It causes the workers to over exert themselves if they don’t have the right tools. The tight schedules given to the climbers due to heavy emphasis put on due dates and trying to make the hours bid. Often the job is bid skinny causing the hours to be unrealistic. If there is bad weather then it could cause issues with climbing or if you delay the climb then the schedule will be impacted causing the climbers to try to get done in less time by rushing, taking shortcuts, or working extremely long days, even in the dark. The stress is caused by the extensive travel and the worry of training new workers at height. It becomes tough to worry about yourself and your greenhorn.
  1. What steps do you take, at this time, to complete your work safely? What safety-related work practices do you think should be in place?
  • Currently employed is the 100% tie off, training, and practice. That along with logging the high time and drive time of each climber.
  • There should be 100% ties off rule, required training for all workers on site for tower work, tower safety, and rescue. First Aid and CPR should be standard. All drive and high time should be logged and kept on record. All practice of tower rescue should be logged and kept on record. All certifications should be required and kept on record. I think that the customer should require all the records they can. All customers should require a safety audit for all tower work to be done by independent companies. This should be the customer’s responsibility!
  1. What safety rules and work practices are provided to you, and who provides you with that information?
  • In the safety handbook there is a list of rules, 100% tie off, notes about the drug tests, and safety practices for the worker. There is also a safety manual from Comtrain that is passed around. There is also a list of safety practices from OSHA and the insurance company about heavy lifting.
  • The handbook is distributed by the foreman and HR.
  1. Who assigns and oversees your work? Who provides your training and checks your equipment? When at a job site, to whom would you report a potential safety issue?
  • The department head or a project manager assigns and oversees the work from a high level. In the field, at a tower site, there is a foreman or a crew lead that oversees the work and maintains the schedule and safety practices. Someone from HR, the safety person, oversees the training and certifications.
  • You would report all incidents to your immediate supervisor.
  • Potential safety issues would be reported to the foreman or lead on site.
  1. What specific steps do you think employers can take to make tower work safer?
  • I think that companies that do safety audits work best. They have a person come out to the sites randomly to inspect the crew and offer ways to improve safety without being a jerk. I think that practice makes perfect so by getting the crew or crews together once a month to practice rescue and safety and talk about how they do things is a big help. I believe that annual training is very important to keep everyone up to speed.
  1. How, and to what extent, does the design or configuration of towers, and equipment installed on towers, affect your ability to complete your work safely?
  • It plays a major role. There are times you can’t figure out how to stay tied off to go to the next level. Or you have nothing safe to anchor to. Monopoles are very difficult to maintain a safe anchor. Sometimes on a monopole, or other towers staying tied off is harder because the safe points are no near. Many times there should be a safety climb on the towers and monopole but it is either broken, lose, faulty, or not installed.

What do you think of the OSHA RFI? Let me know by sending me a message and then I will send you a newsletter, eventually.

Don’t forget to complete the OSHA RFI on Wireless Estimator!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Click here for more information just for you!

 

We Need You   Want to be a sponsor and advertise here? Let me know!

dog-tags_clearbackgrond
Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

To become a certified project manager you need to take your wsarver1-projdocs-qrcode-SMALLProject Management Professional Certification test. Then will be a certified PMP, Project Management Professional. If you are studying or preparing for it then my partner can help.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

When working in project management it really helps to have CCNA Study Guidesome templates to get started. I have a partner that has the toolkit you need! If you need some tools then I think this will help. Get some templates and tools that would help you improve your PM work.Click Here! Scan or click the ICON for more information!

What if Legal work went out to bid?

Hey, I was thinking about the all the legal battles that go on in the wireless world. I stumbled upon and article about a law suit where AT&T was fighting to get tower built-in a small town, The Village of Corrales, (near Albuquerque, NM), so that they would have coverage. This is so they fill a hole. I support AT&T 100%. The article is here if you’re interested. Another article is here. So do you think that AT&T will put the legal work out to bid?

Let’s look at the scenario. AT&T writes the RFP and puts the RFP out to bid, stating they need legal council to fight for the tower to be built. Then they put it out to bid, looking for the best price. A turf vendor picks it up and says they can do it. So then they look for a local vendor in the ares, in New Mexico. Well that vendor doesn’t have any lawyers working for them but don’t worry, there is a local law office in the city which has lawyers willing to go to court for $20/hour. So they hire the cheapest person in the area that can complete the outline in the SOW, but did they do background checks? Who cares, it’s cheap and the contractor probably won’t pay anyway.

Would AT&T take chances with a legal battle by not hiring the best they can? Then why would they take chances with climbers, a high risk job where people die?!? Does anyone die in court? I don’t think so, at least not in a battle to build a tower. I believe that AT&T, and all the carriers understand how important climber safety is and they will do everything they can to ensure that the climber arrives home at the end of the week, alive.

dog-tags_clearbackgrondTrust me, every life matters, if we can save one by making sure the climbers are properly qualified with training and certification and experience the right way, then we are on the path to a better world. It won’t eliminate accidents, which happen, but it will help the industry grow to be as safe as it can possibly be. All I ask is that they require proof of safety and build in money for teams to go on site randomly and do safety audits.

Personal comment, I support towers being built. NIMBY, (Not In My Back Yard), is very common. I feel like we live in a crazy world when the carriers have to go to court just to help improve coverage in these communities, think of all the money wasted by doing this. If you ever went through the zoning process you would realize how painful this process is. (Kudos to all the site acquisition people out there!) SOW Training CoverEveryone wants coverage, yet no one wants to see the tower. We are overcoming that battle by building mini cell sites and small cells. DAS and Distributed small cells are helping us overcome those issues. However, for all of these people that fight the communications tower being built, or object to antennas being places nearby, (refer to LARICS system being slowed down), with the end result being a 911 call can’t get through or even worse emergency responders don’t have coverage to call for help or backup then who is to blame? Does the FCC look to the people who objected to the towers, no, they blame the carrier for being so irresponsible for not building it there in the first place.

Don’t forget to complete the OSHA RFI on Wireless Estimator!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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Thanks to my sponsor Tower Safety! Where the best get better!

Listen to  iTunes or Stitcher for more commentary! Podcast Download

To become a certified project manager you need to take your Project Management Professional Certification test. Then will be a certified PMP, Project Management Professional. If you are studying or preparing for it then my partner can help. Click Here!

When working in project management it really helps to have some templates to get started. I have a partner that has the toolkit you need! If you need some tools then I think this will help. Get some templates and tools that would help you improve your PM work. Click Here! If you are on your mobile then scan this.

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Safety Alert! OSHA Needs Your Help!

For all of you that say OSHA doesn’t care, you’re wrong! I have proof, well here you go! They released a Request For Information (RFI) to get the feedback of all of you climbers! All of you climbers that care enough to take the time to respond! The official FCC information is here and the PDF is available here.

However Wireless Estimator came up with a way to make it easy on us to fill out the form. They have an overview here. I am going to go through it for you so you understand what is going on. The link is HERE and let me walk you through the process. If you click on the link then you will see that Wireless Estimator has compiled the questions for you. They also are going to let you look at other people’s answers as well. You will not see their names but you can see what other people said. It may help you modify answer or totally disagree.

So for all of you that say OSHA is not listening, here is your chance to take action! This is your chance to help shape the industry. All I ask is that you give a professional and fair answer. You can’t say you disagree or agree with no explanation. This is your chance to contribute, no excuses. OSHA has more information here.

Now, let me go over the web page and how to enter questions. When you answer the questions and give your input, remember, be concise, be professional, base your reasons on experience and evidence and how it will impact you, and make sure your answers are sound. If you want to see a website on how to respond go to http://www.regulations.gov/docs/Tips_For_Submitting_Effective_Comments.pdf and see what the feds recommend that you do.

OK, now the website overview. When you go to http://www.wirelessestimator.com/osha-rfi-2015/#!/section/1/questions you will see that the sections are broken out on the left, I have a picture below. You will see the sections to the left and the questions in the center. Make sure you complete each question that you are prepared to answer. Now remember that you will be able to enter good information and if you enter a crap answer that it will be flushed!

Screen Capture

I would recommend answering only the questions you are qualified to answer, don’t try to suggest something for a section that you are not qualified to work in. Make your answers count, but don’t feed a line of crap, be truthful, honest, and give a great suggestion.

There is the overview in the beginning to tell you what each section encompasses. You have the following sections:

  1. Question for Tower Climbers
  2. Training and Certification
  3. Suitability for Work
  4. Hazards and Incidents
  5. Contracting and Work
  6. Economic Issues
  7. Tower Design
  8. Regulatory/Non-Regulatory Approaches

Do the best you can, make it count, and you will play your part in shaping the industry by informing OSHA what to do and how to make progress in saving climbers lives. That what this is all about! Saving lives and making sure that qualified people are doing this job! Do you get it? This all depends on you and your participation. So be a professional and contribute to the industry that you work in.

Don’t you want to make a difference at OSHA that could affect all climbers? It’s up to you!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. This is your time to shape the industry, don’t waste it with regrets!

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Tips to Qualify Your Subs?

Many of you have hired contractors. Many of you probably already have contractors that work for you so you have been through this. (Thanks to www.ConstructionDataQuarterly.com for input)

  • General information about the sub. Wireless is a relatively small industry, so chances are you may know the owner of the tower crew. Make sure you get all of the information. Who owns the company, experience, resume, are they a minority business, size of business, contractor’s license, number of employees, do they hire contractors or do they have their own crews?
  • Get their safety and OSHA information. Ask them for any citations and their experience modification rate for the previous 3 years, their safety programs, their safety plans, their rescue plan and dog-tags_clearbackgrondhow they handle their daily, weekly, and annual safety meetings. Ask them who is responsible for the safety program in their company. Ask for a name. Ask to see their safety and rescue plans. How long have they been accident free? What was the last accident? What were the circumstances? Most companies are very open about this, if the lawyers allow it.
  • Who is their current surety provider, agent name, bond rates.
  • Find out if they have ever filed for bankruptcy. It matters.
  • Find out if they have any active litigation pending. See if they have any labor law violations, if their license is or has been revoked. Do they have any judgements filed against them?
  • Ask all insurance questions up front, make sure that your umbrella covers the contract.
  • References, references, references. Ask them for references. Now, they will give you all the good ones so don’t be afraid to ask the references for references, perhaps even a PM that work on their jobs. Don’t just ask for work references, verify their credit references as well. Make sure you ask for up to 4 references.
  • Scope of work, when it comes to the specific job. Clear up the scope of work questions. Make sure you agree to the scope and SOW Trainingwho will provide the miscellaneous parts used daily. Understand the tool requirements, the tasks, and the labor requirement. I know many of you will hand them the SOW and say, “Good Luck!”, but that’s not enough. Clear up the small things and then they can do the big things.
  • Review the Bill of Materials. The BOM and staging really matter, clarify as to what the expectations are. It’s a simple thing that can be cleared up prior to the job. When the deployment starts, it’s hard to settle this when the equipment is being shipped.
  • Clarify the change order process. Do it up front so there are no questions during the job.
  • Don’t tell the sub he has to do something he can’t do, remember that they have limitations. Just because someone does tower work does not make them an expert rigger! Be clear about the work!
  • Are you going to hire this sub or are they going in as a partner? Be clear about the roles.
  • Then deploy, install, make wireless magic happen!
  • Pay your sub, make notes of what they did right and what they could have done better. If they didn’t finish the job, ask yourself why and whose fault was it? Did both of you understand the scope of work?
  • When you get a good sub, hold onto them!

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Remember to be smart, be safe, and pay attention. If it’s your plan then follow it until you have to adapt, improvise, and overcome those obstacles at the site!

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Goodbye Radio Shack!

I know most of you heard about Radio Shack closing. That is the end of an era, in electronics anyway. I remember when I would go to Radio Shack because they carried electronics parts and they were everywhere. There were so many of those parts distributors around the country that I relied on. In Harrisburg there was Cumberland Electronics which carried tubes, they were my local source. I remember when Graybar would carry the telecom parts I needed.

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So Goodbye Radio Shack! Don’t worry, I am not upset about how you abandon me when I needed parts because you only carried computer parts or when you finally gave up computer parts to carry flat screens and cell phones. In fact, all distributors did that so we in the field had to get creative and do mail order! When we did that we also saw how much cheaper we could get computer parts, so that plan backfired a bit. Then we learned more about shopping on the internet, thank you again, boy, the deals we found.

Still, it was great when we could pick up the parts as we needed them. I really miss that and also shopping for other deals at your stores. I remember that about all the distributors, there were so many parts that I felt I could fix anything! WOW! Those were the days!

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Now, we need to wait for the parts or make sure we have the spares. It seems that board level repairs is almost non-existent today. We just need to order the part or replace the unit, just like cell phones today. The good old days are gone!

There were so many distributors across the country. I fear those days are gone. I haven’t bought a tube or even a resistor in decades. I haven’t done anything on a bread board in a very long time. I don’t buy computer parts anymore either, I don’t think anyone does except maybe a hard drive or a new screen.

So I just wanted to say goodbye Radio Shack, it was a fun ride. Goodbye parts distributors, you will be missed. I wish I had a reason to go to your store, but alas times do change. I remember all the guys working at those places seemed to know so much about all the parts in the store.

Do you remember your favorite distributor that you would go to that the guys that worked there knew everything about the parts? I remember how Cumberland Electronics would have guys working that could solve almost any problem, from tubes to resistors to building a delay circuit.

Those were the days and I will miss them. I don’t know what happened to all of you guys but I want to say one last time, thank you for all that you have taught me throughout the last 25 years. Goodbye. I will never forget you!

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Bucket Truck Shocker – Lessons Learned

Before I start, let me congratulate Dr Bridgette Hester for the great article she wrote for AGL Magazine, found here, about here research into Carla Valencia’s death, may she rest in peace. It was her first real climb (sound familiar?) and another coworker got hurt as well. The article is great, take some time and read it! This too will have lessons learned about responsibility which is a topic for another day.

I read the story in wireless estimator, link here, if you don’t see it then scroll down until you see the headline “Near electrocution of two techs requires a review of safe practices” posted on April 6 of 2015.I am trying to figure out how these guys missed power lines. Do you know whet I am saying? So I think what we have to do is review what lessons can be learned from this incident.

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First off, thank GOD that they both are alive, although you wonder how they survived, let’s just say that this is a gift that they lived and we can learn from what went wrong! That ans the fact that bucket trucks are supposed to be rated non-conductive up to a certain voltage. I remember that from when we had our bucket trucks inspected, the paint was very important.

They must have been competent on a bucket truck because it didn’t tip and they were able to lower it back down. They did not jump out and the truck apparently is insulated properly. The only injury I read about is the guys arm was burnt from touching the electrical line. Thanks for clarifying this Wireless Estimator.
Let’s review, they were able to operate the bucket truck, let’s hope they were trained properly on using the bucket truck. I want to refer to my posts on a Fisk here, (wait for it), because it’s relevant. Everyone’s response to my Fisk post (or FISK Videos) is that the user must be trained and competent. That applies to more than the Fisk, it also applies to bucket trucks and lifts. In fact it applies to anything anyone is using when working at heights. You should not be winging it, but many do, and you should practice how to use the equipment, especially rescue equipment.
So you should be trained on the bucket truck as well. To be competent is more than just powering it up and leveling it. The operator was trained on using the lift. It is doing a hazard assessment prior to going up, just like you should do before you climb! What these guys did poor job of is hazard assessment and planning. Did they have a plan? Apparently it was to go straight up to whatever they were working on. Did they do a hazard assessment? It doesn’t seem like it.
Do you see now? I find that 20-20 hindsight is very clear. It took shocks and burns and near heart attacks to teach their gentlemen. Please don’t make this mistake but learn from it. Remember what I say, pay attention! These guys were not aware of their surroundings when going up, they were not looking in all directions. He has probably used the lift so many times he took it for granted that it was easy to use and that 99% of the other times everything was OK. He may have been distracted by the other guy. We can only assume that he just didn’t pay attention at that moment.
Ok, let’s play what if. What if someone who did the site survey would have identified the lines and then called the power company to insulate them? Remember that if you are working near power or high tension lines you can call ahead and request that they insulate the, What they do is wrap the lines with a loose fabric or plastic insulator so you don’t get shocked if you touch the line. You have to ask and plan. They will be happy to assist you if you give them the time to do it.
However let’s say this was a service call. Then these guys could have done a few things like they could have identified power lines and came up with a plan to avoid them. If they were paying attention then they would have made a serious effort to watch them as they were going up. Second they could have planned out how the bucket’s path to know where it would go. Finally, and most importantly they should have been paying attention! Simple yet we just don’t do it! Look up, look around, and see what is going on. Maybe they needed a ground guy to watch them go up because it sounds like they had 2 guys in the bucket.

They probably should have paid attention to their surroundings. It is easy to get distracted, seriously, they are lucky to be alive after being so careless. Remember that I say pay attention? It’s not just lip service; it is practical advice in any situation. We are all guilty of being distracted, all of us, especially me!

So learn from this mistake. Be competent on your equipment through training, practice, and reading if possible. If you have someone to teach you that has experience, great, just try not to pick up their bad habits.

What’s easy to do is easy not to do, like paying attention. So make the choice to go home every night healthy and alive! It is your responsibility to be smart, be safe, and pay attention. One act of stupidity can hurt or kill you in this business.

This is an old article where the bucket truck fell over and ended badly!

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