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Update on the RFI response: Let me start by saying thank you to the 929 people that got on Wireless Estimator to respond to the OSHA Tower climber RFI and the 29 people who uploaded their RFI response directly to OSHA as of May 28th, 2015. Thank you. Apparently there are less than 1,000 people in the US that really want to direct OSHA. From the feedback I am getting the rest of you think it’s all up to the climber. That’s fine, it just does not align with what many of you told me earlier. I just needed to know where we stand, that’s all. Many of you complained prior to the RFI, so I guess that was the 958 people that responded with input. Many of you were afraid of your companies, maybe they would fire you, and so you did it anonymously, which is great, because you responded. Thank you all! I guess the rest of you are fine with the way things are, great! I can see where it is such an inconvenience to take 30 minutes out of your life to help OSHA improve the rules for safety specifically for tower climbing and tower safety, it’s a real burden. After all, many of you think we were better off before OSHA and the DOL existed, probably even feel that way about the FCC.
Falls: Falls are currently the leading cause of fatalities among communication tower workers. OSHA believes that many falls result from the improper use of fall protection equipment or the failure to use any fall protection equipment at all.
How are employers addressing fall hazards?
100% Tie off.
Are employers providing appropriate fall protection equipment to employees? Is it maintained and replaced when necessary?
Many are and most of them do maintain it. It varies from company to company and many make that decision based on budget.
What factors contribute to employees failing to use fall protection while climbing or working?
Common sense and safety. If someone is not using it then they are not trained properly or the company did not provide it or they are stupid. Probably a combination of all 3.
Are there situations in which conventional fall protection (safety nets or personal fall arrest systems) is infeasible? What alternatives can employees use for fall protection in those situations?
There can be situations like that and each one should be treated as a one-off. They should always be able to use some type of fall protection. If there is a situation like that at a tower site then the owner should put something in to make sure the worker is safe. It would be a hazard once but then safe for every worker after that.
What are the ways in which fall protection systems or anchorage points on communication towers can fail? How can these failures be prevented?
Often times they are not installed. If there is a cable grab, they need to maintained and inspected. Preferable annually but every 3 years would be good. Anchor points, if installed, should also be inspected every 3 years. Climbing pegs should be inspected and replaced as needed.
Should OSHA require built-in fall protection measures on new towers? Existing towers? Would such a requirement enhance worker safety?
Definitely on new towers, there is no reason not to. On existing tower I believe so, but it would be an expensive venture. Perhaps on all towers built over the last 5 or 10 years would be reasonable.
Structural issues: When new equipment is added to communication towers, the additional loading of the tower has the potential to overload or destabilize the structure. Older towers may need additional reinforcements to maintain their structural integrity as new equipment is added to them. Communication tower collapses have resulted in numerous fatalities in the past two years. Which contractual party bears responsibility for ensuring that any structural work on the tower—such as modification or demolition—is done safely from a structural perspective? What steps are employers currently taking to prevent collapses?
Responsibility: That lies with the team, the tower owner, the structural engineer, the customer, and the crew doing the work. The customer needs to require that the structural engineer not only provides the loading requirements and the upgrades, but also a procedure to do the upgrade. The tower owner needs to approve the plan, and the tower crew needs to understand and sign off that they can do the work properly.
Steps taken – Most companies are reviewing the upgrade plans and verifying their steps with their given experiences. The crews and structural engineers need to be on the same page.
Hoisting materials and personnel: Base-mounted drum hoists are often used to hoist materials and personnel to working heights on communication towers. Hazards arise if hoists that are not rated for lifting personnel are used for that purpose. OSHA is aware of incidents in which hoists have failed under such conditions. Also, overloading material hoists and improper rigging procedures can result in loads striking the tower structure or workers located on the tower. OSHA knows of several deaths in the past two years that have resulted from these types of incidents.
When are personnel hoists used?
In my experience, rarely.
What types of hazards are associated with personnel and material hoists? What are the best practices for safely managing those hazards?
You need to have the proper winch and a good operator.
How are capstan hoists used in tower work? In what types of operations can they be used safely?
In my experience, to raise equipment, and I have never had a problem with one as long as the operator is qualified and paying attention. They can be used safely if inspected and the operator is qualified.
What are the most common types of rigging hazards that occur on communication tower work sites? What can employers do to eliminate or minimize those hazards?
Often, people don’t know the load rating of the block or they choose a poor termination point for the block. Also, rope needs to be inspected. I have seen rope failures due to crappy rope. It needs to be inspected and replaced. There should always be spare rope available for any job. Winch failures happen, although I have never had that problem because we maintained our winches, but they do fail and usually at the worst of times. One more thing, all the workers need to pay attention. If one worker rigs the tower for a light load and then the ground crew tries to pull a heavy load, bad things happen.
Are there methods, other than the use of a hoist or a crane that can be used to lift material and personnel at a communication tower? Which methods and procedures are the safest?
If you can’t pull it up by hand or carry it, I don’t see another way to get it up there. Maybe someday drones will be strong enough to carry payloads.
What are the roles of different levels of the contracting chain in managing rigging and hoisting activities?
Not sure I understand the question, contracting chain confuses me. However, on site I can explain the on site work. Guys on the tower choose the anchor point, knowing what they expect to pull up. They also anchor it based on load, obstructions, mounting location on the tower, and access. Then the block is attached to the tower using straps, steel cable, or carabiners. Then, depending on the weight of the load the ground crew will operate the winch or pull it up. The ground team is responsible for attaching the load to the rope/cable properly not only so it can be held on the way up but also so it can be positioned properly for the attachment of the item to the tower. They need to plan out how to rig it so that the equipment can swing into the tower with the attachment points where they need to go, or at least very close. Then there is a tag line on the ground. A rope is attached to the load to make sure that the load is swinging out from the tower and does not hit anything on the way up. The tag line is there to ensure that the load flies in the direction that you need it to go. It is also there so control the load in the wind. Wind is a huge factor. You do not want to destroy anything that belongs to someone else nor do you want to destroy your load.
Radio Frequency Hazards: Much research has been done on the health effects of overexposure to radio frequencies. General health effects reviews have found that high levels of exposure to radio frequencies may result in burns. In addition, the link between exposure to radio frequencies and cancer, reproductive diseases, and neurological effects has not been thoroughly explored.
What methods are employers using to protect workers from overexposure to radio frequency?
Several things, site and tower inspections looking for dangers like Sirius/XM and antennas and broadcast. This should be part of the hazard assessments and a requirement. Also, RF exposure meters, like the NARDA.
Is there a need for employers to institute comprehensive radio frequency monitoring programs on communication tower work sites? What would a good program look like?
Yes, it would be simple, add it to the hazard assessment, require RF safety training, and assign each climber a RF exposure meter with the requirement that they have it on their body at all times. They would need to be trained to use the meter properly and they would need to keep the batteries charged. It should be a require part of all climbers PPE.
Weather: Communication tower workers work outside during all seasons, and in all climates. They can be exposed to heat, cold, wind, snow, and ice. Storm conditions can quickly arise when workers are at elevation, and it can be difficult to descend the tower quickly.
What are the specific weather-related hazards to which communication tower workers are exposed?
Hot – Heat exhaustion, sun stroke, dehydration, severe sun burn.
Cold – frostbite, hypothermia, numbness and stiffness causing climbing difficulties.
Lightning, always a risk, most climbers are usually off the tower or safely attached to the tower during a storm, but still a risk.
Ice – Falling ice is a risk, could fall on the ground people. Climbing an icy tower should never be done but some people break the ice off as they go up.
How does a crew monitor and respond to changing weather conditions, including storms?
Weather report, smart phone apps, and simply look at the sky.
Fatigue: OSHA believes that fatigue can affect communication tower workers in several says. Climbing a communication tower is physically demanding, and OSHA is concerned that fatigue due to exertion can be hazardous for tower workers. Accelerated work timelines can also result in tower workers working very long hours. And OSHA understands that communication tower workers may travel long distances to reach remote work sites, which can result in workers being fatigued before they even begin work.
What hazards are faced by a worker who finds it physically challenging to perform expected tasks, such as climbing a tower or performing a self-rescue? What impact can this have on other crew members?
Falling is the biggest risk for everyone. If a climber is getting tired to the point where they can’t get down, then they need to be rescued. Many times the climber can tie off, drink some water, and rest. The workmates should be aware of the condition of the climber but if they are not paying attention then they will be responsible for the rescue. IF the climber is too tired to climb, he probably shouldn’t attempt self rescue, but controlled descent is easier than climbing so it may be a viable alternative.
What are the common causes of worker fatigue at communication tower work sites?
Long days, heavy lifting, extreme weather.
What are the effects of fatigue on tower worker safety, and what types of incidents occur as a result of worker fatigue?
If a worker gets too tired they make mistakes, not only the obvious physical mistakes like falling or dropping things, but mental mistakes and miscalculations. Not only for that day but they will be hurting for the next day or 2 and should be grounded so they don’t continue to be at risk. This puts more work on the workmates to perform. If all 4 crew members are climbers, then they should shuffle the work on those long days even if they alternate climbing duties daily. They should log their high time to make sure this happens.
Other common hazards:
What other hazards are present in communication tower work, and what types of incidents are resulting from those hazards? What can be done to protect employees from those hazards?
Bee stings, allergies, snake bites, spider bites, over exertion, crushed limbs, broken bones, Carpal tunnel, long-term RF exposure, auto accidents, stress due to being away from home causing depression, stress of working a high rick job, bird poop, chemicals, long-term sun exposure.
What are some health and safety considerations involved in working with communications equipment installed on non-dedicated tower structures, such as water towers, buildings, silos, electrical transmission towers, etc.?
Each structure has a dedicated risk, there are too many to mention and each structure should be looked into individually. I will list a few here.
Water Towers – many people don’t realize how the water tower slopes off so they should be tied off 100% of the time when working there. Also, climbing up some of them you are in a confined space which could have problems.
Electrical tower – must be certified to work on these, the risk of shock is too great.
Buildings – safety issues, poorly maintain rooftops, should have a wall or rail or the climber should be tied off, bird poop piles up in many of these, trip hazards, low overhead in some areas, hi RF areas.
Silos – usually remote, not always structurally sound, environmental issues, animal and insect issues
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I want to go over the Large Wireless Network Deployment process. It is something that takes a long time to plan out and there is so much to consider. We often just see one phase of it, out in the field. The planning and preparation that goes into it can be a meticulous process, especially for the government roll outs. The carriers are better at it because they continuously do it and the entire company is on board with it. The challenges that utilities and governments have to deal with are politics and payback because they build their networks for different reasons, not just to generate income but to save money and lives.
So while I was at IWCE I sat in several sessions that they had. There were so many so I had to focus on a few. I attended FirstNet sessions but in addition I wanted to concentrate on the tower work, DAS, and Small Cell. I sat through a session on deployments that were geared to get the states, cities, and other government entities prepared for a large deployment.
Listen to the podcast for much more detail, there is too much to list here.
For this scenario I am going to present a large deployment. This is a bird’s eye view of the process. Of course many of you are involved in the specifics. I just want you to see the perspective from the end customer’s vantage point.
So in deployment the plan to be more thorough in the planning of the deployment. I see the way that consultants are going to be more and more involved in future deployments. They will be involved in the deployment planning. This is the initial work up front, usually 1 or 2 years before anyone really has a plan. They will be working with the customer to plan out what they will do. This is something that most deployment people get involved in but business development might be listening for something like this. A great example of this, which you can follow, is the FirstNet deployment. They have been planning the system out for years to make sure it is the system that will be working for years. They intend to have a broadband system to support public safety, utilities and other government entities to have access to.
Next will be the RFI, Request for Information. This is where the people doing the deployment will request information about the equipment, hardware, and timelines. I have been involved in many of these and they are very time-consuming because it’s the customer’s vision, but it may not be attainable or it may be unrealistic or it may be too soon to implement, meaning that they equipment is not ready for prime time. There could be several RFIs to clarify the expectation and to make sure all the contractors and OEMs are synced up.
Then will be the actual plan for deployment and then the RFP, Request for Price, or RFQ, request for Quote. These are where the customer will send out the refined system, the goal, the actual system that is set to be built with the expectations of the customer. This is where the larger contractors will respond with an answer for all of this. Then they will put RFQs out to the contractors to do the work or they will build a budget around your past pricing. Trust me, they don’t always have time to complete the RFQ process. This is where the larger contractors need to have good documentation on past projects. They also need to confer with the front line to make sure that pricing does not change.
Then, the evaluation process happens. This is where the customer and maybe their consultants review everything. This is where they need to decide who has the best answer for the best price. I know all of you think the response is solely on price, but if the customer is smart, they balance the responses out. Then the decision to install a system that meets all (or most) of their needs for the best price. This takes time and based on how they structured the RFP is it may be a long process to get to comparing apples to apples.
Then the award! Oh that sweet award. Actually the award may not be until after a long grueling questioning process to determine if the contractor can actually do what they said they could. It matters to make sure that they are all on the same page.
Just because you won the bid doesn’t mean you will get the work, you need to go through the qualification and then you may move ahead. Big jobs are tough, it’s more about the high level up until now. If the qualification took place and there were no objections, then the next step. Qualifications will take some time because you will need to lay out the plan and provide detail on how you will reach the customers expectations in not only the technical aspects like coverage and loading, but also the timeline for deployment and a plan.
Timelines are an issue. Remember that if you plan to build new sites or acquire new sites, that takes time! The structural may take time, but not always, if you have paperwork from a previous structural, which most tower owners should have, then it doesn’t take long at all, unless you need to improve the structural integrity of the tower, then that will have to be done. Remember to be realistic, set expectations, and allow for possible delays. This is a big step though, you start the design and then you do the surveys and build the BOMs. Here is where the site engineering takes place, oh boy!
Now, when all of that is completed, then the deployment or migration or upgrades. Whatever you may be doing in this case. There is always an opportunity for more work after the win. It’s up to you to decide if it’s what you want to do or not.
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This is for October 2013 to September 2014 (Sourcewww.ConstructionDataQuarterly.com) I am putting this out because it is a good idea to see how busy the OSHA department really is. I understand that we want them to concentrate on the wireless business but the reality is that they cover all workers in the USA. This is no easy task and here you can see the violations that piled up over the previous year.
Fall Protection, Section 1926.501, Duty to have Fall Protection, 6,064 citations.
Scaffold, Section 1926.451, General Requirements, 3,834 citations.
We always want them to do more, but they need the resources to do it. Believe it or not OSHA is doing all that they can to make elevated workers safe, are you? What have you done? Did you complete the OSHA RFI? If not, why not! Don’t be a slacker or a deadbeat, complete the OSHA RFI today!Wireless Estimator OSHA RFI entry website found here.
Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. Help spread the word of safe climbing!
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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.
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!
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!
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 girls 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!
Be smart, be safe, pay attention, and complete the RFI!
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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?
FYI – 2015 USA OSHA Stand Down May 4th to May 15th!
I saw an interesting blog fromAirwaves 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 ofAirwaves 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.
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. Remember 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.
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 tasks 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/ 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/
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!
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!
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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! Scan or click the ICON for more information!
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 theWireless Estimatorpage this morning. I am writing this on April 25, 2015. Did you respond yet?
Look up my answers onWireless Estimator OSHA RFI siteby searching forWade4WirelessorWade 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!)
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.
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 sense. 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.
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! Scan or click the ICON for more information!
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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! Scan or click the ICON for more information!
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 theWireless Estimatorpage this week. I am writing this on April 22, 2015, and plan to upload them tomorrow.
First, I want to share them with you. This may not be the final but you can look me up on theWireless Estimator OSHA RFI siteby searching forWade4Wireless 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 to 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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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! Scan or click the ICON for more information!
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.
Trust 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!) Everyone 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.
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.
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 hereand thePDF 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 isHEREand let me walk you through the process. If youclick on the linkthen 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 tohttp://www.regulations.gov/docs/Tips_For_Submitting_Effective_Comments.pdfand see what the feds recommend that you do.
OK, now the website overview. When you go tohttp://www.wirelessestimator.com/osha-rfi-2015/#!/section/1/questionsyou 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!
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:
Question for Tower Climbers
Training and Certification
Suitability for Work
Hazards and Incidents
Contracting and Work
Economic Issues
Tower Design
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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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.
