Here in the USA it is Thanksgiving. We give thanks for all that we have and what we have accomplished. It started a long time ago when the pilgrims came to this region to settle. Now we should be doing it to look at all that is good in our lives. It is not easy because so many times we have so many problems that we look at the bad, not the good. Included myself, when times were tough and I had a ton of problems it is easy to complain. I mean I felt as if there were no good in the world. I remember friends would say, “You have your health” because that’s really all I had. Believe me, that was enough, I now know how lucky I am and that things get better. It is hard to look at the good when you feel like you are surrounded by problems. I want you to make a conscious effort to look at the positive.
So let’s all be thankful that there have been no fatalities for the past 60 days! At least to my knowledge, feel free to reach out and let me know if I am wrong. I feel pretty fortunate that we are doing much better. I don’t know of any serious accidents in the tower industry for over 30 days. I am so glad that things have been good. This is not the time to get lazy! This is the time to step up awareness. Why? So everyone stays alert. Remember that when we get lazy we get complacent and we overlook hazards. We should make it a challenge to finish the year without any incidents. If the wireless and tower industry can do that then it will be a better 2014.
It was a rough start to 2014, with 11 fatalities in the tower industry. So many if not all should have been avoided. What about all of the injuries we had this year where the people lived but their lives will be changed forever from an accident? We are so grateful that they are alive but they need to keep the faith to work their way back to health. Finally, there have been many publicized near misses where the crew could not help their own crew mates. So may near misses that should have been avoided. So we are at a place where we can work to make this industry better.
Let me tell you what I am grateful for this year in the industry. OSHA creates the communications tower website to keep the tower and wireless field industry updated on the work. The FCC and DOL came together to create TIRAP. NATE created the Tower Family Foundation. Hubble Foundation is doing more than ever for tower climber families. You see, there are good things happening in the industry that we should all be thankful for. We should be thankful for the above groups all coming together to help the tower industry. Wireless workers can celebrate these wins for 2014!
I am also thankful for NATE creating a common standard for the tower industry to follow. Climber’s harnesses are better than ever and constantly improving. Climbers learning more about their trade by keeping up to sate with hardware, safety gear, and techniques. Awareness of training, all kinds of training including safety and rescue and rigging.
We all have ideas how to make this better but so far we cannot unite. I am grateful that so many of you have reached out to me with your stories. So many have you have told me what is really going on out there. I can’t always write about it because so many stories may be incriminating or may need more proof to publicize. I don’t want to just make a company or a person look bad unless I have serious evidence to back it up.
As an industry I am not sure how we will ever unite for anything except that we want to end the death and accidents in this industry. The dividing factor is how to do that. We all have ideas, but it’s time we think outside the box. I do believe that we can all unite for common values, or at least most of us. The values and vision we could all agree on is that each of us practice the best safety practices along with good work ethic and proper training. These together will be the key factor to continued industry growth and success. You see that is where it will all start, good values and vision.
Let me ask you, what is your vision to make the industry better?
If you’re interested I wanted to share this on my Amazon! A great gift and helps out Gette working on Hubble. I interviewed Gette, who likes to talk so make sure to listen topart 1andpart 2.
Don’t forget, support Hubble!
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Guess what?!! I have finished the tutorial for the SOW.
I was reading a book where they mentioned how purchasing is done differently among companies and people. We all want a good price for what we get, right? Well, is the lowest price always the best? Sometimes it’s good enough. What about when getting high-end work done? Is it lowest bidder good enough for a wireless deployment? That is how most of the business is done. Except maybe among broadcast where they usually only put out the bid to people or companies they really trust. They know who is good and who is not, at least they used to. They usually build loyalty into the offer.
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Today’s world revolves around investors, who really have very little loyalty beyond the bottom line. I see it often where a contractor may have a horrible reputation but continues to get work because they are very cheap. It takes awhile before they are found out to be cutting corners or not paying people.
Many companies have lists of contractors that they know are not good, or don’t meet their standards. They also keep lists of acceptable vendors that were pre-qualified. The idea is that they have at least showed their qualifications on paper before getting the work. Then they need to win some jobs and get the work. If they do good work then they can be rated or graded on the work they have done. This is a normal system.
However, what happens when a company gets caught doing shoddy work? It seems some people change company names and they are back in the game. How can we stop this? We will have to do the due diligence by researching the bad seeds. This is why there are some people who are blacklisted in the industry. We just need to make sure that the blacklisting is justified. This is where loyalty and reputation come into play.
So loyalty between a sub and a company is earned, not given. Once you meet the minimum requirements you must do the work and do it well. If a company puts a contractor on the short list, it should be for good reason, either that company does great work or a particular crew really impressed the customer. That often is the case, where there is the “A” team that can really impress. We can’t all be on the A team but if you work harder to care for the customer’s needs then you will make a positive impression. Customers need to have someone they trust to do good work and be honest with them. Is that you?
Now, what about that crew that stinks? You know who I mean, the ones that run out of hardware so they use tie wraps to finish securing the mount because it’s Friday and they don’t want to do a return trip. Maybe you didn’t see the crew that did it but you saw the work. How does that not make it into the close out package? Do you report that to the tower owner? That is one more thing we need.
It’s hard to bring you’re “A” game when the customer might not pay you or if you are working for a customer that may be on thin ice. Sometimes the contractor does not pay its subs. This causes so many problems in the industry. If the customer hires someone they trust then they know the payment terms. If the sub is working for someone new or someone who is a piss poor manager, then payment will be late or not happen at all. The end customer suffers, the sub suffers, and people spend the rest of the time pointing fingers. That is going to destroy trust. If the PM purposely screws a crew by not paying the workers for getting the job 80% done then bringing in a cheaper crew to finish it just to pay the last crew a lot less money. That is just shameful. This is another issue with trust among workers in the industry. Loyalty and trust is a 2 way street not only to be earned by the hard-working crews but by the customer who is supposed to pay them and treat them fair!
Again, trust is earned and it’s a 2 way street. Remember that there are project managers that take pride in cheating hard-working crews because they think they are saving money but it really hurts the industry. When will this stop? Let’s hope today, but let’s face it, there will always be snakes in the industry, or any industry for all that matters. We need to get names of these people so we know who to trust. Names should be on a loyalty list of naughty and nice people to work with.
This industry is small, what comes around goes around like Karma on here we need to play well with everyone. Just because you compete against someone doesn’t mean they are the enemy. You may have to work together on a future job or you may team up one day. So treat your fellow workers with respect and learn from them and teach them something. We all need to learn to work together. Loyalty in the industry among coworkers is just as important as loyalty between customer and contractor.
Loyalty needs to be earned and it is hard to gain back once it’s lost. So many times there are people associated with bad companies. All you can do is work hard to regain trust and respect. It is not easy but it can be done. We all need to learn from our mistakes. The lowest bidder and the layers of subs really can cause problems in any industry. So let’s be fair when we bid and let’s understand the scope of work so we can all be fair to the workers as to not get in over our heads!
So let me ask you something, if you needed brain surgery or a heart transplant, would you put it out to the lowest bidder? Maybe it would be nice to have someone with a good reputation, a name that you can trust, someone who you got to know and someone you can trust. It should be the same in the wireless deployment industry. After all, if they could do the work themselves they would, but they don’t because it is a specialty.
The wireless deployments are not going to end anytime soon. It is time to build loyalty among the players in this industry. Let’s build a wireless industry based on trust. We need good leadership to do that. It is something that will be earned over time. Let’s each start with ourselves, let’s do the best we can for our own sake to make this the best industry to work in. In the wireless deployment industry we are looking at NATE, CTIA, FCC, OSHA, DOL, and each other for leadership. We now have TIRAP. They are the groups working to make sure that there are examples of safety and workmanship. It is up to each person out there working to align with the leadership and become a leader in their company. To become the poster child for quality and safety for fellow workers to follow should be the goal. Just because I say align doesn’t mean we should follow blindly, we all need to point out faults when we see them. Here is your chance to set the example of being the best worker you can be in safety and quality. With enough people working hard to be the example them more people will want to align and follow only to become the future leaders.
I was talking to Richard Bell, the owner of Bell Tower, and he is setting the example of how to act in this industry. He is 73 years old and a neat guy to chat with. He has safety on his mind even now, he knows so much about the industry and he shares all of his information with everyone. Go to his web page and you will see his safety policy. He shares it with everyone, there are no secrets there. This guy is setting a great example!http://www.belltowercorp.com/safety_first.htm
Tell me what do you think?
My SOW training will be out next week. My big release will be soon! Make sure you tune in!
Be smart, be safe, and pay attention.
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.
I was having a conversation the other day when someone told me about an injury. The lawyers became involved almost immediately, as they always do. The lawyer told the family that injuries are the price of doing business for wireless carriers. Can you imagine? That this is what the legal system thinks of our industry?
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I am so angry about this but it is the opinion of the outsiders looking in. This is something that has to change. I have heard this so many times, so many things that give the industry a black eye. Injuries should not be one of them. Can we shape up? Of course, look at all of the tower companies out there that want to end any type of injury in the field. When I spoke to Liz Day, the woman who put together the Pro-Publica tower climber report, References here and here and here, she told me that everybody she talked to was so open about accidents. From the companies that had serious injuries to the companies that had fatalities. Everyone was quick to talk about how to make the industry better. They all wanted to achieve a safer and healthier injury rate. I don’t think anyone wants any of this to happen.
So why the bad reputation? You know, it is easy to point to the individual, and blame them. Isn’t that the first thing that happens in an accident? What about equipment failure? It happens. What about when something on the tower is not installed correctly? That is very common. What about lack of training? Yes, common problem.
Haven’t we tackled of all these problems? Haven’t we done all we can to make these problems go away? And yet, 11 deaths this year as of November, I pray there are no more. Please, no more injuries this year. Imagine how many we don’t hear about. Imagine all the people who get hurt and we never know.
What can we do? The FCC and DOL are stepping in by forming TIRAP, information here and here, and we hope that forming an organized system will help. It is still voluntary.
What about the pay structure? Are people getting paid? Are contractors being treated fair? Well, that all depends who you talk to. If someone can’t complete a job because they got hurt, what happens? Does the job stop? Chances are they will bring someone else in to complete the job and the injured contract won’t get paid. Talk about a kick to the crotch. So apparently the system has problems with payments. Why is that when the carriers are spending so much money to build these systems?
It appears that the prime directive is money and schedule. After all time is money but what is a life worth? Apparently not much when it comes to deployment. After all, 11 deaths this year, and DOL, OSHA, the FCC, and all the tower companies are working towards a better industry. So where is the problem? OSHA created the Communications Towers Website so we can track such things. They created TIRAP. They had a workshop. Yet, the reputation around the industry is that injury and death is part of doing business.
I was talking to someone this morning that mentioned that several contractors have a list of companies that they list as “DO NOT USE” because they treat climbers bad, they cheat subs out of getting paid, and quite frankly they are unscrupulous people. I know every industry has this. I have seen it in construction, same scenario where when one company gets a bad reputation they simply open up under a new name. Why is this happening in the wireless industry? Because it is a booming business where people smell money. I have seen big businesses change their practices because under the leadership they look for a way to downsize to save money. It happens because their priorities shift and they choose to treat people as a faceless resource who they just want people gone. I get it, big companies may pay better, but some of them have poor leadership. Leadership matters. That is why I respect someone like Dave Anthony of Shenandoah Tower Service who was at the TIRAP workshop. He not only practices what he preaches, he lives it. He cares for his business and his employees. Not all employees care, another issue but one I don’t have time to address here. I just have to say it is hard to filter through the crap to get to the truth on all sides.
So what can we do? Work together to make it a better industry. You are always going to have personality clashes but I would like to think we can all work together to weed out the scum who craps on the worker.
Communication is a big problem! I see so many projects where you may have a crew show up to see that no one knew they were coming. Why is that? How does that happen? Too many project managers? Poor leadership on a project? All too common.
So here is what I would propose, the customer should have a feedback line or email or website that the worker, the contractor who is actually doing the work can tell the customer about the GC or turf vendor they are working with. Sometimes the company isn’t bad, it’s just one jerk that is causing problems. I have seen it in my companies where customers will request one person because they trust them and they know they can count on them. Yet the company will not eliminate the problems. Sometimes we should honor the customer’s request.
If the customers started a database of problems companies and problems people, it may help. It may cause problems for some good people, so once again you need a bull crap filter. This is no easy task!
So listen, if you’re starting out, it will take some time to work up to getting work for the big boys. So make those connections, do good work, build a good reputation and honor your workers and your customer and the team will make your company earn a great reputation in the industry. Hopefully you will get to the point where you can pick your customers, that is a great place to be.
Work hard, be safe, be smart, and pay attention.
Let me know what you think!
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.
So, did you ever try to climb quickly just to get things done? You’re alone and thought it wouldn’t take long so you would go up to finish something. First off, you should not climb alone, second always be 100% tied off no matter what. I wanted to bring this up because it should go without saying. I know that tower workers are quick to criticize anyone who can’t rescue a fellow climber, but if you are alone, then no one can rescue you! If you are alone, no one can call for help! If you are alone then no one can do anything. Do you remember when that fellow fell in Texas? He was found beside the tower. He was there for maintenance repair and then someone found him 30 feet from a tower near Bluetown, Texas tower,post here. The company sent him out there alone! This man was Ronaldo Eduardo Smith, according to Sheriff Omar Lucio. He was 62 years old, climbing alone, no one is sure how high he was on that 1,000 foot tower. Unfortunately I could not get more information. This happened about the same time that the West Virginia accident happened. So here we are, 9 months later and we don’t know any more that we did that day except his name and that he is gone. So sad, our prayers go out to his family.
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Listen, I climbed alone, I would call in when I started to climb, called in when I reached my height, and called in when I was heading down, and called in when I got on the ground. Did that make it right or smart, no, I was completely stupid! I want to make sure no one makes the same mistakes I did! I want to get the word out that the money is not worth the risk! I want to make sure that OSHA and TIRAP are doing all that they can to make sure that everyone who works in the tower industry is 100% safe! Many of you think that it may not be possible to get to 0% fatalities, 0% accidents, but I don’t! I just think we need to work as a team and try harder! Did you ever hear of Albert Einstein, not a climber but he had a great quote. Quoting the great Mr. Einstein, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Any idea what he means? I will tell you how I interpret this, we can’t use the same methods we were using when we created all of these problems! So we now have 100% tie off, which from what I hear only about 20% of you actually follow! Not an accurate number, just some of the feedback I am getting from people who brag about it on Facebook. Are you being as safe as you can be? Do you think about what you’re going to do before you do it? Or do you think, “That won’t happen to me!” Just like climbing alone, most people think nothing will happen to them, and chances are good that only about 10% will die. Are you one in 10? Let’s quote the great Clint Eastwood from his character “Dirty Harry” movie,video clip here, “You have got to ask yourself, do I feel lucky? Well do ya punk?” So think about it, do you feel you are too good to have an accident or too lucky?
This wasn’t a tower climber but a mountain climber that fell 40 foot off of First Flatiron in Chautauqua Park in Boulder County, Colorado. He thought he could climb alone without safety gear. This is a good example of what happens when you don’t have safety gear. I wanted to get this out because people thought it was a tower climber, links below. Thank you Dave Harrison! You are the man!
Hey, just to offer you a helpful link,http://www.rfwireless-world.com/calculators/is something that someone sent me and I thought I would share with you. It is a good reference for some RF formulas that may help you work in your job. Trust me when I say most stuff today is fixed but in case you actually get to do some RF work, it may help. Something that is really cool is their RF Exposure calculator, it is pretty neat because they not only let you enter the values, but they show you the formulas. See if there is anything you can use on there.
Comment: I work for Premier Utility Service! I’ve been climbing for 3 years now and absolutely see the need for an apprenticeship! It is so great that the industry is finally taking the correct steps to better the future of all of us in the telecommunications industry! Thank you for being such an advocate for all of us. Being that you attended the event I had a couple of questions for you! Is there an estimated length for the apprenticeship? And when is the expected date for completion of the program?
Thank you
Response: Thank you sir! I appreciate the words of encouragement. There are so many ways to learn about safety and it is up to all of us to make sure that we can all stand for a safe work environment. For information go to http://www.tirap.org/and here is what I know. The expected length of the apprenticeship doesn’t seem to be set, and I don’t know if they have a set length. I am thinking it has less to do with a time period and more has to do with skills and training. I don’t have a date for program completion at this time but I do have an email into them for more information. It is taking longer than expected to get a response. Once I do, and if I get permission, I will write something up. Just because you get answers doesn’t mean they will let me print it. I had some interviews with the FCC and they would not let me associate their name with anything in print. For more on TIRAPhereandhereandhere. More information onguidelines hereandhere.
This will not be easy, since the lowest bidder gets the work. We will need to make sure that we have good and realistic pricing to start with. There will always be someone who thinks they can do it for less, but I think the carriers will have a responsibility to make sure that the climbing companies are doing everything as safe as they should be. They need to help us help ourselves. I am talking safety, but also in getting the crews paid! It is impossible to be safe when you don’t get paid! So if they have a turf vendor who won’t pay, then they should find a new manager for their contractor! We all need to do the best work we can so we can get paid in a timely manner. The acceptance process needs to be improved!
Comment: That workshop meeting reads as though it has a great consensus for all to build a common safety & procedures platform for us all to work from which will help all of us tower worker bees immensely. I look around my tower crew workers & worry & wonder who will be my first tower worker that may chose to ignore their safety training & get themselves or somebody else injured or killed? I am going to pass along & have parts of your article read aloud plus parts of the workshop meeting since our weekly safety meeting on the fall protection subject normally amounts to 100% of our worker having no feedback or suggestions. It’s amazing that they must perceive that everything is perfect until they arrive at their tower site & everything is not. It is a difficult job for tower climbers & ground crew to adjust & adapt to daily changing safety challenges! My hat is off to those of you that were able to make time to attend & participate at the workshop.
Response: Thank you for the feedback and I really appreciate the support. This made me happy that I went! Knowing that you appreciate the notes on this makes me understand how important this was for the industry! You make a great point, nothing is ever perfect when you arrive, and no climber has a perfect life! Far from it! Tower climbers deal not only with work problems, like when they who up at the site something is missing or something is in the way or something is hanging where you need to put your equipment. They deal with financial problems like customers not paying or the boss being late with a paycheck or the boss not covering expenses for the tower climber. They also deal with personal problems, like marital problems from being away from home for long periods of times and missing their children growing up. They deal with work personnel, let’s face it, there are some great guys in the industry, but we have our share of jerks! Those jerks could cause a problem when on the tower putting people at risk. I just brought up some common issues that you need to be aware of if you don’t know what the climber has to deal with. It is not an easy job that is why for some it is a passion to not only climb but to do the best they can do to be safe and do a good job! While most tower climbers really care, like the both of these people who left comments, many do not care. It is just a job or a way to kill time or something they do just to impress the women! I say that because most of the female climbers I talk to seem to be more conscientious than many men and really care. It seems like there are a bunch of guys out there that need to be straightened out. My opinion!
OK, let’s end this by announcing that NATE is going to have a webinar on December 9th if interested,http://natehome.com/2014/11/04/dont-miss-the-live-nate-webinar-on-december-9-2014/about the “Achieving Zero Injuries – Best Practices in Workplace Safety”that I will listen to. Oh, Todd Schlekeway, if you read this, please put a meeting invite in the article so I can add it to my calendar. Just being selfish here but the sooner I put it in the better chance I have of making it. This is probably more for the tower crew owners because it is presented by the law firm of Fisher and Phillips. Presentation by Edwin G. Foulke, Jr who is a partner there.
OK, finally, support Hubble, they care for you tower workers! Did you hear that? Gette and Kathy are very passionate people who give every moment of their spare time to the families of the tower workers. Why, because they have been through tragedies of the wireless industry! They have suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved. Someone who they loved dearly, someone they thought they could not live without. Someone that they would like to be remembered forever by their work in this charity! Do you want to be remembered for something good? Do you want to leave a legacy of helping people? These two women suffered more than anyone should. Did they quit on life? Maybe for a little while due to grief, but then they came fighting back to help your families tower workers. Isn’t it time you give something back? Isn’t it time to show you care? Isn’t it time you fulfilled your legacy of helping a fellow climber’s family? Just do what you think is right! These people are here to help and help they have, so I am thinking it’s time you return the favor! Click on the picture below to go to the website!
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.
Hey, the price of safety can run into the thousands of dollars. I know that IT guys complain when they need to spend a hundred dollars on a program after they bought a laptop for $1,000, but the tower tech probably has a laptop as well. One that will need to be used at a tower site, on the seat of a truck, or on top of a transmitter in an outdoor cabinet. No matter what you do it takes money to run a business, we all know this. But when safety is involved, it takes money. Training, insurance, legalities, policies, enforcement, and gear all cost money. It ain’t cheap!
The price of safety is not only the classes you need to take, the OSHA classes, the CPR classes, the first aid classes, the climbing certification, and the hours that the tower crew owner has to pay the technicians to attend these classes. Many times the climber will need to travel and the training is only good for the company that you work for at that time. Remember that an employer is normally paying for all of this. If you are a contractor doing it on your own, then you know that you are spending your money. It is a tax write off. However, it is still money out-of-pocket. All this and remember that your certifications may not follow you, each company should certify you, I wrote about it here. If you want to price out training, go ahead and research it athttp://safetyoneinc.com/or www.lbauniversity.org orhttp://www.rfcomply.com/pc/index.phporhttp://www.comtrainusa.com/for more information. There are plenty of safety programs out there. Maybe go to Wireless Estimator and see who they recommend.
I won’t get into insurance in this post, but maybe in the future. Insurance can make or break your business, and then if something happens, they may or may not cover you. Insurance companies often look for an out unless you have the right policy.
Governments spend money on safety as well! Safety is being addressed and the government is investing more in tower climber safety. If you are in the tower industry then you should be aware of TIRAP,http://www.tirap.org/the organization formed to set standards for the climbing tech.The fact sheet is found here.The one thing I am not very clear on is whether they will have a database showing participating companies, but that is another blog post. That would help climbers know who to work for. I have blogs on the conferencehereandhereandhere.
Today I want to talk about gear, your safety gear and what is cost to be properly equipped. My good friend Daniel at GME Supply were nice enough to take the time to run several quotes for me. No, I did not pay them and they are not paying me for this advertising. Here is what I did, I sent them an email asking them to quote out safety gear for this post, and they did. Full disclosure. I don’t know if you would pay this price or get a discount, but I wanted to show everyone the price of the gear. I won’t have all of it, but you get the idea. If anything, this is on the low-end of the spectrum. Remember that each person on the crew needs to have gear, as well as be trained and insured.
Oh, to be clear, the employer must pay for the safety gear. There is a company in California that will deduct money from employees paychecks just so the employees can have safety gear. When do they tell the employees? Right after they are hired. They ask that they sign a form stating that they must have deductions taken from their paychecks to pay for their safety gear. Can you imagine around $70 per paycheck so you can climb safely for a company? Maybe up to 4 or more paychecks, that ain’t right! I would like to say now that is wrong. Proof is here, as required by OSHA!More informationhereandhere. So if your employer makes you deduct money from your paycheck, get a copy of the form, then go to thisOSHA Whistleblower Fact Sheetand it will tell you what to do. I used to post this at the bottom of my blog posts. Well here you go, all the information you need to make a difference! They do separate out some items, like non-specialty steel toes, everyday clothing, ordinary clothing or creams, ordinary sunglasses, winter coats, normal rain gear, normal hats, parka, lifting belts if not required. If you own the company of tower crews, why would you make them chip in to be safe? Let me know! I bet most of you will bring up all the times you have had employees steal from you, and that sucks. I get it, they took your tools, gear, whatever. However, it is up to you to make sure you do inventory and that the employee understands that they are responsible for anything lost or intentionally damaged or stolen. Do your due diligence.
So before I get into all of this, and you wonder what safety will cost, then think of what will happen if you don’t follow the process, if you don’t pay for the necessities of the climber. Let me ask you, what is the cost of one life? Why don’t you ask the families of the fallen while you go back and challenge the fines that were handed to the companies. Ask the friends of the climbers and ask fellow climbers what they think when another climber falls. They support each other and they try to understand what happens, how it happened, and why it happened. I found out that you may have someone looking out for you but most times you need to look out for yourself!
So the quotes didn’t come out very well in the post, so you can download them;
So for $679.99 you can have the deluxe climbers kit, GM-90002 which will include EAGLE TOWER LE HARNESS, 1″ X 6′ CENTURION ADJUSTABLE, 1-1/2″ X 6′ FLEX-NOPAC LANYARD, West Fall Pro 4-7/8″ x 3″ Steel Carabiner (2 each), West Fall 7″ x 3-3/4″ Steel Carabiner (2 each), 3/8″ WIRE ROPE GRAB FOR FALL, RED LARGE GME GEARBAG, EXTRA TALL TOP CLOSING CANVAS BOLT Bag, COMFORT PLUS 5151 HARD HAT.
That was one option, another is the Westfall Ascend Climbing kit, for $1,139.99 and you get MED WESTFALL PRO ASCEND TOWER Harness, White Petzl Vent Helmet, Grillon Adjustable Lanyard with handle, West Fall 4-1/2″ x 2-3/4″ Steel Ca (2 each), West Fall Pro 4-7/8″ x 3″ Steel Ca (2 each), EXTRA TALL TOP CLOSING CANVAS BOLT BAG,, DBI LAD-SAF 3/8″ Wire Rope Grab w/attach, and 1-1/2″ X 6′ FLEX-NOPAC LANYARD.
What if we break it out and buy it separately, well, maybe that is how you want to do it. Dan at GME was nice enough to put this list together for me. This has some extras in it but it’s a good break down. If these are hard to read, then download them from the links above.
Qty
Description
Part #
Price Each
Total ext
1
ALUMINUM, WESTFALL PRO MED WESTFALL PRO ASCEND TOWER HARNESS
WF-88022
$410.00
$410.00
1
MED EXOFIT TOWER HARNESS
DS-1108651
$374.95
$374.95
1
PETZL VERTEX VENT, WHITE
PZ-A10VWA
$115.00
$115.00
1
JSP 6151 HARD HAT, VENTED, WHITE
PP-280-EV6151SV-10
$49.99
$49.99
1
I’D LG DESCENDER/BELAY DEVICE NFPA
PZ-D200L0
$250.00
$250.00
1
STERLING 1/2″ HTP STATIC KERNMANTLE
SR-P130060092E
$349.16
$349.16
1
ASAP MOBILE FALL ARREST DEVICE
PZ-B71AAA
$215.00
$215.00
1
ASAP’SORBER LANYARD, 40CM FOR ASAP
PZ-L71AA40
$49.95
$49.95
1
FRENCH CREEK, 5/8″ 3 STRAND 300′ LIFELIN
FC-410-300Z
$265.99
$265.99
1
FALLTECH 8355 ROPE GRAB W/ PARK AND LANYARD
FH-8355
$215.99
$215.99
1
29506, 1″ X 6′ CENTURION ADJUSTABLE WEB
FP-29506
$46.95
$46.95
1
GRILLON ADJUSTABLE LANYARD WITH HANDLE
PZ-L52A002
$180.00
$180.00
1
35478, 1-1/2″ X 6′ FLEX-NOPAC LANYARD
FP-35478
$99.69
$99.69
1
6′ SAL Internal Y-Leg Lanyard, Loop + Re
FH-8259Y3
$69.95
$69.95
1
DBI LAD-SAF 3/8″ Wire Rope Grab w/attach
DS-6116540
$369.95
$369.95
1
3/8″ WIRE ROPE GRAB FOR FALL PROTECTION
RG-5000
$179.99
$179.99
1
ERGODYNE 5020 DUFFEL BAG, MEDIUM, BLACK
ED-13321
$24.99
$24.99
1
LARGE DELUXE GME SUPPLY GEARBAG, BLACK
GM-3050
$59.99
$59.99
1
CANVAS BUCKET WITH BLACK LEATHER BOTTOM
GM-5104
$59.99
$59.99
1
CANVAS BUCKET WITH BLACK MOLDED BOTTOM
GM-5109
$34.99
$34.99
1
EXTRA TALL TOP CLOSING CANVAS BOLT BAG
GM-5416TCP
$24.99
$24.99
1
BULL-PIN AND BOLT BAG, CANVAS, TUNNEL
GM-5416T
$12.99
$12.99
1
GME Supply Rescue Kit, Sterling Large Rope Bag,7/16″ HTP Static Red x 300′, PZ-D200S0 Descender/Belay device, 3 each West Fall Pro 4 7/8″ x 3″ Steel carabiner, 1.5Mx25mm Tube Tape sling, PMI Easy pick-off Strap
GM-9025
$744.95
$744.95
1
MaxiFlex Ultimate, 15G Gry. Nylon Shell, Blk.
PP-34-874/L
$3.33
$3.33
1
CORDEX PLUS MIDWEIGHT GLOVE, TAN, SZ L
PZ-K53LT
$49.95
$49.95
1
6470 M Black Outer Layer Thermal Weight
ED-41203
$129.99
$129.99
1
Ergodyne 6465 CORE Performance Work Wear
ED-41103
$114.99
$114.99
2
Rope Connection/Termination Plate
TR-V4260
$48.00
$96.00
1
fieldSENSE Occupational RF Monitor
FS-8500
$490.00
$490.00
1
ZENON Z12 EYEWEAR, CLEAR
PP-250-01-0920
$1.50
$1.50
1
BOUTON ANSER EYEWEAR, BLACK W/SMOKE LEN
PP-250-AN-10112
$3.99
$3.99
2
07400, WestFall Pro 4-7/8″ x 3″ Steel Ca
WF-7400
$18.99
$37.98
2
07420, WestFall 7″ x 3-3/4″ Steel Carabiner
WF-7420
$25.99
$51.98
2
07430, WestFall 9″ x 5-1/2″ Steel Carabiner
WF-7430
$34.99
$69.98
1
WESTFALL SEPARATOR SPREADER BAR
WF-7475
$31.99
$31.99
1
3′ Anchor Pass-Thru Sling Web
FH-7336
$27.99
$27.99
1
6′ Anchor Pass-Thru Sling Web
FH-7372
$31.99
$31.99
Totals –>
$5,347.11
So that is what it will cost to outfit the climber with the basics. This is the normal gear they will use daily. Not anything for weather like sun screen or winter clothing or gloves. I always used gloves, paid for them out of my own pocket because my hands are a very valuable asset. What about boots? Steel toe, winter and summer, steel shank for support. It all matters and the climber normally pays for all of that just to work.
But wait climbing fans, just sit back and think about the other necessities, not the fluids that should always be on site but the other necessities like ropes, brackets, tools, and other necessities. If these are hard to read, then download them from the links above.
Qty
Description
Part #
Price Each
Total ext
1
C3081170 AB Chance Capstan 120 Volt AC P
HB-C3081170
$2,089.95
$2,089.95
1
CAPSTAN WINCH, Hitch Mount
HB-T3080999
$299.95
$299.95
1
C-Bracket
HB-C3080890
$114.99
$114.99
1
SWIVEL BRACKET
HB-C3080903
$299.99
$299.99
1
C3080856- ROPELOCK
HB-C3080856
$154.95
$154.95
1
COMPOSITE DOUBLE BRAID PULLING
EN-CDB160600
$400.00
$400.00
1
3/8″ COMPOSITE DOUBLE BRAID, 600′
EN-CDB120600
$240.00
$240.00
1
4″ ALUMINUM ROPE BLOCK 2500LB WLL
WF-B2500
$365.00
$365.00
3
1250 LB BLOCK W/ FORGED STEEL HOOK
HB-22301
$139.99
$419.97
4
GREEN ENDLESS ROUND SLING, 3′
LX-ENR2-03
$10.25
$41.00
4
Yellow Endless Round Sling – 3′
LX-ENR3-03
$13.50
$54.00
8
5/8″ SCREW PIN ANCHOR SHACKLE
WS-SHA58LR
$9.99
$79.92
8
TUF TUG MATERIAL HANDLING CARABINER, 150
TT-TTMHC-1500
$32.95
$263.60
4
CANVAS BUCKET WITH BLACK MOLDED BOTTOM
GM-5109
$34.99
$139.96
Total –>
$4,206.50
$4,963.28
No, I didn’t think of everything but I put together some basics. This will help show you some costs before we even bought tools. Tools area another subject, but this is for one crew. You will need tools to work, and it depends what you do. Like I aid they will need a laptop to do close out packages, you will need a phone, probably a smart phone to do your work. It is not cheap. Tools are easily over $1,000 for a person, into the thousands when you start doing steel work.
So now you know what goes into a crew’s gear, not laid out in the cleanest way, but you get the idea. It ain’t cheap and it ain’t free! Get it people, it costs money. Money is a big part of safety, like it or not. If the crews don’t get paid, they can’t afford to be safe. If a company takes deductions from the climber, it is wrong!
If someone can lend me a climbing harness and helmet at IWCE, I would appreciate it! I would like to show the crowd what the climber needs to wear everyday.
I have been getting more feedback. I want to get it out there so you can see what people are saying.
More information is on the podcast! Search on iTunes or Stitcher for Wade4wireless and write a review now!
I got some feedback on the climber that was shocked 130 foot up on a tower that I thought was interesting. Comment: “A metal tape can be a lethal weapon when used near electrical lines. A fatal case occurred in Britain on a bridge when a supervisor was measuring how close to train wires to build a scaffold. When the tape “broke”, the contact with the power line below was made and he was electrocuted. Add this to your toolbox talk list – save a life.”
My response: thanks for the feedback, awareness will help!
Another comment to the post on a climber that was shocked 130 foot up on a tower. Comment: “When is enough…enough? Why would someone be using a metal tape anymore the company should be held accountable and the tower climber should know better. As an owner I try to make sure my guys and or gals know what they are doing. This industry is getting me really stressed out. I may not know 99% of the guys out there but we all represent each other. It takes 5 minutes to walk around to make sure everything is good and know what the hazards are it saves 10 hours of paperwork when someone gets hurt. I know FCC DOL and others are trying to change things but I don’t think it will go fast enough and too many companies cutting corners to save a dollar. Sorry if I rambled but I think you are one of the few that actually understand. To many out there who don’t think and would rather have a speed contest or pissing match. I am still trying to fine tune our safety to help everyone who works for us and make things better on our side.”
My response: Thank you and I see this kind of concern everyday! I know that the people who care are passionate about the safety of the climbers, even when many climbers don’t care about their own safety! I know this because when I was climbing I had my priorities messed up. I was concerned about the schedule until I had people work for me. Then I was concerned about their lives. I would like to think that we should be concerned about our own lives as well as the lives of our workmates! When you think of the risk, think of the goal, then think of what could go wrong, minimize the risks if not for your sake or the company’s sake, but think of your family, your parents, your spouses, or your children. Think what they would do with you laid up for a year or worse. Be selfish and take the time to be as safe as you can possibly be. Listen, while this is a physical job, it takes brains and common sense. Use this, use your intuition to look into something when it doesn’t look right. Your time now may save your ass in the end.
I had a comment on my story “A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast” concerning RF radiation, I thought it was a good comment worth sharing. “I grew up around communication towers, my father owned a tower company in Nebraska. The industry has changed considerably thru the last 40 years, safety seems to be the main topic yet it is really not enforced. OSHA has some guidelines in place but compared to similar industries they really don’t have much of a foothold on anyone. As far as exposure to radio frequency they should emphasize more attention to the long-term effects on the human body, and less on whether you need to be trained on how to do the job physically and mentally. It used to be an elite employment opportunity to do tower work, now with cellular sites poked up every direction you look, everyone and their brother has tried the job. Don’t take that to heart, what I mean is most people never really understand what makes the cellular networks work as well as they do. Men and women give up their families to dedicate themselves to multiple weeks on the road, working some of the oddest work schedules, under some of the world’s most strenuous occupations ever. They seem to forget that if it wasn’t for these people, the society we have become a custom to would never have been possible. I am a proud guy who does HVAC work now days, but will always be a climber and will always remember how unique the business was, and will most likely be for as long as most of us finish out this life. Say a prayer for the dedicated folks who invest their lives to assure that our communication is forever improving because of their efforts. Thanks to the ones who have been injured or have lost their lives to the industry. Without all of them, our society as we know it would not be possible.
My response: Thank you! I appreciate the support you give to the workers in the industry!
Here is another feedback comment from “A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast”. Comment: “Hey wade, I think it is great how you put together this blog/website. Do you or have you been employed in tower work? I was just curious buddy? I would love to chat with ya sometime a Lil more extensive about radio frequency expose and basically anything relating to communication industry, except of course the weather men out there, wow, talk about some interesting people! It is truly amazing how many folks it takes to put a 30 minute news clip together, broadcast it and manage everything that goes into true ‘Broadcast’, before digital and during the beginning of microwave 2 gig systems. That’s the real hot sticks, oh and larger Omni a.m. Radio stations! I have burns on my hips from the rivets on my lineman belt I first wore, before the new style 5-6 d-ring full body harness. Like I always tell people, do you ever, very often see or hear radio and t.v. stations off the air, Not a common thing. 10%-50% power is never “off air”, it is regulations they say, but the FCC has never had true guidelines to how the service on a live broadcast antenna is to be performed. There, I feel better…..”
My response: I have climbed for 12 years. I have mostly done work for carriers, public safety, and utilities but have done some broadcast work. I only climbed 2 liver AM towers, but several TV towers. I never had any side effects from the RF, I am very lucky. I do know that the Station to transmitter links, (STL) links we sometimes in the 2GHz range, if I remember correctly. I am not sure what they are now, I know many companies went to fiber. Most broadcast stations are on the air 99.9% of the time because that’s their bread and butter. They do have maintenance windows though. I remember that we would only be allowed to work on some towers during certain hours because some shows were very popular. On AM it was the Rush Limbaugh show, on the east coast we could never climb from noon to 3PM because that show was on. On FM it was usually the hot DJ at the time. For TV it was usually the local news or prime time. TV would usually do the work between midnight and 5AM, FM it was random, each station was different.
What do you think, let me know!
I got a press release I thought I would share with you, Recovery Logistics and Site Resources were purchased by a group of investors, as noted below in the press release. Here it is:
October 17, 2014. Apex, North Carolina.
Private investor group purchases Recovery Logistics, LLC (RLI) and Site Resources, LLC (SRI). The all-cash transaction led by Raleigh businessman Tom Mix was made possible mostly by private investors in the Triangle area.
RLI is a provider of business continuity/disaster recovery services with specific expertise in the wireless telecommunications and utilities industry. Non-emergency routine repairs, maintenance and network upgrade services are provided to Fortune 500 companies in the telecommunications industry through SRI. Together, the companies provide a single-source solution primarily for the wireless telecommunications and utilities industries, handling all background logistics during natural disasters such as power restoration, food, lodging, fuel and transportation.
CEO Tom Mix noted, “They have a unique platform already in place for multiplication. Highly motivated leadership and staff have earned RLI/SRI a proven track record. The small but strong management team needs additional expertise and capital for further expansion. I’m excited to be a key part of their continued growth by providing those resources.”
The combined company is based in Apex, NC, a suburb of Raleigh, NC. Warehouse, call center and equipment facilities are maintained in North Carolina, Texas and Indiana. In the coming months, new locations are scheduled to open in Florida, Nevada and Michigan. RLI has a national client base, serving some of the largest players in the telecommunications and utilities industries. SRI is a leading supplier in telecommunications in the Southeast.
Mix noted, “Disaster recovery and telecommunications services will remain in long-term demand. RLI and SRI are primed for growth, both with a business model of operational excellence. With this acquisition, we are poised to be an industry leader in the wireless industry, while maintaining the quality, safety, and integrity our clients have grown accustomed to.”
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.
More in-depth information is on the podcast! Search on iTunes for Wade4wireless and write a review now!
Topics covered:
Lowest bidder wins, even if they have to cross 3 states to do the work. So many times a tower crew will pass the local crew to do a job. We can’t figure out why one crew can do something for less with the same equipment but traveling farther to do it. What are they not spending money on? Could it be safety gear and training? We really can’t figure that out.
Tower workers are often away from home for 1 to many weeks at one time during a deployment. This job wears people down, affects their family life and their attitudes. It can cause depression and anger issues. Family stress causes so many problems with people. When you are trying to support your family and they resent you for being away, it becomes a painful conundrum.
Deployment speeds are making a difference, crews struggle to keep up with the rate that deployments are moving. Wally brought up that every time he would be on the phone with a foreman/PM/customer they would always end with, “You will be done today, right?” This goes without saying when you look at Kathy Pierce’s story about her some Chad Weller who was ordered to climb in a harness that didn’t fit. Dangerous conditions and wrong equipment make for a disastrous result. Here you have attitudes and deadline that pressure people to make poor decisions. Gette mentioned how many people wanted to refuse to climb but when their paycheck was dangled over their head because the customer/foreman would say they would just find someone else and it would be the last job you would do, climbers feel the pressure to do it. Most times things turn out OK, what about when they don’t? It usually ends badly and then all you have is fingers pointing, OSHA investigating, and lawyers hushing everyone.
Workers and contractors not getting paid. Just because the lowest bidder wins doesn’t mean that the crew will get paid. This is all too common in the industry. Many people are just not paying an agreed to price. This corruption in the industry must stop. It is not only affecting the well-being of the workers, the crews, the safety of people, but causes most people to look at the tower industry with a despicable taste in their mouth. This was one thing that Liz Day brought up, that the other biggest complaint in the industry was not getting paid. The problem with this complaint is proving it. Not many people hiring subs will want to open their books!
Layers upon layers of contractors. Why is it that there can be so many layers of workers between the customer and the actual crew doing the work? This creates problems. Liz Day mentioned that when you search the OSHA database that you never see one death from American Tower, AT&T, nor and large contractor like B&V, because they hire the smaller contractors that pay the price. The larger guys may have their own climbers but mostly for maintenance, not large deployments. What is something bad happens? Then the customer can simply say, the contract says the lowest bidder should be safe. Meanwhile, today they are asking for proof of training and certification, which is a great thing. What about customer safety inspections? That would really help and I believe someone brought that up, either Wally or Craig, can’t remember which one, but they said that AT&T made enough money where they could randomly inspect the work at the site. I will tell you from experience that they inspect the final work with their punch lists. This affects payment, and there is always something that need repaired to delay payment, been there and done that. Final inspection is a key component to getting paid. So in this case the ends will justify the means. When that terrible decapitation happened this year Verizon Wireless stepped in to help with the process because no one else knew what to do. That was the right thing to do. They showed that they care and that they wanted to take action.
Working on the road really wears on some people. When they spend weeks on the road and it shows how their attitudes become different. Each person responds differently. Some get depressed while others get angry and some people become party animals. Why is this? Well, they didn’t bring this up but think of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. Some people become a product of your surroundings meaning if they have a strong leader they will maintain but if the leader is a party animal then peer pressure could play into your actions. Remember that these crews are together, all day and all night. It becomes the family and someone in the crew will be the role model for the younger and more impressionable people. There are exceptions to every rule, but the odds are against most of them.
This was brought up – Tower climbing is being formalized int he education system. Aiken Technical College received a $2.45 million grant from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training competitive grant program for the expansion of the College’s nationally unique Tower Installation training program. This program is supported by the DOL and the DOE.
Commitment – Leaders gave their commitment to helping this cause! Leaders high up like the Honorable Thomas Wheeler of the FCC, Honorable Thomas Perez the Secretary of Labor, Dr David Michaels of OSHA, and Jonathon Adelstein president of PCIA offered to give their full commitment to this cause in full support of Scott Kisling the TIRAP chair to make sure that this program gets wheels! The rubber meets the road and the tires started rolling!
You – Here is where you can be the engine to insure this program has full success. Members of NATE have the ability to make a difference and support each other. Let’s make sure we monitor the industry! Let’s make this program go forward and offer our support. We can only make a difference if we not only support the program, but each other by caring for what happens a year from not. Compassion is contagious, let’s make sure it spreads throughout the industry, from the climber to the foreman to the crew owners to the project managers to the customers! It will take more than a team effort to make this safe, it will take an industry full of compassion to insure true success, ZERO point ZEROcasualties! Do you want to make a difference in this industry, here is your chance! Just say no to unnecessary risks, to dangerous work, to crazy demands. Be realistic and work as a team not only within your company but across the industry. We may be competitors in business but we have the opportunity to stand united. The tower climber can only be strong as an industry. Make a difference and stand for good work ethic, smart working, good ethics, and safe work environments!
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! My books will help teach someone the basics of tower work.
Part 1 – I had to break it down to prevent this from becoming a book. Part 2 will be out soon!
I had a great time, the only thing that would have made it better is free candy. I got to meet many superstars in the industry like Gette Hester, Liz Day, Art Pregler, Wally Rearden, and Todd Schlekeway. I got to discuss business with Doug Lee and a few others. I have to tell you that the wireless industry has so many good people in it. I could go on but I think that most of you would like to hear some feedback on the speakers, so let me move right into my feedback on what each person said.
Quick update – apparently I had everything wrong on the recent water tank fall, the family of the climber reached out to me to straighten me out. I will correct it but I really wanted to finish this first. I am updating the blog and will update the podcast out of respect for the family.
They had a lot of speakers, so I am going to fly through some of them. Now remember that this is my opinion of what each one said, my opinion! If you want more of what I thought, then listen to my podcast. I will have an extended version of each on there. More information is available athttp://www.fcc.gov/events/workshop-tower-climber-safety-and-injury-protectionif you want to see what they have first hand.
These people are making a difference in the industry. The measuring stick will come in 1 year, to see if the industry can shape up. Every one of you in wireless deployment can play a part to make this the safest industry if you only can be smart, be safe, and pay attention. Correct the problems.
More in-depth information is on the podcast! Search on iTunes for Wade4wireless and write a review now!
Roger C. Sherman, Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC – The opening remarks by Chief Roger Sherman of the FCC was a good start, got us off on the right foot.
David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA – Dr Michaels kicked it off with his speech on how most of the accidents out there were preventable. Dr Michaels committed to doing everything he could to make sure the industry is as safe as it possibly can be with
Kathy Pierce, Hubble Foundation – Then came Kathy and she brought the room to tears with her memory of how things happened the day she lost her son. She opened up about her son’s accident. She recounted that terrible day and how that accident should never have happened. This woman poured her heart out in front of a group of people who needed to hear it. This was enough to make you realize that change in necessary to prevent this from ever happening again! She recounted that horrible day when her son went up on that water tower in a wrong size harness only to never go home that night. It makes you realize that the people who get hurt or die in something like this aren’t the only people who suffer! The families of these people pay a dear price in loss and suffering. Many of them never get the answers they deserve.
Dave Anthony, Shenandoah Tower Service – Boy, if someone like Dave ran every company I don’t think there would ever be an accident in the industry again! This guy took the safety and policies that he was able to implement in his company and shared them this group. He firmly believes that change needs to come from the top down. From the owners down to the climber. The attitude around the way that policies are laid out and given to the climber need to be more than writing in an employee handbook but preached on a daily basis. The climber needs to know that the leaders care as much as they do!
Liz Day, City University of New York (CUNY) – to refresh your memories, Liz did the expose when she worked with Propublica, links here and here and here and here. This woman is a statistical machine! She talked about what she learned in the stories she got from people in the industry. She also pointed out that tracing the death and accidents in the industry was very hard because you can’t look at the carriers, like AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless, nor can you look at Black and Veatch and Bechtel, because the tower crews are very small companies, they are working for a contractor that when an accident happens the groups up the food chain simply pass it off as “Not my problem!”. She told a story about how one person’s family tried to sue one of the carriers only to lose because they were removed from the work and had statements in their contracts about safety.
Bridgette Hester, Hubble Foundation – If you are reading this then you probably know Gette and her work with the Hubble Foundation. She had a presentation which you can get here. Gette explained the toll that these workers have just doing the job and traveling so much. So many workers are on the road and already have strained family lives. This causes distractions in the field when they start to worry about what is going on at home or how they missed their child’s first steps. It can become such a distraction that worked don’t pay attention, become angry, or very depressed.
Wallace Reardon, Workers at Heights Health and Safety Initiative – Wally is a pretty outspoken guy that speaks his mind and he had a presentation which you can find here. Wally also brought up the fact that just because most climbers talk about safety, many do not practice what they preach. He mentioned how he would go to tower sites where work is being done only to find out that speed was more important than safety. Even recently he noticed that climbers are working faster with safety playing second fiddle to the deadline. Wally repeatedly said how most project managers or job leads would always end their conversation with the statement, “you will be done today, right?” This was to hammer home that they cared more about the deadline than anything else. Time and money are the priority, with safety becoming an inconvenience and afterthought. One more thing, Wally mentioned how angry most climbers get when they are away from home so long. I believe it was Wally that brought up how one of them even got suicidal due to a family crisis.
Jonathan Campbell, PCIA – OK, first let me say this was the youngest looking guy in the room! I thought maybe he was fresh out of college. I know he is not that young, but when he is my age he will still look like he is in his 20s! Now, with that said, it is great that PCIA is getting involved and that they will get the carriers to push the safety agenda! To have the PCIA represent the carriers in this effort to save lives should really help the carriers become an active participant in industry reform since they provide so much work.
John Johnson, Black & Veatch – John gave a pretty good opening speech that I really appreciated. He mentioned how B&V did all the safety training and yet they were still having problems in the field. The one thing that they had to implement was training on how to do the job. Then they started adding training for the tasks as well as the safety training and they started to see improvement. Listen, I have been no fan of B&V in the past because of the competition, but I have to admit what John said made a lot of sense. He said B&V put together a training plan that would cover the worker’s job as well as their safety needs. It really made sense.
Craig Lekutis, WirelessEstimator.com – What can I say, Craig is a smart guy and it was great to hear what he had to say. He covered the stats and the climber’s plight in the field. This guy is in touch with the climbers and mentioned how many times the climber is pushed to meet the schedule.
Art Pregler, AT&T – Art gave a speech on how AT&T is setting new safety standards for the industry from the customer perspective. They are working with these other groups to make sure that the safety message becomes a standard in any deployment. Art mentioned how they are working with NATE to improve climber’s safety from day one of the job.
Paul Roberts, American Tower – Let me tell you, Paul can talk, this guy was fun to listen to and he made some good points. He mentioned that ATC does have climbers that take safety very seriously. These climbers under Paul’s watch have the right to not only stop work but to throw anyone off of the tower that is not actively 100% tied off. He also mention how he was trying to work with other tower owners to make sure all safety standards are practices while they are on watch. To do this we need a solid standard in place that all tower owners can agree on. If they truly can be the safety guardians of the towers. Paul brought up how there are several standards to be followed in this industry. He also recommended that we all read MIL-STD-882, I found 882E online here.
Todd Schlekeway, NATE – Todd was there and had a good speech but the most important thing, to me, is when Todd mentions that NATE is working on a consolidated safety standard for the tower industry. Why is this so important? Because it would unite all of the other standards for everyone in the industry to work from. To me, this would be a very important step in uniting the industry, especially if all agencies could adopt it and follow it. Then the companies would adopt it and follow it.
Scott Kisting, TIRAP Chair – Scott gave a rousing speech about TIRAP, a program which is reality and was christened at this event. That is making this a historic event. This is why this event happened. This is why the people in this industry are working together.
Jonathan S. Adelstein, President, PCIA, and Former FCC Commissioner – Jonathon gave his commitment to the effort moving forward. He mentioned how PCIA would like to make wireless deployment move ahead safely and smoothly. If he can convince the carriers to work with their contractors to insure safety, then we can really expect the carriers to carry some of the burden. That would really help the industry in this time of need.
Hon. Thomas E. Wheeler, Chairman, FCC – Mr. Wheeler was kind enough not only to make this event, give a speech, but show his support for the tower workers in the USA. This speech was something that should make all of the climbers be appreciated that the FCC commissioner is taking the time and resources to propose changes for the climbing personnel in the industry. The commissioner expects to see improvement in not only the fatality rate, but the accident rate seen among climbers. I believe he was reinforcing his commitment to the wireless deployment teams everywhere by supporting this initiative.
Hon. Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of Labor – The Department of Labor has always been committed to worker safety. I believe that, thanks to Mr. Perez and the efforts of Dr Michaels, that the TIRAP program has full support of the DOL and will be used as a measuring tool for all climbing companies to follow. By working with the FCC and private industry Mr. Perez has worked diligently to provide a brighter future for the wireless deployment teams across the USA.
You, the tower worker, foreman, crew owner, project manager – You didn’t think I forgot about you, the crews and companies that could not make this event did you? You play a key part in this effort! I took a vacation day, spent my own money to be there, just to keep all of you informed, so don’t let me down or the industry down! If you thought it was all about the people who showed up on October 14th, 2014, then you didn’t pay attention. Listen – here is where you can make a serious dent in the industry. I know we always say safety is an attitude, but its work! It’s money! It takes time! It is a team effort, and you, the tower crew owner, foreman, project manager, and the tower climber have the best chance to make this work! Don’t just ignore this or say it was done in Washington DC and that you have had no say! Take it seriously and make an effort!
OK, I gave you my feedback on each speaker. I bet you’re asking, will this initiative work? Are you willing to work to support this initiative? Well that is up to you, isn’t it? This isn’t the seat-belt law where the cops will be waiting to find you on the highway and give you a ticket so you can survive a crash. OSHA will be watching but they don’t have the resources that most police departments do. They are forced to come in after the accident and determine why it happened and make sure it won’t happen again. They will start to monitor accidents after the fact. If you want to prevent them from showing up, then make sure that you are accident free by following all the safety practices you can. Will you make sure that there are no more accidents, at least in your watch? Or will you say it’s somebody else’s job and that you have no control or that someone made you do something stupid. Maybe it’s time for you to take responsibility for your actions in your company.
If someone gets hurt, it has a huge ripple effect. If someone gets hurt under your watch then who is to blame? This program will require all of you, from the top down and from the bottom up to pay attention. Can you do that? Listen, accidents will still happen, but maybe we can reduce stupidity and arrogance.
I know so many climbers complaining about so many things. What if we all focused in the safety factor here, end to end? What if we take a moment to look at what is in our control? You are a climber then inspect you equipment, and know what the SOW says. If you are the foreman then did you set realistic expectations for the work and the schedule? If you are the project manager do you understand the time line and the limitations of the worker? If you run the crew did you put your worker’s well being first by providing them the tools, the gear, and the time they need to do the job safely and right? If you are the customer did you hire a crew you trust to follow and enforce safety practices and get paid? If you are the GC, did you make sure all your crews have been vetted properly and paid on time? How can you expect the crew to work safely when they don’t get paid?
You see, it’s not all on one person or one department. It takes an industry to act as a team. It takes effort on your part. It takes cooperation, communication, dedication and caring. Do you care? We will see a year from now, won’t we?
I want you to think about something, when the San Francisco Bay Bridge was built, an acceptable death rate was one life for every million dollars spent,link here and scroll down to 1933.There were 28 fatalities building that bridge. Do you know what the acceptable fatality rate is today? Zero point zero!
I will have a part 2 on this soon. It is too long for one post.
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! So feel free to buy one of my books and maybe they will help you learn something that you didn’t know or teach someone who needs to know.
Just a reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday, October 14th, is the FCC Tower Safety and Injury protection workshop. This will be the roundtable for climber safety regulations for future and current climbers. This will set the safety standards for the tower climbing industry going forward. My post is here.
The information I posted is copied here –“Update: The FCC and Department of Labor are teaming up for the Tower Climber Safety and Injury workshop. Read about it here. It will be on the internet live, go here on October 14th at 9:30AM ET. I am really looking forward to this because the standards are being set. I want to get to DC so I can witness history first hand. This will be the day that climbing standards will be well-defined in the US. The agenda is here. I am curious how many actual climbers will be helping out and how many will offer their advice. Some big names in the industry will be there, like Gette Hester, Wally Reardon, Dave Anthony, Art Pregler, and Craig Lekutis. NATE will have Todd Schlekeway representing them. It should be a big day but the real test will be to see what will happen afterwards. Will rigging standards be set, will there be more than 100% tie off promotions? Will there be real standards set that will be enforceable? I know all the chances I took back when I climbed, now the standard regulations will be set. Remember that what happens here will determine how many lives will be saved in the future. This will shape the industry for the better, I hope. With safety, climber’s values will go up, so will billable hours, so will the number of people who live! This may have the ability to make the industry as safe as it can possibly be. I hope they make progress!”
Listen to the podcast for more information! Search on iTunes for Wade4wireless and write a review now!
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! So feel free to buy one of my books and maybe they will help you learn something that you didn’t know or teach someone who needs to know.
Update: The FCC and Department of Labor are teaming up for the Tower Climber Safety and Injury workshop. Read about it here. It will be on the internet live, go here on October 14th at 9:30AM ET. I am really looking forward to this because the standards are being set. I want to get to DC so I can witness history first hand. This will be the day that climbing standards will be well-defined in the US. The agenda is here. I am curious how many actual climbers will be helping out and how many will offer their advice. Some big names in the industry will be there, like Gette Hester, Wally Reardon, Dave Anthony, Art Pregler, and Craig Lekutis. NATE will have Todd Schlekeway representing them. It should be a big day but the real test will be to see what will happen afterwards. Will rigging standards be set, will there be more than 100% tie off promotions? Will there be real standards set that will be enforceable? I know all the chances I took back when I climbed, now the standard regulations will be set. Remember that what happens here will determine how many lives will be saved in the future. This will shape the industry for the better, I hope. With safety, climber’s values will go up, so will billable hours, so will the number of people who live! This may have the ability to make the industry as safe as it can possibly be. I hope they make progress!
Update: Hey, did you hear that Wireless Horizon has contested the fines that OSHA is handing them? It’s true! They think that they have a story to get out of the fines. We’ll see. I would like to hear what the defense is.
Update: RCR did a story on tower climbing job search tips. Find out what they say here. Trust me, you need all the help you can get. I see jobs posting all the time and yet there are so many people looking.
On my new Microphone!Search on iTunes for Wade4wireless or click below and write a review!
Feedback Below, remember these are your words!
Thank you all for your comments. I could not post them all here but I will post them!
Feedback on the botched rescue attempt where the FD had to rescue 2 climbers 50′ up! Original post here. Feedback says: “Hi Wade, wow another unbelievable news story about how the FD has had to rescue someone!! There’s something far wrong here. Why do people go to work on towers without a rescue plan and a rescue system? They are not expensive to put together. I wonder if it’s a case sometimes of kit being available but not having the confidence to carry out a rescue. This I know you have asked before, whether people would carry out a rescue. Really, if people work in this industry they should be prepared to rescue mentally and have the physical means available. UK H&S legislation specifies that a review plan and mean of rescue must be in place for activities such as work at height and confined spaces. It specifically states that the emergency services must not be relied upon as part of a rescue plan. What happens if a commercial incident occurs where the emergency services attend and there has been no other rescue provision in place is that the HSE (UK equivalent of OSHA) investigate via the local Police department and people end up with fines? If serious injury or death results, those responsible are in court. It’s not perfect over here either. Despite regular team rescue training, we need to re-certify our rescue every year. The amount of people who find this terrifying despite having passed the annual refresher for years is mind-boggling. Perhaps it’s the training industry paying lip service and just putting bodies through courses that don’t address actual training needs and build people’s confidence or perhaps this is symptomatic of the current worldwide demand for people to work in high places like towers and turbines and there’s not enough time for people to become seasoned. Perhaps there are not enough people who have an aptitude for heights. I don’t know the answers but it’s a good job that the fire departments take rescue seriously!”
My response is that you are correct, do climbers practice rescue? What happened there? Do we take rescue as seriously as we should when we go out to a remote spot to do a very dangerous job?
More feedback on same post, “Good to hear this guy is safe. But…when will people learn, you need a viable rescue plan while at heights, one that is achievable and not just writing on a piece of paper.”
My response, you are correct sir!
Feedback on OSHA fining Wireless Horizons, blog is here. Feedback: “Managers, directors and owners: Please don’t think about compliance with OSHA requirements as a way to avoid fines. Think about being the safest operation possible to protect the lives of sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, all the men who show up to support your business. Don’t they deserve your support in return?”
My response, well said!
Another feedback statement on that same post, “I’m pushing for all climbers to look out for each other at all times and under all conditions, if somebody is doing something wrong and nobody says anything to that person or shows or makes that person do it the correct way that’s their asses that’s gonna get chewed just the same if not fired just the same because we don’t want people who don’t look out for their sisters or brothers! Once we get both our hands and feet on the tower all we have up there are the people working right beside us so we have to depend on each other, all we have is each other and nobody else, so ya better hope you got some trustworthy people by your side That’s watching your back! Or ya just might end up dead just cause nobody spoke up to you or for you! And I hope this sinks into people heads Cause it’s definitely a problem brother, and a deadly problem at that! Thanks for providing a place for a voice to be heard.”
My response, thank you for spreading the word!
Let me know your pain! I have more feedback to post and I will continue next time. Meanwhile, what problems do you see out there? What do you think of the FCC and DOL teaming up? Do you think this is progress? Let me know! Wade4wireless@gmail.com
Soon I will release my training for the SOW and more, to build your library of basic knowledge so you can advance in your job and the industry! So feel free to buy one of my books and maybe they will help you learn something that you didn’t know or teach someone who needs to know.
