Tag Archives: rooftop hazards

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Tower Safety: Australia versus USA

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Hey guys,

First off, we had another fallen worker this month and I would like all of  you to take a moment of silence in remembrance.

Well it’s time for the world cup!Soccer is exciting to the world! In North America and Australia we both say soccer, but to the rest of the world it’s football. Either way Let’s see how we stack up against each other in tower safety. I got some information on the high risk work certifications that Australia has from Dennis Lundin. I met Dennis on LinkedIn. He was nice enough to send me a boatload of information over. Thank you Dennis!

Leave me a review in iTunes here.

Here in the USA we have a high number of accidents that result in death. I often wanted to compare it to other countries where the government regulates the tower business. Here in the USA we are more or less self-regulated. We rely on the industry to regulate itself. I know you have businesses out there that say they keep an eye on it, but how? They really just give guidelines and they rely on OSHA to follow-up. Are we being proactive in accident prevention?

Now that OSHA is coming out with updated rules I thought it would be interesting to see what Australia does. I virtually met Dennis Lundin on LinkedIn. He was nice enough to send all this information on how it works down under. Here is what he sent me. It covers more than tower climbing, it cover construction in general. It covers risk management.

So what is the USA doing wrong? I really don’t know except maybe we have more work or maybe the lack of safety regulation is hurting the climber’s safety. Don’t you wonder why we don’t have more regulation for an occupation where the percentage of death is so high? Is it that government doesn’t care about the workers that make their communications system work? Here is a critical cog in the machine and the accidents seem to be accepted, not prevented. Is it because when it happens it is out at a tower site, not close to the public? I don’t understand. What is an allowable death rate? I think ZERO is the only answer.

We have similar documentation here in the US. We should know better. So what is happening here? If you look at http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=International%20Tower%20Climber%20Deaths you will see that deaths overseas appear to be lower than here in the US.

Dennis was kind enough to take the time to put all of this together so we can understand what they are doing there. They seem to have a better track record that we do.

From Dennis:
By Law, to work in Towers or on Roof Tops, etc a worker must have: 

  • License To Perform High Risk Work (renewed every 5 Years) 
  • Dogging – DG 
  • Basic Rigging – RB 
  • Intermediate Rigging – RI 
  • Advanced Rigging – RA 
  • Certification To Perform High Risk Work (renewed every 3 Years) 
  • WHS Card 
  • Working at Heights 
  • Working on Roofs 
  • Tower Climbing 
  • Tower Rescue 
  • Senior First Aid with CPR 
  • RF Awareness 

License To Perform High Risk Work 
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/licensing/Licencesandcertificates/highriskworklicences/Pages/default.aspx 
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/licensing/Licencesandcertificates/Pages/Scaffoldingrigginganddogging.aspx 
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/NEWLEGISLATION2012/Pages/default.aspx 
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/publications/Pages/factsheetfallfromheights.aspx 
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/publications/Pages/WC01321_SafeWorkingatHeightsGuide.aspx 

Certification To Perform High Risk Work 
https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/ohs/DEE_EHU-08-1-1_Working_at_Height_Procedure.pdf

Permit To Perform High Risk Work on Buildings (Roof Tops, Platforms,etc) (renewed for every job) 
A Work at Heights Permit and Induction Certification from the Building Owner and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) which need to be Fill-Out and signed each day by the Site Supervisor and all Riggers. 

Access To Perform High Risk Work on Towers (renewed for every job) 
Access Permit and Induction Certification from the Tower Owner (which need to see all above Licence To Perform High Risk Work and Certification To Perform High Risk Work) and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) which need to be Fill-Out and signed each day by the Site Supervisor and all Riggers. 

Induction Certification (renewed every 2 Years) 
Tower Owner or Building Owner will typical use a company like Rapidinduct to set up and run the Induction services. All above Licence To Perform High Risk Work and Certification To Perform High Risk Work) and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) need to be uploaded to the system and approved before Induction can be permitted. 

See Sample of Induction Site 
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au 
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au/online-induction-solutions.html 
https://www.rapidinduct.com.au/contractor_Induction.html 

Also a Method Of Procedure (MOP) must be in place in the SWMS 

Per Dennis: As I install Microwave Links, my MOP is below Step by Step Tower Installation Procedure ;

  • Access site and logon as per Tower/Building Owner and Vertel instructions
  • Complete daily SWMS highlighting any apparent hazards and complete toolbox talk 
  • Confirm drawings are correct cross check with RF design plan 
  • Unpack Dish and assemble as per manufacturer’s instructions that are supplied with the Dish 
  • Assemble Dish Mount as per supplied drawings 
  • Unpack and complete visual inspection of rigging and harness equipment 
  • Check RadMan for operation and calibration 
  • Call in outage (if any) with Tower Owner, confirm with either on site technician or NOC that power has been reduced 
  • Set up block and tackle 2 meters above the intended Dish Mount position, employ 100% attachment techniques whilst accessing tower to install block and tackle, use only tower ladder to access tower 
  • Use only a block with inbuilt braking system and ensure block and tackle is suitably rated for the task at hand 
  • Approach red zone of tower with caution monitoring RadMan for RF activity 
  • Hand haul Dish Mount into position keeping clear of existing equipment 
  • Attach and secure Dish Mount as per supplied drawings 
  • Hand haul Dish and ODU into position and secure as per manufacturers instructions 
  • Pre-terminate Connector to Feeder on ground and hand haul into position, connect to ODU and seal connection in approved manner 
  • Secure Feeder to Tower Feeder Brackets with appropriate Cable Tries or Cable Hangers that suit the Feeder being used 
  • Install Earthing (Ground) Kits to Feeder as per manufacturer’s instructions 
  • Route the Feeder into the Cabinet or Hut via the gland plate and appropriate size gland and terminate as per the manufacturer’s instructions at the IDU mounting location 
  • Power up equipment and align Dish as per manufacturer’s instructions and Vertel MLT 
  • Once tower work is complete contact NOC to close outage (if any) 
  • Clean up site and remove all rubbish, log off site and ensure compound is secure.

So who wins? Let me know what you think, get me on Facebook (hit Like while you are there!)or leave a comment. The way I see it is Australia gets an A while the USA gets a D because we still have so many fatalities. D is very poor, but look at our track record. We have so many people who try to make the USA #1 in training and prevention but we are dropping the ball when it comes to responsibility within the companies. Safety is the priority and schedule should be a distant 3rd after safety budget. Let’s make the rest of the year safe and healthy and no more injuries! At least no more preventable injuries.

Also, still have my books for sale at Wireless Field Aid and An Introduction to Tower Climbing.

I have some good stuff coming up for you faithful followers. I am working on an interview with the FCC people on RF radiation, more tick talk, and some small cell deployment problems.

Tower Shelters
Tower Shelters
RIP
RIP
Tower road
Tower road
Tower Base
Tower Base
Two Towers
Two Towers
Wade4Wireless BlogCast

A Story of RF Radiation Poisoning, Blogcast Podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Hello everybody. I have something special for you today. I have an interview with someone who had RF Radiation poisoning. I wrote a blog a few weeks back that had information in it about the climber that got RF poisoning years ago. His name is Bruce Elle and he was kind enough to let me interview him and broadcast it on my Blog Cast podcast. You can listen to it here or get it on iTunes. It is over an hour so it’s not something that you can fly through.

I did edit out some swear words, the best I could. This is an adult conversation so be aware not to have children around for this. It is over an hour so make time to listen.

Bruce and I have a goal of alerting people of the hazards of RF radiation.We would like make sure you get the point that safety matters. Although we jump around in our conversation we want to drive home that the more you know the more you respect yourself. Respect yourself by looking for ways to keep you healthy, now and in the long run. You have the tools available to ensure that you will be safe barring a major failure, which happens in this business.

We start out by going into Bruce’s background as a climber and the history of the climbing business. Many people think that the way things are now is how it’s always been. Let me tell you it has come a long way. The advances in climbing and safety have been greatly advance through training and education. The thing about climbers is that they hate to change the way they do things. So the key is to show them how it will help them improve their work and be safer. It is hard to slow down a seasoned climber because they want to race up the tower and get the job done. The focus is changing now to make sure that the job is not only done right but safety is the focus.

Focus, this is one thing that we all seem to have a problem with today. When you are going to head up the tower you need to have focus. Someone needs to be looking out for you. That is why I say the crew needs to work together, so that each person is looking for something that they other person may have missed. But, back to the interview.

Bruce talks about how he climbed up the tower that day he got radiated. He was working on the antenna 550 feet up in the air. This was in February and he was sweating while sitting on the antenna. The beacon was on the antenna. For all of you guys that do cellular work may not understand that broadcast antennas were huge and the beacons were on the antenna itself. The antenna would be a huge steel structure made to be mounted on top of a tower. The engineering that went into these was amazing because it would not only radiate but it would need to be a solid steel structure, in this case 50’ high, that you could climb on and it had a beacon on top.

So he was sitting on the antenna was on low power, which in this case was 35,000 watts coming out of the transmitter. This was considered safe at that time, can you believe it? This was considered safe for someone to site on the antenna to change out the beacon. This was considered a normal day at work.

Bruce didn’t have any real pain right away, he just felt really hot for the middle of February. He didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary until he got home that night, then the fever hit. He had to take an ice bath to break the fever. This was the beginning of so many problems that he still deals with today.

Back then he didn’t have RF alert meters, RF suits, or anything like that. Today you have the opportunity to prepare for the unseen hazards of RF radiation by preparing yourself with those tools. Bruce is telling this story so that no other human goes through the pain and suffering he has endured. OK, get it, he is trying to help all of you by sharing his experience. Listen carefully if you want to live a healthy life. Quality of life matters.

Listen to the interview, Bruce lead a climber’s life, not always perfect but he learned on the way. If you are new to this business you will learn a lot about the lifestyle. You can learn from his mistakes and set yourself up for success. Come up with a plan that will work for you. Think about how you can improve your life by reviewing the safety and lifestyle changes that will make you a better person in the long run. Bruce did this to help you all live a better life, he is here to help.

Let me know what you think. I am here to get the word out. I have a book for new climbers here. Like me on Facebook!

Here are some links, old and new, that will shed some light on RF Radiation poisoning.

1980 News on RF Radiation

2013 News on RF Radiation

HPIM2111

HPIM2084 HPIM2097

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Raise awareness! Does your customer love the tower climber? Time for action!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Hello all,

By the way, I have my Blog Cast live on iTunes now. Subscribe if you dare!

Let me ask you something, does your customer really care about you? I see that the safety initiatives are all led by the carriers, NATE, and the tower companies. Hey climbers and engineers, are you represented? I’m sure you are by the contractors out there that tell you the project needs to be done yesterday. So they have created the stand down week and the new NATE site, http://natehome.com/100-tie-off-24-7 to encourage 100% tie off campaign. That will raise awareness in most of the industry. What about the people who don’t know what you do? Well, it’s up to you as a group to raise awareness. Let’s see if this works.

Let’s make people aware, when go to a carrier’s store, ask them what their company is doing to promote tower climber safety? (Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile to start with) Do you think that most device sales people know that you risk your life to make sure that they can text their friends? Now is that time! Let them know that you play a key role in the industry. Send an email to the carriers, get the email from your bill or their website, and ask them what they, the carrier, are doing to ensure that you are safe! It’s a simple question. Better yet, ask your family and friends send an email to ask the carriers what they are doing to make sure that the people they love are safe! It’s a team effort to ensure that the world knows about the climbers and engineers that work out at the tower sites! The carriers are very influential in this industry. They spend a lot of money on lobbyists to make sure that deployments go smoothly. Let’s make sure that they know that the worker needs their support. PCIA made announcements how they were working with the governments to ensure a smooth wireless roll out by overriding additional permitting.

Broadcast workers should be doing all that they can to be sure that you are safe. The TV and radio people should all know the stations that they work for are doing all that they can to ensure climber safety! Reach out to your favorite show, by phone or by email and ask them what they are doing! Trust me, most people in broadcast have a great deal of respect for you when they know what you do. 

Do you do government work? Well, are they making sure all of the climbers are properly trained and have all of the safety gear that is needed to do the job safely? Don’t call any governments, they probably have no idea about anything outside of their office. However, you could look up your congressman, but unless it’s an election year they may or may not answer you. It takes big numbers to get their attention. If congress or the house interests you then go here and here . For the president you can go here but I think he has bigger things to worry about. Now OSHA can be reached here. OSHA is who should be looking after the worker, so they would be the best contact if there is an incident. OSHA is there to help, they would be the ones I would call on for help and they are taking an interest in climbing in the USA. However, only reach out to them if you see a problem. I do think that regulation of the climbing industry will be coming. Look at all of the accidents out there. Not just the ones we heard about but the ones that are not reported. There are many. I would like to think that OSHA, EPA, and the FCC are doing all that they to make sure that people are safe. One of the problems in the USA is that crossing departments causes more problems. I think that they could learn from police task forces. I talked with several drug enforcement agencies that pulled in resources from the state police, local police, the FBI, the Coast Guard, and army so that they could work together to catch the bad guys. I am hoping that OSHA and the EPA and the FCC would create, if they didn’t already, a coalition to make sure that workers that are exposed to RF and tower dangers would be represented properly. I plan to release a post with more information soon.

Let me know what you are doing with this article! Something or nothing, email to the carriers? What?!? Let me know!

OK, I have 2 books, Worker’s Aid and An Introduction to Tower Climbing.

HPIM2418
Wade4Wireless
Picture1
Wade4Wireless Workers
Tower top cell
Wade4Wireless Tower Top
Wade4Wireless BlogCast

My Top 11 Rooftop Hazards, BlogCast Episode 001.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Hello wireless field workers!

It’s time we go over some common rooftop hazards, specifically high rises but this could be on any building rooftop.

Welcome to my new BlogCast Podcast: If you would rather listen in a new window, here you go, listen here.

1)      Poorly marked hazards – this would include missing high voltage signs or missing RF Radiation signs. All common risks on the rooftop that should be clearly marked. Sometimes there is a large cooling unit that you should stay clear of unless your antenna is mounted to it.

2)      Missing safety rails around the rooftops edge – not all buildings have safety rails, but if they do then you expect all around the roof. So be aware of what is around the edge. Walk the rooftop first so you understand where the open areas are. The safety rail might only cover part of the roof or may be in very poor condition. Pay attention!

3)      Poor weather conditions – what I mean by this is when you are on a roof it could be icy and windy. This is common when on a roof, and you have to walk over the ice. Wet roof tops can be slippery and if you start to slide on a sloped roof, you have problems! Oh, don’t’ forget the heat, you may be on a roof with no shade. You will need water and to stay cool. Hot and cold can hurt you! If you get heat stroke you tend to do stupid things or could lose consciousness. Let’s not forget snow! Snow adds weight to the roof and hides all of the hazards. Rain makes us hurry around forgetting to look where we are going. Lightning is also something that may strike you dead. Be smart!

4)      Electrical wiring – often times there are air conditioning units everywhere. They often get worked on. I have seen more exposed wiring on roof tops than almost anywhere. I think it’s because no one goes out there unless they have to. So just be aware that a wire could be sticking out and if you rub against it then you will jump when it bites you.

5)      Falling – Be aware of the edge! I know, this seems like common sense, but do you know where the edge is? Are you tied off near the edge? It is a good idea to make use your harness is tied to a secure point if you are within 6’ of the edge of the roof. If there is no safety rail you should tie off for safety’s sake.

6)      Sharp objects – there are often sharp objects or beams or loose bricks sticking out on a rooftop. You may or may not need your helmet. Make sure you do a site walk and identify the hazards ahead of time.

7)      Holes – maybe this doesn’t make sense, I mean these are business buildings for the most part, and yet they have holes in them. Some have overhangs that extend beyond the normal building and I have seen openings that people could fall through. Just be alert and make a note of all openings. Sometimes there is only a half roof on the roof where the cooler could be. They often put privacy walls on the roof tops where you could mount on top. Just look around when walking up there.

8)      RF Radiation – here you go, you’re on a roof top where most of the RF is within 30’ of you vertically. Think about it, it may only be 10′ to 20’ over your head and 20′ away from you. Your body will be  feeling the full effect of whatever is up there. Does it feel warm now? Maybe you need to put that RF Alert meter back on!

9)      Trip hazards – you heard me! Think of all the crap to look down for, drain covers, sky lights, stink pipes, and electrical boxes all sticking up from the roof top. All these things can be a hazard if you don’t pay attention to where you are going. Keep your eyes open and be alert.

10)   Crazy people – I did work on the roof tops of several Atlantic City Casinos, and it pays to be well aware of who is up there with you. When someone wants to jump, they generally look for the highest and easiest accessible place to go. So make sure you lock the door behind you. It pays to be careful, safe, and secure. If you have ever worked in a rough neighborhood at night, you know that leaving the building may be just as risky as being on the roof. I think most of us have had our vehicles broken into at some point, just imagine that crazy person on the roof with you. Be smart and safe.

11)   Stupidity – yes, this is usually the #1 reason people get hurt. They don’t do a survey before they work, they don’t recognize the simple things like the pitch of the roof, the ice on the roof, or where the edge is. They walk backwards pulling that rope and trip over the edge. Some guys like to joke around and they slip. The roof could be a split level and someone just didn’t pay attention. Also remember to stay hydrated while working on a rooftop! So many people just forget to take water and food with them when they may be up there all day. Another thing, remember when you are cutting something, like Vapor seal or tape, to cut away from your body and not towards your body. I know so many people that got stitches, (one guy lost an eye), just because they cut towards their body and not away. Is that stupid? Have you ever done it? What is the first thing you think if you cut yourself? Boy was that stupid!

My new book is here, I created a worker’s aid so you would have a reference along with you in the field. Your internet may or may not work so make sure you either print this out or have it on your laptop. I think you need to make sure you are prepared. If you get it, please let me know what you think.

Let me know what you’re struggling with and let me see if I can help.

If you are thinking of entering the tower climbing field, read this first, .

References;

http://simplifiedsafety.com/blog/top-10-rooftop-safety-hazards/

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA-3513roof-snow-hazard.pdf

http://www.uwsa.edu/risk-management/safety/uwsres/presentations.htm

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/index.html

Feel free to leave comments or reach me on Facebook.

(Twitter @Wade4Wireless)

OSHA has a heat safety app, https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/heat_app.html

In case you wonder why I went to 11, it’s because I was a fan of Spinal Tap, this will explain it all!

Continue reading My Top 11 Rooftop Hazards, BlogCast Episode 001. →