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FCC DOL Tower Safety Workshop Panel 1 Breakdown

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Hello everyone. On February 11th I went to 445 12th St SW, Washington DC, which you may know better as the FCC headquarters. What was I doing there? I was invited to participate on a panel of the Tower Safety Workshop. First off, I think that it’s great that the FCC and DOL/OSHA got together to do something like this for the tower industry. Not only for the tower industry, but for the wireless industry! The FCC shows that they care enough to host this and OSHA is making every effort to understand the problems out in the field. They are working to support all efforts to prevent death and injury at the tower site. It will take a team effort to make this happen. Who is on the team? The FCC, DOL/OSHA, wireless carriers, tower climbers, wireless contractors, and everyone working in the wireless and broadcast industry. This means you! It needs to be a team effort. I consider myself part of that team, do you?

Thank you FCC and DoL/OSHA for putting this together, for taking the time to show you care about making this a better industry.

Video of the workshop and information found by clicking here.

First off, let’s look at what the problem is. Tower climbers die. They die working on tower when they fall. There are many reasons for the accidents. They could be due to a poorly trained climber or crew, a climber got complacent or lazy, shortcuts were taken, or maybe it was just an accident. Sometime accident happen or equipment just fails. When someone falls from over 80 feet off the ground it usually ends in a fatality.

If you think it isn’t a big deal, you don’t understand how a death can affect a family. So let me ask you to visualize something. You’re at a site watching the climber go up the tower. You see them put all their gear on, you see them attach the safety gear and perform 100% tie off. Or, maybe you don’t pay attention to what they are doing at all, maybe you’re worried about your job. Then look again, and imagine that it’s a child, your child, going up the tower. Imagine that your child is making a mistake or not tied off properly. Imagine you see your child slipping off that tower from only 50 feet up and there is nothing you can do! Now how do you feel about that climber, knowing that it could be your child falling. That they will die if they make a mistake? It really puts it in a different light knowing that someone’s child, possibly your child, could die. Many people lost children because of this over the years. This is why we will prevent as many as we can. We would like to prevent all of them if possible. Nobody wants to lose another family member.

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There was so much covered at the workshop. So much more that I can really cover. I intend to cover most of it and point out things I agree with, disagree with, and things that were missed. I really can’t get it all in one article.

Video of the workshop and information found by clicking here.

There were 3 panels and several speeches. I don’t want to slight anyone but I would like to cover the parts that really stuck out.

I don’t want to discount the opening speeches that were made by some very important people in the industry.

  • Tom Wheeler, (FCC Chairman and if you don’t know who he is, IMG_3371wake up), opened it up with a speech on the loss we have seen in the industry and as long as we have one death, it’s too many. There were 3 recorded climbers that died this year, the only acceptable number would be ZERO!
  • Roger Sherman, (Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau,
    IMG_3374FCC), who brought us up to speed with all of the work that has been done so far. He thanked everyone for making progress. He thanked Kathy Pierce for all that she has done to show us how the loss affects families. He pointed out how in today’s world most American’s smartphones are more than a convenience, but a way to get work done and a part of our everyday lives.
  • Eric Seleznow, (Deputy Assistant Secretary, ETA, DOL), IMG_3379oversees the national apprenticeship programs. He was happy how far TIRAP has come in the past year and a half. He was very happy that the FCC and DOL could work together for this effort.
  • Matthew Colengo, (Chief of Staff, DOL), talked IMG_3382about the progress that has been made and gave a special thanks to Kathy Pierce for all that she is doing to improve work conditions and the treatment of tower climbers. He also brought up Ernie Jones and gave Ernie credit for all that he has done in the industry and how sad it was that we lost him.

First off let’s cover Panel 1, (my panel), that covers the changes that need to be made to the FCC/DOL Guidance for Best Practices for improving Safety. If you’re watching the video, this starts at 26 minutes in.

  • Moderators
    • Claire Wack, Attorney Advisor, CIPD, WTB, FCC
    • Jessica Douma, Regulatory Analyst, OSHA
  • Wade Sarver, (me!)
  • Jason Becker, National Radio Operations Branch, BLM
  • John Parham, Jacobs Engineering Group
  • Don Doty, National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE)
  • Kevin Schmidt, National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA)
  • Angela Jones, Union Wireless, who is a structural engineer, project engineer, and certified climber.

Questions:

  1. Jessica asked how should company’s go about creating an environment where climbers can report unsafe conditions or a dangerous situation without fear of reprisal from their direct boss or up the company chain?
    • I brought up that companies need to have an open culture. The climber should not only be able to report it to his boss but if they have an issue then take it farther up to someone else in the company. Angela mentioned how their company being smaller, allows the climbers to be able to do that. John pointed out that NATE’s magazine has article in Tower Times by Tom Bunk about how the culture should be open and geared around safety. Jason talked about how they have reports daily for the climbers to review ahead of time.
  2. Jessica asked about contractual controls since there could be so many contractors between the carrier and the climber.
    • Kevin brought up that the carriers will implement training requirements. Don said that this is already common place for the most part and that we need better supervision and oversight. That is when I brought up that we need a way to audit the safety at the sites and that the climbers on site need to have a number to call to report incidents of climbers without credentials. Reporting to the boss won’t cut it, there needs to be a better way to report problems. Then Don mentioned they a credentialing system is being implemented to require all climbers on site to have the proper credentials and a way to verify them. He said that it will become mandatory at some point and required by the carriers.
  3. Claire asked John his thoughts about the contracts
    • John brought up that the contractors language will help but he also mentioned that it’s up to the tower crew companies to have the proper culture, that even policing may not be enough. He said that you can’t subcontract safety, and he it has to be in the culture of the company. He pointed out that OSHA has a hotline that people can call to report incidents directly to OSHA, the 800 # for them to call.
  4. Claire then asked Kevin about how contracts are packaged for bidding and how that would affect the climbers at the bottom of the bidding chain.
    • Kevin mentioned that the tower work is subbed out in bulk quantities to larger subs which then goes out to smaller subs who in turn may sub it out to even smaller subs before it gets to the climber. He then pointed out that at the top of the food chain no one really knows who is out at the site, specifically the carrier. Now that the new certification program coming it will raise the standards. John brought up that complacency is a real problem and that we need to keep the climbers alert on their job because one oversight or mistake could be the end. He said that the climbers need to have good discipline. He stated that all the workers need to be on the same page as far as a common safety message. I mentioned that it is a good idea but how do you instill this into all the tower companies spread across the country. Then Jason pointed out that the work has to be done in the beginning of the contract and to report the close calls and problems on site to record all issues that the climber ran into on site, reporting is very important. Then Angela pointed out that the tower needs to have proper anchor points, that many are not designed the way they should be for safety. John agreed and pointed out that often training is done with a perfect scenario but in the field there are more situations that they don’t encounter in training.
  5. Jessica asked Angela what more we should do on the tower to improve safety.
    • Angela brought up that towers need to have dedicated tie off points and that they need to eliminate dangerous mounting situations like the T arms on monopoles often called the widow maker. Then she brought up that TIA-222F and 222G has many of the requirements. TIA-222G actually has a chapter on proper rigging. How experienced climbers know how to handle some of the situations. John added that the site supervisor should be qualified to supervise and climb, to have the experience to lead the climbers to do things the right way.
  6. Claire then asked a question from the audience. Does the accredited ANSI program void their current ComTrain certification?
    • The answer was written on the card, which said it’s a supplemental certification so it will not void the certification.
  7. Jessica followed up with the structural discussion about what can we do for the existing towers, can retrofitting be done to make them safer and address dangerous towers out there.
    • Angela told us that you could improve the towers out there, not all but many could be improved and made better. She said if given the choice they would prefer to build a new tower.
  8. Jessica then asked Jason what occupational medical surveillance is required say for physical fitness and fit to climb and should it be addressed.
    • Jason answered with the medical check that they need to pass prior to getting hired, and they are looked at annually. Now, out in the field there’s a safety meeting checklist for the tailgate meeting where they not only ask for credentials but ask about medicine and general health. Don said that physical fitness matter and that they should make known any issues that could affect their climbing, mentally or physical or chemical. Don mentioned how STAR was a good program to address these issue and he brought up the safety culture plays a part in this.
  9. Jessica asked me about how the traveling and long days affected the climbers.
    • I brought up that it’s up to the crew leader to make the call about work. I brought up that many crews put in 14 hour days when they are busy, they work extra hard to get home. Therefore the planning needs to be worked out ahead of time to include travel time so that the climbers get the rest they need and that the foreman or crew lead needs to make the call and it would be a better call when the planning is done better. Awareness will make training a requirement and make the contractor look at the drive time as well as the work time.
  10. Claire followed up with a question to John about how to structure bids so that everything is taken into account and that the crews that you hire are in a good financial position to complete the work.
    • John said safety is up to the crew but can be helped with proper planning. When planning out a deployment it takes a lot of work. Now his company works with partners who they select ahead of time. Then, along with that contractors, they plan the work out ahead of time, 60 days, 6 months, and 12 months in advance. Then they can look at the time allocated for each job. They also try to balance the work so that the cash flow to the climber is steady and keeps the workers working. I commended him for doing that and pointed out how much work it was to do that up front and how that was not done in the past. John then said how the upfront work saves time on the backend. Jason brought up the model that the Navy has to lay out the preplanning looking at all of the resources, the time, and the tasks. Then I brought up that the partners program is a good idea because if you work with a partner you know them, what they can and can’t do as well as more about that company than a blind bid. John then said that they work very closely with their partner and have them work in their offices.
  11. Claire then asked Kevin how do you start the partnership programs and how do you know that they have qualified climbers and technicians
    • Kevin said right now there is only the paperwork but when NWSA comes out then you can look up the NWSA number to make sure they are all certified properly. Then Jason mentioned that for the inspections that need to be done at the towers and that there has to be oversight on the climber’s performance, they need to be trained to think about how they tied off and lay out the risks. Don mentioned how the tower is installed once and will be climbed hundreds of times and they anchor points need to be planned out. Angela then talked about OSHA tiers for safety to see that the towers are engineered for safety.
  12. Jessica then asked about how newer companies that need to train a skilled workforce, how would they plan out the work and keep the trained workforce?
    • Don mentioned how broadcast went through the downturn with the transition from analog to digital and how the work dried up. He then said that he was able to transition broadcast workers into wireless workers and how they have to transition the workers if they can. I then said if there is not work, what will you do? If there is no work then you can’t pay the people. So would they come back to this industry after what they have been through? I don’t think so. John agreed and pointed out that work does slow down and pick up. He mentioned that maybe the government could help with zoning and permitting to allow work to move ahead at a better pace.
  13. Then we wrapped up, Claire asked us each for our best practice ideas.
    • Angela said that make sure that the tower is engineered properly top to bottom for safety by having the proper anchor points at the right locations.
    • Don said that NATE is working with ANSI on A10.48 to release the criteria for safe practices with the construction and maintenance for towers.
    • Kevin said that the contractors should train properly and make sure everyone on site is certified and then each climber should tie off 100% and stop the work if there is a risk to anyone on the crew.
    • John says planning is the main thing is planning.
    • Jason said they should always climb as partners, work together, climbers are interchangeable and they all are prepared for any problems that might arise. They also provide safe practices.
    • I said that there has to be a way to report unsafe towers to someone other than the tower owner. I also said that the climbers need to get paid for their work, it is the #1 complaint that I get.

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Then we closed and Jessica said that they will revisit the best practices document to make updates based on what they learned in this session. This was the end of panel one.

I will have more on panels 2 & 3 in later articles.

Video of the workshop and information found here.

So here is the breakdown, it went well and we discussed a lot of good ideas. Now they need to be implemented. The culture needs to change. The change needs to come from the tower company’s leadership. If you are a climber, then I would ask you to change the culture of your crew as best you can. Take safety seriously, listen to each other, and work together. Don’t be afraid to point out problems and issues and call the OSHA hotline when you have to. Learn from each other about the best way to do things and have discussions not arguments. Remember that there is no perfect way to do things but if someone has a better idea then maybe listen to it. If your way is better, don’t just say it’s better, explain why and what you have done in the past. We need to make a safety culture.

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Now, the reality is that most climbers won’t care. That is why I believe that the culture needs to start at the top. We really need to work as a team with a common message. I also would ask all climbers to keep a log of what they do each day. If you track what you do then you have a record of what you’ve done. I talk to so many people that think that their time sheet is all they need, but it is not your time sheet is it? It belongs to your boss and you don’t have a log of what you’ve done, who will they believe? I think it’s a good idea to protect yourself. Most of you won’t because it’s just a job, until someone gets hurt. Then all you have is regret. Remember, if you keep a log then you can come up with ways to improve each week.

The main theme we have here is that we’re helping this becomes a career, not just a job. We want the tower industry to be full of professionals. Professionalism will start with you and the way you do your job. Certifications are necessary, but your attitude is also something that could help improve the image of the tower industry. Let’s work together on this.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention.

I am asking the carriers to provide numbers for workers to call to report payment issues and contractor issues. I didn’t hear from any of them yet, If you know it let me know at wade4wireless@gmail.com, but for now, call OSHA!

OSHA cares, don’t be afraid to call the number below and explain to them what is wrong at the site when you feel the work site is not safe! CALL OSHA to report unsafe work conditions!

Panel 1 ends at 89 minutes.

To report an emergency, fatality, or imminent life threatening situation please contact our toll-free number immediately:

1-800-321-OSHA (6742)

OSHA is asking for public comment on Safety and Management,  click here.

Video of the workshop and information found here.

OSHA Complaint web site for non-emergencies

Complaint information and whistle-blower protection explained

How to file a safety and health complaint

OSHA contact page to report unsafe working conditions

SOW Training CoverScope of Work tutorial for the contractor.

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Give to the Hubble Foundation because if you don’t help these families, who will? Who supports Hubble? The wireless workers and the tower climbers, that’s who! With no support from the carriers or NATE, so it’s up to you! What if it were you? Would you want help? Who would help you if you were hurt? Who would help your family, your spouse, your children if something happened to you? Do you see the people who are hurt?

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FCC and DOL Safety Review

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There is a great effort in its second year, put together by the FCC and DOL to align safety nationwide in the tower industry. They have collaborated to create TIRAP, an apprenticeship training program similar to what unions and utilities use in other industries. The next meeting will be Feb 11, 2016 at FCC Headquarters. I plan to be there. They are going to align the communications industry with the workforce rules, meaning that the FCC knows the tower industry and the DOL has OSHA who knows safety. The 2 departments of the US government are aligned to create a model for safety in the USA. One that we should be proud of. I believe that collaboration is the key and that OSHA doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. They are trying to align their rules with the tower work that needs to be done.

The Wireless Deployment Handbook, LTE Small Cells, CRAN, and DAS edition.

It is never a good year for the tower industry when we lose even one climber, and this year we lost several, including Ernie Jones who did more for the tower industry than almost anyone.

So this was a bad year but the losses were lower, and what is the theme? Pay attention! We lost a few veterans and someone new who if the people training here would have been paying attention they would have had her on a rope grab. This was a tough year even though the losses were less than previous years. Any lost life in the industry is terrible.

So how can we help each other out? By working as partners! We give each other grief when the other screws up, so make sure that you have someone watching over you and pointing out your mistakes. Be proactive! This is why the boy scouts have the buddy system, for support and to keep each other in line. Don’t think it will happen to you? That’s what Ernie. A seasoned veteran who got distracted just for a minute because he was busy. We really should be working in pairs as partners.

We also have NATE who created the NWSA to create a standardized certification program. While there isn’t much available yet for the climber there are rigging certifications from the crane industry that are paving the way for climbing certifications. This is quite an undertaking for this group. They have been trying to get more and more out there for the climbing technician.

If an accident happens, there is support for the injured workers and their families. There is support for the families of the fallen climbers. We have the Hubble Foundation and the Tower Family Foundation who do all that they can to support the victims of these horrendous accidents. They don’t ask too many questions but they are available to support whoever it would be, the families or the injured. Once someone has a detrimental accident chances are good they will never work the same again. If they are fallen then their families will never truly recover, but they need financial aid, which both groups do, because the banks don’t really care why the families can’t pay their bills. These financial problems can snowball as families have to pay for medical bills. It’s even worse when they have to pay the funeral bill. I see the fundraisers on GoFundMe.com when families need help.

So what can you do? If you are in the industry you can do several things. First, be safe and pay attention by looking out for yourself and your workmates, don’t’ let your smartphone distract you when climbing or driving. Second, give to the charity of your choice on the websites for the TFF or Hubble. Finally, let’s support the FCC and DOL as they come together to promote safety for the wireless worker at tower sites.

And now, some notes and history, helpful and reminders.

Tower climber risks:

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/02/20/hazardous-poop-look-out-dangerous-bird-and-bat-poop/

http://wade4wireless.com/2015/05/29/osha-rfi-response-for-hazards-and-incidents/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/08/20/do-or-die-are-you-in-over-your-head/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/08/06/trucks-ropes-heat-and-near-misses/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/05/28/my-top-11-rooftop-hazards/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/05/17/rf-awareness-are-you-aware-seriously-are-you/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/08/13/near-miss-stories-lessons-learned/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/09/09/feedback-3-near-miss-drugs/

Injured Tower climber Support

http://wade4wireless.com/2015/11/02/when-a-climber-falls-who-cries/

http://wade4wireless.com/2015/11/09/tff-dont-blame-dont-judge-just-help/

http://wade4wireless.com/2014/07/11/interview-part-1-with-dr-bridgette-gette-hester-founder-of-the-hubble-foundation/

My IWCE presentation on YouTube about Tower Climber Safety. If you want the PowerPoint slides, just ask. I presented this in early 2015 at IWCE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzad7zjjdQ

That’s all for this week, be smart, be safe, and pay attention.

I hope this helps, for more get the eBook! Find out where to get the eBook here. 

By the way, the carriers need to free the small cells! Find out more by clicking here. 

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Give to the Hubble Foundation because if you don’t help these families, who will? Who supports Hubble? The wireless workers and the tower climbers, that’s who! With no support from the carriers or NATE, so it’s up to you! What if it were you? Would you want help? Who would help you if you were hurt? Who would help your family, your spouse, your children if something happened to you? Do you see the people who are hurt?

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Drones Invade Wireless

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So today let’s talk drones for wireless work. I see many possibilities for drones to really play a big part in the deployments. So, I have a few scenarios that I would like to play out.

Optimization!

Optimization drones, a thing of the future? No, here today and being used now! I thought I heard everything but now Nokia, (whom is taking over Alcatel-Lucent) is working on using drones for LTE optimization. How cool is that? Boy, Rajeev Suri must be a cool guy to authorize the use of drones! Nokia has been using them for tower inspections in the Middle East and now there is talk of using them for optimization. While they are not doing it here in the USA it is being done. It is only a matter of time before we see it here. Can you imagine how efficient testing will be when the drone can do all the tests? Don’t believe me that it’s being done? Go to this link! You will see that they are doing it in Dubai! If interested in looking it up the web look here and here and here.

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Optimizing drones would have GPS tracking and RF devices, probably smart phones on it to track coverage and performance. Basically a Smartphone that would transfer data and track the upload and download speeds automatically. Then it would send the information up to the cloud so some server could work with it to make adjustments as needed, or the adjustments would be made manually, most likely version at this time. Knocking down the coverage teams to one guy and a drone and automating the process. Now these files are huge, so make sure the data plan can handle it or make sure you have Wi-Fi access. They may just relay it back down to the engineer’s laptop so that person can put it all together.

How great would this be to not have to deal with traffic? This could really be more efficient with the addition of small cells, oDAS, iDAS, and mini-macro sites being deployed because you could concentrate the optimization with the hassle of walking, driving, and trying to hit all of the areas. I know most of the carriers are trying to automate this as much as possible by using PCMD data so who knows how much this will be needed beyond deployment in the future.

Inspections!

So for the inspecting towers it was obvious that they would put cameras on the drones and document what they find. Of course it would take a drone with a camera and a good pilot to make sure that they get the proper pictures. This would entail getting the right pictures and following the close out or site survey plan. You save the time of having a climber go up in the air. You get the documentation in one quick shot with one person on site. You get all of this in a timely and safe manner. Even the FAA is getting on board with it. Can anyone do it, maybe? I am actually a fan of making sure they are certified so that you don’t have some clown out there buzzing the college girls. If they have their certification to lose then maybe they will be careful and professional. Remember, I worked in the field, I know all the complaints I had to deal with when my crews said or did something stupid. The FAA article is here. This is where some GoPro cameras would really come in handy to monitor and record all that is being done. You could grab a snapshot from the video and then you’re done.

Now, on any of this you need to take video and record your results. I would like to think that Field Dailies will come out with a package to help us out. They already have close out packages. I am an affiliate of Field Dailies but I think they are great regardless. So if you go to http://www.fielddailies.com/field-solutions/ you will see that you can go right from your smart phone to the cloud to complete the closeout package. All in one shot while in the field it will be ready for you. I am a fan of efficiency and they made it really efficient. So go in and request a demo and let them know that Wade sent you. What do you have to lose? Just think if you have a drone to go out, survey the tower, then from your laptop or Smartphone you get the pictures and upload them from your truck, then you are almost finished! Imagine how much time you would save and how efficient you would be? Wouldn’t that be great?

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I also like using the drones for safety inspections out at sites while work is being performed at the site. However, it seems that no one in the industry shares that excitement. I would say that less than .001% of anyone out there has any interest in doing safety inspections.  Teaching safety is something that everyone is on board with, but no one wants to measure the results. The only measurement we have is when someone dies. Why would anyone care when it cost money and then reality would set in that not everyone is trained properly or responsible, but that is another story.

Future Ideas!

I also think that we could use drones to test microwave paths. This has not been cleared but it seems like the best use of drones. Again, you would need clearance and you would need to get FAA approval. So far we don’t have it because, as I understand it, you can only fly over people that know what is going on for business. Now it seems that for fun you can fly anywhere any time, but there will be a crackdown on some of this. It also seems that public safety can fly them anywhere they wish and take pictures. But for tower work, we will wait for the FAA to approve it. Once they do how cool would it be to fly a 2 mile link to make sure there is nothing in the path? I think that would be the greatest to verify a path. If a building goes up then you know right then! Trust me, I used to do path calculations all the time and I used to drive paths to be sure they were clear. I also did some spotting to verify LOS but it gets harder on long paths and many times the tower owner doesn’t want anyone on their tower unless they are inspecting or installing. So then you drive the path. If only I had a drone to fly the path.

What about small cell and DAS inspections? I think that you could knock out streets at a time by flying the drone about 30 to 50 feet AGL and then going around the streets. You could also verify the paths from the pole to a building, so you could plan out your build in an urban area, if the FAA would allow you to do it. These are populated streets. If you were disciplined then you would not interfere with any air space but you need to let the local authorities know what is going on because they would see it as a threat. That is until Amazon gets the approvals to make deliveries using drones. Then we can need traffic control.

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Certification!

As far as the drone pilots go, I really think you need to be certified. I just think that the pilots should take the flying seriously. Like I implied above I don’t think we should have some prankster who looks at it as a fun time and not a serious job to be out there acting stupid, that’s all. If you ever worked in the field then you know what I am talking about. I think that this will create new business out there and make all of the above services more efficient and cost-effective.

Why should professionals fly drones? Here’s why:

http://factually.gizmodo.com/drones-fly-too-close-to-airplanes-25-times-a-month-1668266409

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/24/drone-plane-vancouver-video_n_5209476.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/drone-seen-flying-in-path-of-landing-planes-at-vancouver-airport-1.2693601

What do you think?

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

I am putting a small cell wireless deployment handbook together, it should be out soon. It will be geared towards deployment but a good reference overall. It will have most of what I post but also some extra notes is it.  If your interested, feel free to sign up for my newsletter below. 

official logoPlease support hurt climbers and their families by donating to the Hubble Foundation. Show you care for people in wireless. Not everyone has a safe job in deployments. The Hubble Foundation helps support the people who get hurt building the wireless systems that the world relies on. If it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to help your family out?
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Climber Hurt at Tower Site! (But how?)

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I have been reading the articles about the worker that was hurt and they said he fell, but did he? Apparently not, according to Wireless Estimator who talked to Josh Gelman of Centerline Communications the guy that was hurt was on the ground operating the cathead. He is stable now and doing better. I have links below that have more information. 

He was a Massachusetts contractor working at a Crown Castle site in Gorham, Maine. No name released yet.  

This just shows you that you have to be careful everywhere on the dog-tags_clearbackgrondtower site, not just in the air. Make sure that you are paying attention at all times. Remember that complacency causes accidents because you overlook the obvious hazards.

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Related links:

http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2015/massachusetts-tech-suffers-serious-injuries-after-falling-from-a-maine-cell-tower/

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/american_journal/news/cell-tower-worker-injured-in-gorham/article_44ca3e48-2581-11e5-974f-3b664cff07bc.html

http://www.pressherald.com/2015/07/07/man-working-on-cellphone-tower-in-gorham-seriously-injured-in-fall/

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Also, in other news:

Comtrain released a statement that Mike Jones is now the new director of Safety and Training! Way to go Mike!

Full statement below!

July 6, 2015

Comtrain would like to announce the addition of R. Michael (Mike) Jones to our team of safety professionals. Mike will assume the position of Director of Safety and Training beginning July 6, 2015.

MJones_headshot2015

Mike came to the tower industry in 2008 after several years in the auto industry. As a technician in the metal work shop of a large manufacturing plant, he became extremely in tune with the need for safe working processes that effect employees. After serving on multiple safety committees, Mike completed a degree in Occupational Health and Safety. In 2008, he had the opportunity to join General Dynamics as Safety Manager of the Wireless Division. Over the past several years, Mike has obtained countless certifications and authorizations specific to safety in the tower industry. He holds certifications from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals as a Certified Environmental Health and Safety Trainer (CET) as well as a Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST). Mike has been an Authorized OSHA Trainer since 2009 as well as holding trainer authorizations in Tower Climbing Safety and Rescue, First Aid/CPR, RF Awareness, Rigging, Mobile Cranes, and Aerial Lifts. He became a SPRAT Level 1 Rope Access Technician in 2012 and after several years of auditing remote jobsites across the country, became a Wilderness First Responder in April of 2013. Mike Jones is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and has served as a team member in medical missions to the remote area of Robillard, Haiti for the past seven years and was a part of the US response team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti after the earthquake of 2010.

Mike will oversee all safety processes, training operations, equipment use and selection and internal compliance. He will be pursuing NATE, OSHA, ANSI and other safety committee positions so that Comtrain can have an active voice in the future of tower safety.

What were you thinking?

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Water Tank Painter Dies and other Tower Top News!

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

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

Click here for OSHA Stand Down page!

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

Look out for my safety initiative coming out soon!

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

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

 

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OSHA RFI Response for Suitability for Work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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Safety Alert! OSHA Needs Your Help!

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

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

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

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

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

Screen Capture

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am sending this out in a Newsletter, so sign up if you want to get it!

 

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

News Around the Tower!

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Word on the tower!

OK, so I have been looking around and found a few articles that may interest you.

First off, there was a safety climb system failure that resulted in injury. It happened to a Kentucky tower climber that was working in Ohio on a Crown Castle tower. Allstate tower employee Taylor McDonald, 32, was climbing down the tower when he slipped on a step bolt around the 50 foot level and his safety climb did not properly slow him down. People on the scene said the cable grab appeared to be attached properly. OSHA did investigate the site and removed 50’ of the cable grab cable. He is currently in a coma according to Wireless Estimator. Just as a note, I reached out to Crown Castle to see what their safety policies were and I didn’t hear back. I have interviewed people in the industry before this happened and the common response was that Crown Castle doesn’t feel they play a role in climber safety. If you know more than let me know. I was told that they feel it’s not their problem. Can anyone corroborate that statement? Read about the accident here. There will be a law suit and I get the feeling that fingers will point blame both ways.

Go to the IWCE conference and see me! I will be on the “Tower Safety and Regulatory Compliance” panel on March 17th, 2015. 

IWCELogo_125x125

Did you hear? Wireless Estimator did a report stating that the tower climbing industry is 29,000 strong! Read about it here. If there are 29,000 climbers, it’s a huge industry and should grown even more next year, for those that can handle the work. Do you think seeing these numbers may make a union interested in recruiting these workers and helping train them? I wonder. Could 29,000 climbers agree to unite? Probably not. This is amazing since on that same day I read that tower climbing is one of the worst jobs, link here. There is also an interview about how one guy fell into the job, link here.

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OSHA is busy, they handed out a $114,000 fine to Sherwood Tower Service. That is who Thomas Lucas, of Toledo, worked for when he fell from the tower in Stockton, Ca while paining. He had three children. OSHA handed out the hefty fine because companies that have workers at heights are required to provide adequate fall protection. Also, the harness should have been replaced due to visible signs of wear. These are called willful violations because it could have been avoided. Read about it here and here and here and here. To view current OSHA citation go to https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/SherwoodTowerServices_989451_0206_15.pdf and you can check it out for yourself. Listen, I know most of you don’t appreciate OSHA, but they are trying to make a difference, so support them!

OSHA stand down week is coming up! May 4th to May 15th and the information is on OSHA’s website! They show the tower workers representing the worker’s at height. Inside Towers wrote about it here. What can you do? You can maybe take a day that week and practice rescue, maybe inspect all of your gear and tools and rope. Maybe spend the time working on your CPR and First Aid training. Review your OSHA 10 handbook. Take the time to make progress! Refresh your skills, inspect your gear, show that you care about yourself, your workmates, and your company! If you need more ideas here is the link to the FAQ on what to do! OSHA is trying to help, so accept what they offer and work with it. If it’s not good enough for you, then by all means, make improvements, that’s what you do in the field, right? Adapt, improvise, and overcome, where here is your chance to step up. If you take the 5 minutes it takes to read this, you will learn that it’s not about standing down for a week, it’s about educating yourselves. For some reason last year many of you said that you could not quit work for a week. Education takes time and you need to learn to read and listen. Nuff said!

Anyone going to NATE United? I wish I were but I just could not make it. If you are LBA is giving a RF Safety Awareness class, read about it here. It’s a great reason to go to Lake Buena Vista, Fl, this time of year.

What do you think????? Feedback!

Start learning with some products that will help! Start with the Introduction to Tower Climbing, then get The Field Worker’s Aid for Tower Site Work, then you will be ready to move into the Scope of Work Training. The entire time you are working you should be completing a Tower Worker’s Logbook to log your high time and drive time and your project responsibilities! Learn more about my products!

Go to theIWCE conferenceand see me! I will be on the“Tower Safety and Regulatory Compliance”panel on March 17th, 2015. Don’t you need an excuse to go to the Las Vegas convention center. I will share the stage with Cory Crenshaw, Charles Ryan,Dr. Denis Boulais, and Robert Johnson. Our moderator will be J. Sharpe Smith of AGL Magazine. Here is a list of exhibitors that will be there. I will be speaking and I may need some safety gear, email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com so we can talk! Make sure you sign up for this forum running 1:00PM to 4:30PM because let’s face it, these are issues you deal with on every job! Meet me face to face and let’s talk after the conference.

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Let us not forget, February 1 of 2014 was NOT Super!

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This year on Feb 1st North America will be enjoying the Super Bowl, the NFL’s and America’s biggest sporting event off the year! Last year, on Feb, 1, was the day that 3 people lost their lives. 2 Tower climbers were killed along with fire rescue and 2 more climbers were injured when the tower they were upgrading collapsed while all 4 men were on it. Then, rescue arrived to save them, and they did save the injured, but not until after another tower beside the first, damaged the second tower and caused it to collapse during the rescue, where another life was lost, one of the fire fighter who was attempting to rescue one of the injured climbers. This was a very sad day. Do you remember hearing that news? I do.

I have posts here and here.

So I saw on Facebook where NIOSH put out their report about the tower climber, it is an excellent report if you have the time to read it, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201403.pdf and download it. I pulled some good stuff out of it that the tower industry could learn from.

If you want to read more about the investigation from OSHA, go to OSHA NEWS RELEASE for more information. To get OSHA updated information go to COMMUNICATION TOWER. I see the number of fatalities is still 11, I guess they are not counting the fall in December, post here, as a Communication Tower Fatality. OSHA: No more falling workers.

What did you learn?

OK, back to the NIOSH PDF which you can go download. You can learn from this by looking at what the fire departments did not do properly. It is easy for us to look back and learn from this terrible accident. We reviewed what the tower crews did wrong, but the NIOSH Report # F2014-03 was very enlightening. For instance, do you have a copy of all of your training records on file where everyone can get to them in case something happens? Do you have your Standard operating procedures documented and available to show anyone who asks?

When I worked at a company where we built up the tower business with crews I learned quite a bit. For one, insurance is very expensive, that seemed to be my first lesson. Second, training takes time and costs money. Third was that safety gear and training costs money. Nothing is free and nothing is cheap!

However, we had a consultant come in and tell us to record our standard operating procedures (SOP). You see, we had the employee and safety handbooks, that is not what he was talking about. He wanted us to document our typical installation processes. This is something that we took for granted. Creating it was tedious but in the long run, it was helpful. We documented simple procedure, like how to put a non penetrating rooftop mount together, very simple yet it had to be documented. We also put together mounting a dish to a tower. We had to break it out to several size dishes. We documented safety procedures and more. This is something that tower climbers often say, “Well, no tower installation is the same!” I agree, but the basics are very similar, right? I mean to install a dish, you need to climb the tower, rig the tower, put the dish and mount together, usually on the ground, then hoist them up, attach them to the tower, the ground the dish, connect the ODU, connect the cables, and align the dish. Now, that wasn’t so hard was it? We also made drawings and sometimes added pictures. Many times the process of assembly was in the instructions so if we used a common part or dish or antenna, we used that for the SOP.

By doing this we learned the value of paperwork in wireless deployment and in protecting the company. It also allowed us to identify holes and procedures we were missing. From that we built a better way to build scopes of work (SOW) and continued to build a basis for documented hours for bids. When I bid jobs this really helped me identify the process of deployment.

Just a few notes, let’s learn from this incident as we should from all incidents, whether it was a horrible fatality like this was or whether it was a near miss. Ask yourself, what did you learn?

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention. Create your plan, follow your plan, but don’t be afraid to adapt, improvise, and overcome. That’s what you do in wireless deployments.

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Start learning with some products I created just for you! Start with the Introduction to Tower Climbing, then get The Field Worker’s Aid for Tower Site Work, then to do the work you need to look at the Scope of Work Training, and finally the Tower Worker’s Logbook to log your high time and drive time and your project responsibilities, go to Learn more about my products! for more information!

Go to theIWCE conferenceand see me! I will be on the“Tower Safety and Regulatory Compliance”panel on March 17th, 2015. Don’t you need an excuse to go to the Las Vegas convention center. I will share the stage withCory Crenshaw, Charles Ryan,Dr. Denis Boulais, and Robert Johnson. Our moderator will be J. Sharpe Smith ofAGL Magazine. Here is a list of exhibitors that will be there. I will be speaking and I may need some safety gear, email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com so we can talk! Make sure you sign up for this forum running 1:00PM to 4:30PM because let’s face it, these are issues you deal with on every job!If you want to talk after the conference, let me know.

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.

IWCELogo_125x125

Special thanks to the hard-working investigators at NIOSH!

From the PDF. “This incident was investigated by Jay L. Tarley, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Matt Bowyer, General Engineer, and Tim Merinar, Safety Engineer and Project Officer with the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch, Division of Safety Research, NIOSH located in Morgantown, WV. Expert technical reviews were provided by Chief Joseph V. Maruca, West Barnstable Massachusetts Fire Department and Chief Ulysses Seal, Bloomington Minnesota Fire Department. A technical review was also provided by the National Fire Protection Association, Public Fire Protection Division.”

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Feedback from “Is it Time to Unionize Tower Climbers?”

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This is feedback from my earlier post, “Is it Time to Unionize Climbers?” You have a voice so use it! Commentary on the perception many people have of the union and the climbing industry.

Comment: I applaud the conversation.  This needs more focus and attention.  I’m not an expert on unions and maybe not a fan of them because of what I’ve heard about them, that being said, I feel this is one industry that could and should have one.  I’ve tried personally to open a Telecom University, funding was not there.  Watching the DOL and FCC try to get some proper training for the industry is interesting.  What is the right thing?  Not sure, but I’d like to see some changes and am willing to help.  Going back to the union idea – again, I’m not an expert.  I’d be more than willing to bring my 23 years of telecom experience and contacts to the table and help get a solution though.  If enough people came to a table and got involved, I have no doubt we could do it.

Response: Thanks for pointing out that the industry needs some help. I think the question is a good one as well.

Comment: I am former West Region Safety Training Manager for Nexius. They have put their climbers in a separate company so they can better manipulate wages, training, and safety regulation costs, without affecting the rest of Nexius assets. This can potentially put climbers in danger, and keep them at a lower wage rate, with less benefits than other Nexius employees. I would like to help organize, train, and unionize climbers in the desert southwest. I am currently starting my own company training tower climbers in the southwest.

Response: Thanks for pointing out how the climbers are separated out from the rest of the company. I have seen this done to keep insurance costs down as well as protect the company from liability. Insurance companies know that it is a high risk job and the rates show it. Pretty tough job when the expenses are so high for something that turf vendors want to pay $10/hour for the service.

Comment: 13 years in, have made tremendous sacrifice , it has to go, in a better direction with more gain for the individuals who truly make it happen.

Response: Once again this shows how hard the field crews work with little reward or a better future. Thank you for sharing and for the hard work.

Comment: I am not so sure being unionized would be the best thing for this industry, however I do see some positive points that would help the industry as well.
The biggest problem that I would see coming out of this, is that it would cause climbers to get lazy,  it’s no secret that these jobs are time sensitive, you show up to site you start working and you don’t stop, a lot of times not even for lunch, you eat while you work.  I have worked or been on a lot of jobs with union workers and to be honest, I have never seen one bust his but at the pace climbers generally work at.  It’s something we seasoned climbers pride ourselves on, while we complain at times, deep down we are proud we can show up day after day and spend 12 plus hours on the tower and knock a site out a day earlier then the projected completion.  I have noticed union workers do not have this mentality a lot if times and spend a lot of time socializing and working at their pace, rather than following the mentality of (not all climbers) but most.
I see a huge positive in an apprenticeship program and extended training, I have seen too many guys come into this industry with zero experience other than a two-day course whether in-house or at a school in certified climbing and rescue then they are thrown into a crew and expected to work, with zero rigging experience, and zero carrier technology experience in a sort of boot camp period for green hands, I think this is a good period, if placed with a good crew and foreman it really helps to set the tone of what is expected and that we work at a face paced, you are not on your phone and we are not here to socialize but to work and work hard.  However I would like to see guys with a lot more experience and training from some an apprenticeship program maybe 6 months long.  This will only improve confidence in the green hand.
I would like to see a better pay scale, even us more seasoned foreman make good money, but not the greatest, the carriers make a LOT of money and this job is not easy, we are out there battling the elements, fatigue, long hours, and physical abuse to the body, I just feel a lot of us should be paid more for the risks we take every day and the impact to our bodies we endure during the long hours, we are talking about being for the most part the back bone to these carriers that are which are multi billion dollar companies, yet green hands make about the same as someone working in a checkout line at a grocery store.  I believe there is room for a lot of improvement in the pay scales for the work we do and the risks we take.

Response: I have to tell you that the union guys I worked with were anything but lazy. However, I heard all of the stories about how they just sit around. I think the difference between those stories is that most shops are in it to make money. If someone sits around then it is hard to make money. Don’t get me wrong, you seem to have many people out there, union and non-union that are lazy and don’t care. Most tower climbers, union or non-union that I have worked with get it, they understand that time is money and that quality counts.

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Comment from email: The bigger question, why unionize anybody? That answer rests with your political tastes, government or private sector. In my opinion, labor unions are parasites, sucking much nutrition, i.e., $$$$, and returning little more than placebos, feel good benefits, feel good commandery and feel good job security. There are reasons that labor unions in general are nose-diving into non-existence and that is the expose’ that they are more form over little substance. Their intrinsic and bureaucratic relationship with government makes even the perceptual “form” lethargic and corrupt.

Among the “pros” mentioned, most important, “certification,” implies “qualification<’ which everybody wants but seldom get unless industry-driven. Industry is driven by results, i.e., $$$$$ – something which government and labor unions extract very well but don’t return, generate nor inspire. And so, your labor union certification programs would become pencil-whipping cheat sheet worthless documents – the “old guy” [seniority] is always top-paid and ranked and usually the biggest time-clock [productivity] cheater – the essence of labor unions.

In the roughly three and a half decades of cellular / wireless tower climbers the industry has been composed of every genre of beer-drinking blue-collar worker from farm boys to apprentice electricians to auto mechanics. Very few of them have understood the basics of RF, 50 ohms, impedance match, resonance, antenna gain or skin-effect. Even with Site Master sweep-generators being made readily available they still didn’t appreciate what the readings meant. Antennas and coax installed – a few days of freezing rain, all of a sudden high VSWR alarms are awakening the on-call cell tech and shutting down RBS sites – this was the norm more than the exception for at least two decades of the industry until the demand for some rudimentary education and certification began trickling in – maintenance overruns made operation managers pull their hair out.

Unionization? No.   Industry-driven standardized training and certification? Yes.

Response: This was a common response, many people really dislike unions. However, he mentions that the tower climbers are beer drinking buddies, I think that is a sign that you get what you pay for. I know many climbers that do understand RF and the mechanical design of the towers. However, I also know the ones that view it as a laborers job, a means to pay the bills. Again, I feel you get what you tolerate. If you want a laborer, chances are that is what you will get. The standards will be set soon, then there will be a weeding out of some of the bad eggs, but then the price will go up to have qualified people. Isn’t that where we are now?

Comment from email: Great post. I am a 15 yr member of IBEW LOCAL 1. Two years ago we sent 20 men, all journeymen, through CITCA competent climber, authorized climber and tower rescue class. We had an opportunity to work for Wigdahl Electric. All went well for a time. We all loved working on cell towers. We also had civil crews for base work. The company lost a big chunk of work thru Ericsson/Sprint so we diversified into ATT and T-Mobile. At some point earlier this year the management in St. Louis from Wigdahl was not able to secure more work for us and shut the doors to the St. Louis branch. We, LOCAL 1, are still trying to get into the tower business thru a contractor and have discussed all of the pros you have listed.

Response: Thanks for letting us know. Good luck for the future!

Comment: Approached some officials at NATE about doing just that, providing skilled workers on a permanent basis or temporary.  All ready trained and certified.  The response was indescribable. They were only interested in their bottom line, not safety or training or skills. Left that meeting with my head in my hands. So you understand me, I have been in this business for over 35 years as a union Ironworker.

Response: Thank you, appreciate the input.

Comment: I am a tower climber and I am a union member,,,,, The IBEW has no clue what I do for a living but damn sure can tell you about electricians!!!!
What a Joke!! Even insurance companies cannot understand what we do for a living!!!!

Response: I have run into that in the past where insurance people have no idea what you do. At that time we joined NATE and got an education on how to insure the company. I learned quite a bit from NATE about the business. It helped the company prepare and grown.

 What do you think?

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention to what you are doing! Adapt, improvise, to overcome. Stay Alive!

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Support the Hubble Foundation! When a climber gets hurt, they are there. When a climber is stranded they are there. When a climber gets stuck somewhere they are there. Would you want someone to help you out if that happened?

By the way, OSHA has not updated their site yet with the latest fatality numbers. OSHA Communications Tower

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