Looking at all the work that is coming up in 2019 through 2022, will the tower workers be protected? You may be asking, protected from what? I would say from the horrible scheduling that they had to deal with in the past. Couple that with work ramping up which adds inexperienced climbers that need better training. The shortage of workers out there. From the carriers that pushed the GCs so hard knowing that they were untouchable. Even tower owners rarely get in trouble; it’s a problem that compounds.
The carriers have done a lot to make sure they were untouchable with the layers of GCs between them and the climber. So many layers, but the climber is working off the documentation and direction of the carrier, no one else. The FCC and OSHA know this, and due to recent changes, carriers may not be protected like they once were. With the AT&T lawsuit, https://wade4wireless.com/2018/06/04/what-the-att-30m-payout-to-an-injured-climber-means-to-future-work/ maybe lawyers will look to suing carriers more. While there were more circumstances in the lawsuit than just the carrier, the new standard is set. While not many lawyers will go up against a carrier unless they think they can win, it opens a door. However, tower ownership matters. Will the tower owners become more involved in making tower safer? That lawsuit was specifically about the tower. It could have been any tower owner.
Ah yes, the tower owners who rely on contractors to let them know if the tower is safe or not. Again, it is a clean way for them to pass the responsibility onto the tower. I know they say they want every tower to be as safe as possible, but more safety comes at a price. A price that most should think long and hard before paying, after all, what is a person’s life worth?
The carriers joining NATE shows that they acknowledge that there is a problem, that’s good news. They were quick to get involved in the rulemaking for training climbers. Yet, they don’t employ many climbers, if any, do they? Although, they are responsible for (I’m guessing) 85% (or more) of the work out there. You see, the way I see it when they joined NATE, they were quick to help any way they could to prevent future accidents. While the one thing that I saw prevented accidents was the downturn of work. It’s not that the work is no longer there, it’s that the schedules are not crazy. They are not pounding climbers into the ground. A key factor in fewer accidents is a realistic schedule and a trained workforce.
Carriers hire the GCs or OEMs that hires the climbers. The GCs and OEMs are full of PMs that work with the field crews. They are the ones that bear the burden of the project succeeding or failing.
The PMs are the ones that not only deal with all the problems in the field coming back from the climbers complaining but the changes in schedule and sites from the carrier. They hear crap from both ends, a task that takes its toll on their time, energy, and good spirits.
Will this all change in 2019 and 2020 and Massive MIMO and 5G rollout? What about the growth of fixed wireless? Will these upgrades start to strain the industry again? Was the last downturn enough to get the less than reputable companies out of business? I guess we will see in 2019, won’t we?
I have heard how the tower climbing workforce will be at full capacity in 2019. So much so that the prices of crews will go higher and higher. Maybe they can cash in for the next 2 years. That’s if T-Mobile and Sprint roll out the way they say they’re going to. Also, AT&T must commit to building the FirstNet system the way they promised to.
I remain skeptical. Promises were made to be broken. We may not see all the work hit at once, but then again, maybe we will. I don’t mean to be wishy-washy, but we should face facts that there are a lot of factors holding them back. Many things, if not all, are out of the climber’s control.
What could hold back production? I am glad you asked, let me count the ways.
OEM delays that happen.
The 5G NR format being finalized by 3GPP.
Site acquisition delays.
Tower upgrades are taking longer than normal.
Tower owners are asking for too much money for upgrades.
Permitting and zoning issues. Let’s face it; municipalities are not happy with the way that carriers have steamrolled them by changing small cell laws at a state level.
Lack of training for new equipment installation.
Equipment delays, cable delays, antenna delays.
I am sure there a dozen more.
This is what the reality is. Not that things may go perfectly, and all climbers can make over $100K for the next 2 to 3 years, but to be honest, I don’t see that happening. As usual, the GCs will make the most money.
To sum it up here’s what matters from my perspective.
Realistic schedules, not insanity that puts the climbers at risk from exhaustion, being rushed.
Avoid careless mistakes by overlooking a site walk or survey.
Respect the tower, rooftop, or job site, each one.
GCs that do the due diligence prior to the onsite work.
Proper safety inspections, before, during, and possibly after the work.
Safety audits on working tower crews.
Following OSHA guidelines.
Respect for everyone involved. This means respecting the climber and listen to their problems but that goes both ways, they need to listen to the safety teams, the project managers, and the carriers. In this case, it should swing both ways. All sides need to listen.
Lessons learned, safety talks, corrections as needed.
Proper documentation.
The reputation of the tower crew/company. Accidents happen, but how many and why?
By the way:
PM – Project Manager
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturers like Ericsson, Nokia, or Samsung
GC – General Contractor like Black and Veatch or SAC Wireless
Hope this helps.
Hey, tell me what you think, message me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or wade4wireless@gmail.com if you have an opinion.
The foundations below do beautiful work, helping families in their time of need. Climbers often get seriously injured or die on the job. The foundations below support those families in their time of greatest need!
Today I wanted to talk about how we can clean up the tower industry’s sloppy credential problem. There are several companies out there that fake safety credentials and certifications! Advanced Safety Pros’ Founder, Clifford Wilcox found a way to improve the system of uploading, tracking, and verifying a field worker’s credentials. This is a way to really improve the certifications by having them verified by the school itself.
If you think we need a great way to clean up the problem of poorly accredited credentials, fraud, and industry-accepted certifications, then listen to the podcast and hear what Cliff has to say. This solution can be used across so many industries, from medical to security to the wireless industry. I think it’s a great solution to verify that ‘people are who they say they are’!
Some background on Cliff. Cliff is a self-proclaimed, serial entrepreneur with over 30 business ventures in the past 40+ years. He currently serves Atlanta-based Integrated Tower Services as a Business Strategist and Manager, partners with his wife at CW Productions – based in Wyoming, is the President and Senior Safety Consultant for Advanced Safety Pros Corp – based in Reno, Nevada AND is Founder and Chief QRedentialier “KWER-dential-ear” for “QREDENTIALS”.
This latest brainchild is a great way to manage credentials for all the people that need to keep track of their certifications and documentation. The person that has to manage all of these for the workers can keep it in an Account that keeps it readily available and easily updated anytime they need it. Then, to take it a step farther, QREDENTIALS Black Diamond membership even verifies the certifications and credentials to make sure that they are legitimate with the school that is on the document. Then anyone can see that it’s the ‘Real Deal’. Not all can be verified, but the Climbing credentials, Emergency Responses, along with the OSHA 10, really MUST be legally provided and verified, right? Take 2 minutes to watch “MEET SAL” on QREDENTIALS‘ Home Page or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/cmEXZG2EMEk
QREDENTIALS solves the problem of tracking and verifying the credentials in the field. The uniquely generated QR-code for each Member makes it easy for the safety inspector to verify the credentials of each worker of every site. By using a smart phone, you see the people on the tower, real-time and then you easily access their credentials by scanning the QR-code for verification. It is quick and easy.
Pain Points:
For the field worker – carrying the binders full of certifications and keeping them in the truck but available. Also, keeping it up to date.
For the safety manager – keeping all the credentials in one place, keeping the binders up to date, keeping track of all the certifications and credentials for each employee.
Or the field manager or foreman – looking for the binders and keeping each binder available as tower hands change crews.
For the safety inspector – looking at the binders and verifying the workers in the field and trying to see what is outdated or not valid.
Problems resolved:
Now, the climbers and foreman can keep one badge with a QR code, not worrying about updating the binder because the safety manager will keep the QR file updated.
The safety manager no longer needs to make copies. They can just upload the files to the directory on the website.
For the inspector he can scan the QR code and see the credentials immediately and then look at the climber with a smartphone to verify the climber on the tower is who he says he is.
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.
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.
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, wake 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, FCC), 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), oversees 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 about 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Comment: TIRAP is yet another Top/Down approach to find safety solutions. Fundamentally, few details from TIRAP have been revealed. So far, the end game for the program is to immerse students into the industry. To send graduates into the workforce as “top hands”, “PM’s”, and “CM’s”. So, graduates are intended to become leaders for workers already in the field. Many with many years under their belts. Do you see the friction? As you mentioned about the deadlines, contracts, screw-ups, and the usual push to get the work done. With or without proper gear to complete tasks. What are these graduates going to do, to improve safety? They will cave in to the usual push. Just like we do already. Meaning, they will roll the dice and hope they cash in.
To their credit, if they follow through with their trainings, TIRAP this is quite thorough. at least for a short-term training solution. Sadly, long-term, careful, mentored exposure to ALL. rank and file workers is what’s missing. Every worker climbing towers needs to be properly experienced, not just “trained” or “certified” Union apprenticeships have been a traditionally proven leader in worker experience and worker safety. This approach is a bottom/up approach that IS successful at saving lives. Maybe this industry is not ready for this discussion now. Creating more BOSSES, by virtue of TIRAP, is just another industry band-aid to try to stick to a severed limb. So the madness continues. Families will get more shocking calls. Kids will grow up without their parent. Widows and widowers will try to carry on, with the help of the tax payers an all the stigma that endures. Because OSHA fines (a slap on the wrist or not) go to the US Dept. Of Treasury. Who really pays the price? I’ll end with a quote by Kurt Vonnegut, “And so it goes”.
Response: I believe that if TIRAP can be a model for the apprenticeship program it may really help. I don’t think that they will bypass the experienced workers because as you mention there is no replacement for experience. Experience is the key to leading in this industry. however, it is not the only qualification, common sense and brains help along with integrity. If you have a good person teaching these people the right way to do things, then it will go a long way. We all need mentors to help the process along and I think that is the one thing that has been missing in so many of these companies. Leadership helps and remember that you do not need to be the boss to be a good leader!
Remember to be smart, be safe, and pay attention to what you are doing. Follow the plan but don’t be afraid to adapt, improvise so you can overcome any obstacle!
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.
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.
Hey workers. Did you ever take the time to know your trainer? I wanted to talk to someone about how they train tower climbers for rescue. I was lucky enough to interview Todd Horning,bio here,about climber rescue training. He spent some time with me to talk about what he had to do to get SPRAT 3 certified and about training and past classes. I was impressed with his experience and passion for ropes and knots! The guy really loves what he does. We did talk about the other rope group,IRATA, both great organizations that have done so much good in the rope access world. They set standards and share knowledge so people can be consistent, knowledgeable, and learn more about rope access. Todd has some good stories and some opinions about the people who come to class. He admits that he has to know more than his students on rescue training.
If you scroll down I have a video about Carabiners that may interest you.
On iTunes search for wade4wireless today!
Get on iTunes and write a review!
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Toddworks forSafety One, a training company that specializes not only in fall protection training, but they also have Survival, Safety, Snowcat and Winter training for anyone who may need to know what to do in these situations. This group dedicates all of their time to making sure you have someplace to go to learn to survive, prevent accidents, and rescue your fellow worker. This school does so much more than train tower climbers, they cross so many different industries. This training is for more than tower climbers. However, that is what I am going to concentrate on because most readers are tower workers.
Just because you’re not a climber you may still need to be trained. This is an industry where you could be out away from civilization, and that could be a rooftop where it’s in the middle of a city, and you need to respond to an emergency. Of course, the best thing you could do was avoid any accidents if possible. Now, bad things can still happen but when you are working in a dangerous environment there is risk involved. So the more training you have the better you can handle it.
Along with training you should practice your techniques. Practice will help you improve your skills. It matters.
So Todd is a cool guy that talks about the SPRAT training. He talks about the way they do the testing. They have the written test but they also have been knowledgeable enough to be tested by an independent person who comes in and drills them verbally and then they show their skills this is not something that you walk into and get lucky, you really need to know what you’re doing.
He also talks about his classes and what he has seen good and bad. Not everyone that comes to the safety class really wants to be there. Many people just need to get the certification. They are easy to spot because they don’t want to do more than they have to. They always admit that they only climb when they have to, not any more than that. Todd says that he talks to those people who really have to be certified but find a way to get out of training. For some people it is only another cert that they need to get to keep their job.Todd points out that there are 3 types of students, participants, vacationers, and prisoners. He understands that some people love it and some people just need the certification and some people feel they know more than he does.
One of the challenges is trying to keep the classes interested. Some guys have been doing this for years, 15 years or so, this is a crew that knows what they are doing.
If you want to learn more about Safety One training, follow their links. If you want to learn more about rope access then go to the links in here.
Do you have an opinion on your trainers? Tell me how they did and where you got trained. Was it worth your time and the companies money?
By the way, NATE started theTower Family Foundationand they already have $400,000, yes, $400K to give out to tower climbers families. I can’t wait to see where the money is going to go, that seems to be the one thing we are waiting for. They can do so much good for all the families we lost in the past 2 years!
Next podcast I interview a SPRAT 3 level trained climbing instructor Todd Horning of Safety One, cool guy and passionate about safety and rope access! His information is here.
2 books!
“Tower Climbing: An Introduction” is for the new tower climber, the green hand, to understand that will be expected.
“Field Worker’s Aid for Tower Work” is a handy aid to help out when you are at the site.
You may expand to other jobs in the industry. This can be the beginning of a great career path in the wireless industry. Whether you decide to keep climbing or find another opportunity, the industry is large and growing!
Updated links, he was a tower painter and the accident was at 13668 E Morseville Rd, in Stockton, Ill. on Sunday afternoon around 1:48PM local time. He apparently fell from 80 to 90 feet. Thomas Lucas of Toledo, Il, was 49 years old.
Another fallen worker, another loss in the industry. As seen in Wireless Estimator,http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfmthere was another fallen worker near Stockton, Il. quoting Wireless Estimator, “Jo Daviess County Coroner Bill Laity said that the man who fell from a communications tower in rural Stockton Sunday was Thomas W. Lucas, 49, of Toledo, Ill. According to Laity, Lucas was painting the structure when he fell. Laity did not know if Lucas was self-employed”
Apparently Sunday afternoon, August 10th, this happened. It seems not many people on the news wire picked it up. Just so you know the details are scarce, we just don’t know much at this time but here are some articles that may help.
Looking at all the work that is coming up in 2019 through 2022, will the tower workers be protected? You may be asking, protected from what? I would say from the horrible scheduling that they had to deal with in the past. Couple that with work ramping up which adds inexperienced climbers that need better training. The shortage of workers out there. From the carriers that pushed the GCs so hard knowing that they were untouchable. Even tower owners rarely get in trouble; it’s a problem that compounds.
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