Tag Archives: tower safety

NATE STAR and the Competent Person

August 29, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Hey, I was looking over the NATE webpage, (for those of you who are green NATE = National Association of Tower Erectors), and they have a new STAR program. (NATE did not ask me to write any of this, I just think it looks interesting!) Now, this has some interesting things in it and I would like to go over them. The page for the program is here. They will have a live webinar on September 23^rd at 11AM EDT. We should all learn from this if possible. Just a warning, it may be boring, I have attended some NATE webinars in the past and they are geared for the tower crew company owner. If you are a climber, keep that in mind! Don’t complain because they set this up to help the owner understand compliance. The guy speaking, Edwin G. Foulke, Jr, is what I would call a legal labor expert having been a leader at OSHA and now he is a partner in the firm Fisher and Phillips LLP. The guy’s write-up is on the web page and is impressive. Let’s see if he can help the tower industry.

First off, there is some free documentation that you should grab. These are all PDF documents that you can download. They may help you set the foundation for some of your checklists that you should already have.

They may not be all that you need but they will help you create your internal documentation. Use them for what they are, a tool and a starting point.

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So what else did I read in this? Well, let me tell you, if you go to the Eligibility and Requirements then you will see something very interesting. They put requirements on the training. Go to the “Requisite Levels of Training” section. They have 10 OSHA or equivalent for all personnel working at the tower site. I see that meaning not only the climbers, but the ground guys, the technicians, and the engineers. Even the construction workers building the shelter. Anyone who might be working at the tower site. Anyone there should have the 10 hour OSHA training. This is actually very common in all of the construction industry.

Then they state that the 30 hour OSHA training, or equivalent, is required for the competent person on site or the supervisor. Did you read that? They put the requirements, or at least one of them, on the competent person on the site. How many of you had the 30 hour OSHA training? I know many of you did but here it is actually put in writing that it should be required for the competent person on site. This is very important. Somebody has to lay down the requirements and NATE took the first step. This makes a difference as to who is considered a competent person. How many competent people have a 30 hour OSHA? You tell me.

OSHA defines a competent person here and here. They say that a competent person is capable of identifying 1) existing and predictable hazards, 2) working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and 3) who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. “By way of training and/or experience, a competent person is knowledgeable of applicable standards, is capable of identifying workplace hazards relating to the specific operation, and has the authority to correct them. Some standards add additional specific requirements which must be met by the competent person”. In 1926.32(f) it states, “”Competent person” means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.” Get it? A competent person may not only identify the hazards but they have the ability to take corrective action. Who is your competent person on site? Would you take corrective action? Would you do it even if it costs your crew an extra day? Would you honestly?

Then NATE states that all people working above 6 feet should be trained in fall protection. Well that seems really obvious to me, but trained how? On the job or in a class or by the company or is it up to the companies discretion? It seems obvious that companies should do this but then again look at the company that was recently fined for sending workers up the tower unprepared.

So what are the requirements of your company? Are the standards in writing for the company. I often get mixed feedback. Some have a written policy while others don’t. We are living in a world where we need to document everything and we need to make sure we have it posted somewhere for all of the employees to see. Make sure that your company has everything available for everyone to see.

Defining the requirements is something that should be done day one, especially for a competent person. It should be changing as the industry changes, so it may change monthly. All requirements need to be in writing and they should be reviewed often. This industry is still maturing and as the bidding process may drive some prices down, safety should never be compromised. Safety is not cheap but neither is carelessness.

Tell me what you think!

BIG LOGS!

So how is your company at keeping safety and training logs? Do they do a good job? How do you know? Did you see them? Can you go back a year? Do they document the training? Do they keep a copy of all of your certifications? They should need them to present to the customer and the tower owner, so if they are not keeping them on record, in paper or soft copy, then what is going on? Maybe you want to look into that.

BIG BUTS!

When you ask you company for some of this information, do they say “yeah but”? Can they produce the documentation you ask for? Will they open up about how much they insure the job? Do they? We all have buts, and if they are big buts then you need to evaluate what is up their but. Due diligence is key to awareness and protection. Be aware of how your company is handling their logs and avoid the buts!

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When Lifts Fail! More near miss stories.

August 22, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Hey, I thought I would offer more near miss stories because I saw that there was another rescue of some guys working a monopole on August 11th, 2014. They are not climbing but they were in a lift. Go to http://www.khl.com/magazines/access-lift-and-handlers/detail/item99810/Two-injured-in-boom-accident and http://kingston.wickedlocal.com/article/20140815/NEWS/140818333 to see how employees working for Timberline Construction got stuck in a lift. These poor guys were probably happy to be on a lift and it breaks down. They called in for help at 5:11PM local time when the Kingston Fire Department was dispatched. The platform on the lift fell about 30’, they were about 135’ in the air. Hard and fast, then stopped. This was enough to injury the 2 men on the lift, one had facial injuries and the other had ankle injuries. It had to be scary for these guys on the lift. Actually that turned out to be a good thing because they must have been about 130 feet up and that brought them down to 100’ where the fire department’s ladder could reach. Apparently there was a loud bang before the fall.

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When both Kingston Fire Department and Plymouth Fire Department crews got on site they did not want to try to operate the list because of the problems so they sent the PFD ladder up to help these guys. Thank GOD they are alive and well. This is a mechanical failure that could have been really bad but turned out well. These guys got to go home at night with a few injuries and a story. Very special thanks go out to the Kingston Fire Department!

Both workers had all the safety gear on and were wearing it properly! They are alive to tell us that today. The workers were treated. PFD and KFD kept the lift open until OSHA arrived to investigate. Then they cleared the scene.

The lift was a Genie Z-135/70. About a year ago, June 2013, in Buckinghamshire, UK, there was another accident on this type of lift that ended in death. The owner of those boom, Kimberly Access grounded the fleet and after investigation they devised a new safety procedure before putting the fleet back to work. UK’s Health and Safety and Kimberly Access conducted a full investigation to come to this conclusion.

https://www.millerfallprotection.com/pdfs/Fall-Protection-for-Aerial-Work-Platforms.pdf

http://capitolriders.org/education/Rigging_Handbook.pdf

More near miss stories:

Story 1: After I left my one company they had to raise some large dishes on a tower in upstate NY. Well the plan was to raise the dish and there were still crates of hardware all over the site. The dish was not directly under the tower. To save time they thought they would use the winch to move it and just guide it in. Well, when they raised the dish, it kicked, and pushed one guy towards the hardware crate where his leg, just above the ankle, got pinned between the crate and the dish, guess what happened, his leg snapped. It went from straight to a 90 degrees in seconds and was pinned until the rest of the people could get over there to free him. It happened so fast that some people were in shock. It pays to plan and have a clean site. He was laid up for a very long time. Lesson learned: clean site, plan the lift, tag the load, prepare the people, make sure the winch guy is on the same page as the crew.

Story 2: We were changing out a TV stack from a 90′ analog stack to a 65′ digital. When the new stack came up 1 of the crew members forgot to stay at the tower top to help land it and instead went up to the rooster head of the gin pole. When the guy tried landing it alone he got the first spud perfect but crossed holes on the second. We came down with all the weight resting on the spud. When we tried to take the weight back up, the stack jumped 4′ up, then came crashing back down into the tower top. We pinned it, but bent our gin pole pretty good. Could have been a bad day if it snapped. Lesson learned: plan where each person should be at the time of the lift, stick to the plan unless there is a good reason not to.

Lessons learned? You tell me! Other Lessons Learned posts here and here and here.

Thank you all for the Near miss stories and keep them coming!

Talk to me! Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or message me on Facebook or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283.

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By the way, if you read this far, I am planning to put out a new program training the tower workers on the paperwork and processes needed in this industry.

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Do or Die! Are you in over your head?

August 20, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Qualifications, do you think that just because you climb towers you are qualified to do anything on the tower? What does your company bid on? Does your crew install dishes or LTE arrays or broadcast antennas or stack towers or strengthen towers? Do you know if you are qualified to do this work on the tower? Did your boss assign your crew a job that you know you are not qualified to do? Did you read the paperwork before you started? Are you in over your head? Is it do or die? No, it isn’t! Because if you are not prepared to pull that load up the tower then maybe you should say something to whoever is running the show. Either get the right crew with the right tools or get another company in there to do it!

You company should not be bidding on anything with a dollar sign. Like Clint Eastwood said as Harry Callahan in “Magnum Force”, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” It was much cooler when Clint said it, but you get the idea! Do you know your limitations? Did you plan on lifting such a heavy and large load? Do you know the ratings on your ropes, blocks, shackles, straps, and all associate hardware? Do you? Do you know how to mount to the tower? How about what to mount to on the tower? Do you mount to a small cross member for a large load? Can you tag the load out with the people you have? Ask yourself, can I do this with the people I am working with? Answer honestly!

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Listen, some companies bid on work because they need the work, not always because they can do the work.Reputation is big in this industry so that is why when something happens they need to correct it immediately. Accidents happen and most people can forgive, but you need to work extra hard to earn forgiveness and avoid a repeat in the future. If you are good at what you do, then the word of mouth should help you out.

There is a lot of speculation about how prepared a crew was recently and if they should have been doing this work because of an accident. Could it have been prevented or was it a faulty piece of hardware? If you read this then you can probably guess what accident I am talking about. If you don’t know then go here.

So if you are the one bidding on the work you had better know what your crews can handle. Do they fly dishes or cell mounts? Do they erect towers? If so what kind and how big? Do you think you can do it all? Think again. How experienced is the crew that will be doing the work? How confident are they? How smart are they? How smart are you? All questions that should be asked prior to the responding to the offer.

You see, the thing here is if you are wrong, it may not be a bad day but a funeral. It may cost someone more than a damaged reputation! Think about it. That is why I am in favor of not only experience and learning, but understanding your limitations. If you have worked on something similar than you will understand what is involved and the risks! If you are getting into something new, then it would be a good idea to hire someone who knows what they are doing and get the equipment to handle the job. Plan it out. Read the SOW, look at the BOM, understand you equipment’s ratings. Know what you have and what you will be doing by making a plan.

If something goes wrong, OSHA will look at the people doing the work and that company who is doing the work, but I am thinking they should go beyond that, end to end. Tower owners to the end customer so they know all the factors involved. I am pretty sure that someone at OSHA is looking at this rolling their eyes because they are overworked, but I think once they get the system in place then it will benefit everyone. Once the standards and requirements are set then they will roll it out to the industry. For the tower crews it will probably mean more paperwork to qualify everyone and that will mean more costs for the customer because it will not be free. We all know that paperwork means more money. We also know that it may weed out some of the crews that should not be out there in the first place. It may get ugly before it gets pretty again.

Did someone ask how to use a Capstan properly?

Hey, great resource for Capstan winches from GME Supply, and no, I do not get any type of kickback! I just think this is an excellent resource for someone using a capstan. Kudos to GME Supply for putting this out! I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier! Presented by Keith Willey of Hubbell Power Systems. Great job Keith! It’s all about the drag!

If you prefer to keep your comments private, let me have it!

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Alert! Texas Deer Tick and Meat Allergies!

August 15, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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I just read about the Texas deer tick bites cause red-meat allergies. Can you imagine you get bit by a tick and you get a meat allergy? I did a post and podcast about tick here, and the prevention is an insecticide called Permethrin, Bruce Holsted will tell you all about it here.

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http://www.nbcnews.com/health/allergies/bad-bite-tick-can-trigger-meat-allergy-doctors-say-n175521

http://nypost.com/2014/08/09/tick-spreading-red-meat-allergy-through-bites-on-long-island/

http://www.whdh.com/story/26224315/bad-bite-a-tick-can-make-you-allergic-to-red-meat

http://www.vnews.com/news/nation/world/13056667-95/meat-allergy-surges-due-to-tick-bites

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26293109/bad-bite-tick-can-make-you-allergic-red

http://www.medicaldaily.com/victims-lone-star-tick-bites-are-developing-severe-allergies-red-meat-297194

http://www.examiner.com/article/tick-bite-can-produce-allergy-to-red-meat

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Fines: OSHA vs. FCC

August 15, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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First off, thank you for all the near miss stories, I appreciate it! Link is here if you missed it. Keep them coming!

Let’s talk fines and how the FCC and OSHA fines compare. I wanted to go over what the FCC and OSHA are up against. They both issue a lot of fines and many of them take research. The FCC covers so many issue as does OSHA. All that we see is our world and the problems we face. We cry for help because we are losing fellow climbers. We are asking OSHA to help and now the FCC has joined our cause. I thought I would show you how many fines and all the work both organizations do. These guys mostly hear us whine and complain, but there are people working hard in the groups that are trying to make a difference. While I don’t agree with all of the fines, I find them all interesting. This may help us understand why they are taking so long to do anything. That is, we understand unless you know someone who died. Then all this seems unimportant because they need to step in to make sure it never happens again. Look at the losses in the tower industry this year and you see that several of the fallen were older. They were in their 30s and 40s. We need to find out what is happening, and we have been asking OSHA to help. Remember that several climbers were injured and stuck on towers and had to be rescued by fireman after waiting for EMS to respond after the 911 call. Our industry needs help.

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So I was reading an article, http://www.somdnews.com/article/20140730/NEWS/140739911/1045&source=RSS&template=gazette, where the FCC imposed a $10,400 fine, reduced from $13,000, for tower lights that were out. The FCC fined Washington Gas for a 2010 Frederick Tower light outage. Washington Gas did notify the FAA immediately, but 4 days after the outage. This is the reason for the fine. I don’t know the circumstances but just bare with me so I can make a point.

OSHA fined S & S Tower Company $14,000 for a tower collapse that killed 2 tower climbers causing a second tower collapse that killed a fireman. In this case three people died, and the fine was slightly more. This was the second violation for this company. However, this seemed to be an accident.

Now looking at this I have to wonder if the FCC has more clout in the government or how the fines for 2 penalties that are drastically different can be so close in dollar amount. Does this make sense to anyone? I think that it’s time that the Department of Labor and the FCC collaborate on how the fines are issued. Something appears to be very wrong here.

Listen, fines are tough, and I have never been on a crew that got any, thank GOD, but I do know that they should be fair. These are 2 incidents that warrant fines as the law is written, but it seems that the heavy fine for the light outage seems excessive and the fine for the fatalities seems light. My opinion!

Now, if you look at how OSHA hammered Morlan Enterprises back on February 25^th, 2014, when they saw 2 employees climbing without the proper climbing gear, on a monopole surrounded by trees. They hammered them with $35,000 in fines. No previous violations, but this was a willful violation who was the first to violate the rule stating that workers must have effective fall protection. Keep in mind this was a willful violation, they willingly decided to ignore the safety rules set by OSHA!

So to give you an overview of all the fines, OSHA handed out 8,241 fines for Fall Protection violations in 2013 according to this article. Fall violations were #1 in OSHA’s fine list. They do not take it lightly for any industry.

Now for the FCC it is much harder to count and separate the fines. So I went to their headlines screen here and loaded the data into Excel and here is what I saw was around 90 total fines issued in 2014. The FCC fines are very complicated for the most part. They range from fencing violations to Emergency alert violations to fining Intel for importing unapproved smart phones and tablet. By the way, Wal-Mart was fined $120K for wireless mic marketing issues!

So to sum this up, in the wireless communications tower industry we have needs but these departments are overseeing a ton of industries. So because the tower work is small they tend to get overlooked. I think that the 13 deaths last year and the 9 deaths this year have changed that. I also think that the record hiring rate of green climbers is going to change things. We want everyone to be safe and look out for each other. We need these people to be trained properly and to gain experience from experience. The FCC and OSHA are doing what they can with what they got. What about you? Are you doing what you can to train new climbers or do you sit there and say that someone should do something? I wrote this and I am trying to get the word out beyond Facebook, show some support.

So my question to you, the reader (or listener), what do you think is fair? Is this another government oversight where they just issue fines without a thought standard across the industry? Should the FCC work with OSHA to issue fines in the communications industry? What do you think is fair?

Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or message me on Facebook or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283.

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But wait, there’s more!

Following these fines, I think that it’s time that OSHA niches down to have a specific division that can concentrate specifically on the tower industry. Even if it’s just one guy. Or maybe listen to the complaints that roll in. Could we do that? They dish out many fines, but they only have so many resources, they need a specialist for the tower industry.

OSHA news:

http://www.ehso.com/css/oshaviolations.php

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owanews_releases.level_subject?p_keyvalue=Enforcement

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch_news_releases.search_form?p_doc_type=NEWS_RELEASES&p_toc_level=2&p_keyvalue=REGION5&p_status=CURRENT

FCC news:

http://transition.fcc.gov/headlines.html

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/News_Releases/Welcome.html

http://www.somdnews.com/article/20140730/NEWS/140739911/1045&source=RSS&template=gazette

Other tower and broadcast related FCC fines;

* We impose a penalty of $15,000 against Jean Richard Salvador for operating an unlicensed FM radio station on the frequency 89.5 MHz in Miami, Florida. Although Mr. Salvador denies operating the unlicensed station in September 2013, he did not dispute that he operated the station in June or July of 2013. *
We propose a penalty of $10,000 against Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises (Duhamel), for failing to ensure that its antenna structure was properly illuminated. Although Duhamel believed that the structure did not require lighting because of its position in a three-tower array, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified Duhamel officially that lighting was required for the antenna structure. Given that public safety is at risk when antenna structures are not properly illuminated, Duhamel’s failure to light the structure after the FAA notification warrants a significant penalty. In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture and Order (NAL), we find that Duhamel, owner of antenna structure number 1042912 in Rapid City, South Dakota (Antenna Structure), apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 303(q) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act), and Sections 17.23 and 17.48(a) of the Commission’s rules (Rules), by failing to exhibit required lighting on the Antenna Structure during nighttime hours and for failure to notify the FAA immediately that the Antenna Structure was not lit. We conclude that Duhamel is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

We propose a penalty of $25,000 against CMARR, Inc. (CMARR), for apparently willfully interfering with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) weather radar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by operating radio transmitters without a license. Given the risk to public safety created by CMARR’s unlicensed operations, and the fact that CMARR had already received a warning for similar violations, these actions warrant a significant penalty.
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), we find that CMARR, operator of an Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) transmission system in San Juan, Puerto Rico, apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Sections 301 and 333 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act),[1] by causing interference to the FAA by operating an intentional radiator without a license. We conclude that CMARR is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
We propose a penalty of $7,000 against Sound Communications, LLC (Sound Communications) for apparently failing to enclose AM Station WENY’s antenna structure in Southport, New York, within an effective locked fence. Sound Communications admitted to leaving a gate unlocked for several days so that personnel from a tower repair company could gain access to the antenna structure site in order to prepare a bid for a repair project. The unlocked gate was of particular concern to FCC agents because the antenna structure is located in a residential neighborhood.
In this Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), we find that Sound Communications, licensee of Station WENY and owner of antenna structure number 1053420 (Antenna Structure) in Southport, New York, apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 73.49 of the Commission’s rules (Rules),[2] by failing to enclose the antenna structure within an effective locked fence. We conclude that Sound Communications is apparently liable for forfeiture in the amount of seven thousand dollars ($7,000).

OSHA fines for tower companies (OSHA cites many companies but I only see a few violations in the past few months);

COOLVILLE, Ohio – Two workers were free climbing, or climbing without safety lines, a 195-foot communication tower under construction without adequate fall protection in Coolville. As a result, Morlan Enterprises has been cited for one willful and eight serious safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA has proposed penalties of $52,500.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Following the collapse of a Clarksburg communication tower in February 2014 that seriously injured two and claimed the lives of two employees and a volunteer firefighter, S and S Communication Specialists Inc. has been cited for two serious workplace safety violations. The citations issued to the Hulbert, Oklahoma-based Company follow an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Tower fatalities from OSHA;

6/17/2014	Microwave Transmission Systems Inc., San Angelo, TX 76903	Worker died after falling from tower.	Fatality
3/25/2014	Wireless Horizon, Westmoreland, KS 66549	Two workers killed when a wireless communications tower collapsed.	Fatality
3/19/2014	Redwing Electric, LLC, Pasadena, MD 21122	Worker killed in fall from water tower.	Fatality
2/1/2014	S. & S. Communication Specialist Inc., Clarksburg, WV 26301	Two workers killed in a communications tower collapse.	Fatality
11/22/2013	Optica Network Technologies, N. Wichita, KS 67219	Maintenance worker died in fall from communication tower.	Fatality

Dehydration alert!

Remember what Art Seely, (the CEO at Safety One International Training and a senior paramedic, http://safetyoneinc.com/) says, “A summer climber needs fluid with electrolytes such as a diluted 50% Gatorade mixture to drink at 10 minute intervals. The only disadvantage to 50% diluted Gatorade is the stomach “sees” the nutrients in the solution and immediately passes the fluid on to the small intestine where the absorption rate is only 1/3 as fast as if the fluid stayed in the stomach. With pure water the fluid stays in the stomach and is more quickly passed to the blood stream. Once in the blood stream the rehydration progresses next to the cells and finally to the interstitial spaces. The point of mentioning that is that even though a climber feels better after rehydrating from serious dehydration he should wait at least 12 hours to resume any significant work. In winter climbs the majority of the fluid loss is through the surface of the lungs which unlike perspiration does not upset electrolyte balance and water is a great substitute to drink before, during and after the climb… In either case once you have a victim on a tower or on the ground the initial attempts at “fluid resuscitation” should always utilize water at close to body temperature. As with all victims they must be able to hold the fluid container and drink from it themselves, do not attempt to pour it into their mouth as vomiting and aspiration resulting in a delayed bacterial pneumonia is a likely result and that can easily be fatal without prompt hospitalization. Once the victim’s symptoms start to improve then if they were in a hot environment you can start with Gatorade at 50% or 100% concentrations.

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http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=OSHA-2011-0540-0001

By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think. I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Is this going to help you? Let me know on Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283

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Near Miss Stories, Lessons Learned

August 13, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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First off I would like to pay my respects to the 49-year-old fallen tower painter that passed on 7/10/2014. Rest in Peace Thomas Lucas, you will be missed, gratitude and love out to your family. This is the ninth fatality in 2014, and let us all pray that this is the last! I put some tower painting videos in here to honor him. For more information go here.

Thank you for the feedback on the near miss stories. I got several responses immediately. I am doing this so people can learn from the mistakes that others made. These are lessons learned. For those of you that don’t understand this, let me clarify. When you’re at a site telling someone what you plan to do, do they just say OK and walk away? Or, do they say “this is what I would do” and “this is what I tried in the past” and “here’s why it didn’t work”. I would always offer my ideas and opinions at the site, it is up to the current crew as to whether they want to use it or not.So let’s learn from these!

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Each story is told by the person who sent it in. I took out any names, company names, or customer names.

Story 1: We used a hemp rope they tried to drop a 10′ dish and the mount, this was about 10 years ago when nylon ropes were new. Well, because we didn’t tag the dish, we tried to drop it straight down a self supporter. (For those that don’t know self supporters get wider at the bottom!) Well it was fine until if got snagged on the tower, so then we tried to pull the dish back up. Guess what, the rope could not pull it back up so the dish dropped, hard, and flattened one site. However it didn’t just fall straight down, it hit the tower and bounced inside the tower! Flattened on side of the dish and looked really bad. Luckily, they (customer) didn’t plan to reuse it and sent it in for scrap. No injuries, no one was hurt, and an important lesson was learned that we need tag lines and patience. Lesson learned!

Story 2: Just this past Friday I was working on a raw land site where the tower had been stacked the previous day. Myself and one other man( a rookie to my company) were shaking down the tower. I had gone up and done a tape drop and came down tightening one legs gussets and center stitch. The man with me had helped stack the previous day. He did great! 100% tied off, climbed well, didn’t drop any tools, kept his hands out of pinch zones and listened to direction from crew chief very well. The stack went awesome. He went up to tighten down another leg and center stitch. He got down to the forty-foot mark and at this time I was going thru hardware to see what was left and organize for the next crew coming in to fly waveguide and build a carrier’s site. There was some hardware on the pier at base of tower and without hesitation I went to gather it. At that moment he slipped while standing on the two downward diagonals and the spud socket wrench he was using came free. It hit me, bent over, in the back just below my shoulder-blade from forty feet. It landed socket end first and the alignment pin slapped down after. I WAS LUCKY!! I’m bruised but not broken.

Story 3: We loosened the mount with a 2 man crew, thinking that the mount and the antenna would not be too heavy. It took a long time for me, on the tower, to break all the clamps. The hardware was tight and it took a long time to take off. Well as soon as I took the last mount off the load was so heavy that the guy on the ground got pulled into the block on the ground. He couldn’t hold it so we both tried to slow it down but it would not stop! We had to let it fall. Busted the antenna but didn’t hit anything on the ground! We got lucky, just a couple of bloody hands bit no real injuries. A bad day we walked away from.

That’s it for this week. Keep the stories coming.Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or message me on Facebook or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. Remember it here.

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In honor of the fallen climber, here are some painting videos:

FYI: PEAK Career Services, a division of Pinnacle Career Institute is working with an International Engineering Firm to hire and train a significant number of entry-level Tower Technicians in order to meet rising demand in the Telecommunications Industry. Candidates chosen for this opportunity will participate in an intensive 1-week training program at no cost to them. There are several locations throughout the United States. Visit www.peakpci.com for more information or email contact@peakpci.com. To apply go to www.peakpci.com/apply-now

You could always subscribe!

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Whistle blower information;

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Next post will be about fines.

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Another fallen tower worker in Stockton!

August 12, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Updates:

http://www.mystateline.com/fulltext-news/d/story/man-falls-to-death-while-working-on-communications/64807/k45PuO-4SEuJ3yYSVPZQzA

http://www.wrex.com/story/26260229/2014/08/12/one-person-dies-after-falling-from-communications-tower

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.

http://www.kwqc.com/story/26260814/tower-worker-falls-to-death-in-jo-daviess-county

http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_d45e2058-317e-5309-a213-008d9e1d4bab.html

http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Man-Dead-After-Falling-Off-Communications-Tower-270915201.html

http://wqad.com/2014/08/12/painter-killed-in-fall-from-tower-in-rural-stockton/

Another fallen worker, another loss in the industry. As seen in Wireless Estimator, http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfm there 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.

http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_5ece5ec4-20d6-11e4-acb6-0017a43b2370.html

http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_c06decdf-566e-5125-9fc1-ba5ccffb77d2.html

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

FCC & DOL Tower Safety Workshop

August 9, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Let’s talk about the FCC and the DOL tower safety and injury prevention workshop! The link can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db0804/DA-14-1131A1.pdf if you want to read about it. This is great news, hallelujah! Way to go FCC & OSHA! (OSHA is part of the DOL.) This is a good thing and needs to be looked at! This year, 9 fatalities to date and 13 last year, this is something that really needs to be addressed. The FCC & DOL released the document on August 4^th, 2014, and it’s great that they are stepping up. If you would like to watch it online and live make sure that on October 14^th at 9AM ET you go to http://www.fcc.gov/live and see all the action.

By the way, this is post #131 that I put out there for you! I am on podcast #25 already! Tell your wireless friends!

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Wireless Estimator has an update at http://www.wirelessestimator.com/breaking_news.cfm if you want to see what Jonathon Adelstein, President and CEO of PCIA says. There is speculation that PCIA is pushing this and I know that they publicly endorse the event.

So what do you think they will discuss? Remember that it is safety and injury prevention, so that will open up many issues. I am hoping they stick to the death prevention first. We really need to prevent as many deaths as we can. That isn’t just going to be saying tie off 100% of the time. It’s going to be about making sure that the climber has something to tie off to on the structure! It’s going to be making sure that installations are thought out to the detail that a climber can make it around or through the structure on the tower.

Let me ask how many of the tower climbers have had to climb off the climbing leg to get around a dish or a mount or over an antenna? How many monopoles did you squeeze through the platform opening just to get to the next level? How many faces did you cross by holding on?

I think now that the communications industry is changing it would be a good time to update the towers. There will be 2G and 3G decommissioning happening soon. The next wave of LTE-A and 5G builds will be starting. This is a good time to see the industry work together to improve the conditions on towers. Pretty soon the entire radio, BBU and RF, will be on the tower in communications. Only fiber and power will be run up the tower. If there is wireless backhaul, then only power will be run up the tower.

Let’s think ahead, not just in wireless technology but also in mechanical and safety technology to make those structures safe so that the climbers can follow safe processes. Let’s make it so that the tailgate meetings include someone saying how much they love climbing this tower because they have an easy time maneuvering and tying off. Would that be a pleasant conversation for a change?

With the RRHs getting heavier and more common the tower will be asked to hold more and more weight in the radio and the steel. Let’s make sure that we plan out the tower modifications carefully! Let’s make sure that the mechanical engineers are ready to make the changes to the towers. It’s a team effort and when they beef up the tower they can also add some tie off points and plan out the climbing paths. Maybe a better way to cross the face.

So let’s make some noise and let the FCC know that it will take more than just OSHA trying to report what happened. Let’s see if the industry can come together to prevent all the threats. Let’s make it safer than ever with careful planning and thought. I don’t want them to just throw another initiative that is lip service; I would like to see real planning and industry buy in! If the money is going to be spent on growth, let’s grow the best way we can!

Where and when?

Date: October 14, 2014

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: FCC Headquarters

Commission Meeting Room

445 12th Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20554

Remember to give me your near miss stories, it seems more relevant now that ever, right? Let me know! Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. I cover it here.

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Other information!

Yes, Kelly Hill of RCR did asked me about the new OSHA directive.

Tell me about your trucks, remember this post!

http://wade4wireless.polldaddy.com/s/trucks-in-tower-work

Remember that the Hubble Foundation needs your support. They help any climber in need, so remember that when you need help and if you can help! Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang! By the way, how much did you give today?

My Books on Kindle:

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Wade4Wireless BlogCast

Trucks, Ropes, Heat, and Near Misses!

August 6, 2014 Wade Leave a comment

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Hello all,
I wanted to go over 4 things today. Something that you hear about tower work is all the risks. What about the things that most workers live in, like their truck. I thought it might be fun for all of you to talk about what you drive. When you do tower work your truck is your office, you live in it. You probably had one that you loved and one that you hated. I have a survey so I expect you to let me know in a sentence or 2.

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I also want to give you some links to gain access to the rope experts, just to let you know what is going on. IRATA and SPRAT are excellent resources for not only rope access workers but to teach climbers more about rope and controlled descent. We can all learn from what they have to share.

Finally 2 more things! It’s hot out there! Be aware of your body’s needs. Stay hydrated and keep your work mates hydrated. This ties into the finally subject, and that is near misses that are never reported.

Truck, specifically your work truck. Do you have a favorite work truck for tower work? Not your personal vehicle, but your work truck. If you’re like me you had several throughout your career. I have a survey, it’s simple! Just tell me your favorite work truck and your most hated work truck. Don’t just tell me the make and model but give me a 1 sentence response why you loved or hated it.

Let me tell you mine! My favorite was a Ford F150, great truck because it was really nice inside, nice ride, could handle hauling over 1,000 lbs of steel, and was reliable. It was so reliable. That is the one truck that never broke down on me. I had 2 trucks that didn’t break down ever, this one and I had a Nissan Armada, SUV, that is another awesome vehicle that I used for engineering work.

I really hated a Chevy 1500 I had, you know why? It would break down on Friday nights when I was on my way home. Not once, not twice, 3 times in 2 years on a Friday night while I was on my way home. I really hated that truck! I had a Ford Explorer which had transmission problems, but even that truck ran. The Chevy 1500 had its gas pump, in the gas tank, that would fail regularly. For the mechanic to repair it he would have to drain and drop the gas tank because the pump was in the tank. What a stupid design! This truck helped me decide that I would never buy another Chevy, but hey, that’s me.

http://wade4wireless.polldaddy.com/s/trucks-in-tower-work

Ropes, we really need to know more about ropes. This is an update from IRATA. IRATA, International Rope Access Trade Association. Why would a tower worker care? If you’re asking that, then maybe you should look for a new career. Climbers use ropes every day, lanyard, rigging, safety, controlled descent, hoists, and more. You all should be paying attention to attention to what this industry is saying and we should quickly partner with them. They have updates on their site, IRATA, offering several PDF documents that should be of interest to you.

Also in the realm of ropes you should be paying attention to what SPRAT is doing. SPRAT, Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. Web site is here, SPRAT and they just had a meeting in Colorado that I am looking to see what they talked about. They have standards to download at http://sprat.org/publications/standards/ and white papers at http://sprat.org/publications/whiteletter/ that have good information. I suggest that you take a look to know what you are missing. Specifically this,”Safe Practices for Rope Access Work”, which you to review.

Heat is something that many workers are dealing with this time of year. I would like to quote Art Seely, who happens to be the CEO at Safety One International Training and a senior paramedic, http://safetyoneinc.com/ for all of those wondering about this guy. Thank you Mr. Seely! He sent me this in LinkedIn on a discussion we had on heat exhaustion of the worker that needed to be rescued recently. Per Arthur Seely, “Wade, Just a guess but I would put $20 on the fact the climber was dehydrated! The big difference between climbing in the summer (or in Florida any time of year) and climbing in the winter is that although dehydration occurs in both scenarios in the hot environment perspiration causes the dehydration which throws the electrolyte balance in the blood plasma off very quickly resulting in nausea, cramps, weakness, postural hypotension etc, A summer climber needs fluid with electrolytes such as a diluted 50% Gatorade mixture to drink at 10 minute intervals. The only disadvantage to 50% diluted Gatorade is the stomach “sees” the nutrients in the solution and immediately passes the fluid on to the small intestine where the absorption rate is only 1/3 as fast as if the fluid stayed in the stomach. With pure water the fluid stays in the stomach and is more quickly passed to the blood stream. Once in the blood stream the rehydration progresses next to the cells and finally to the interstitial spaces. The point of mentioning that is that even though a climber feels better after rehydrating from serious dehydration he should wait at least 12 hours to resume any significant work. In winter climbs the majority of the fluid loss is through the surface of the lungs which unlike perspiration does not upset electrolyte balance and water is a great substitute to drink before, during and after the climb… In either case once you have a victim on a tower or on the ground the initial attempts at “fluid resuscitation” should always utilize water at close to body temperature. As with all victims they must be able to hold the fluid container and drink from it themselves, do not attempt to pour it into their mouth as vomiting and aspiration resulting in a delayed bacterial pneumonia is a likely result and that can easily be fatal without prompt hospitalization. Once the victim’s symptoms start to improve then if they were in a hot environment you can start with Gatorade at 50% or 100% concentrations. A couple of instructors at Safety One are working on heavily modifying an insulated 3 L Camelback to safely attach to a standard harness, I’ll let you know when they have it “perfected”. At that point Safety One will be having a “garage sale” of about 50 different slightly used and damaged Camelback type hydration carriers from all over the world!! LOL!”

I will have more on heat in another post, this could go on for hours but let me send you off with some links, California law, http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html, and the Training Advisor, http://trainingdailyadvisor.blr.com/category/workplace-safety/?source=TDA&effort=18&funcode=QT10&utm_source=BLR&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=TDAEmail both have some good information. Basically, if you are on the tower remember to stay hydrated. If you are on the ground remember to stay hydrated and remind the guy in the air to stay hydrated and send the climber fluid on a regular basis. Be smart and pay attention so no one gets hurt!

Finally, the near misses conversation. I was reading the post of my friend Kevin Carter, seen HERE about how no one reports near misses. Go ahead and read his article, then come back if it’s easier. Basically Kevin talks about how tower workers, rarely, if ever, report near misses when no one gets hurt. Why would they, after all, no one got hurt. Well, maybe this is how we learn. The problem is that in any company you get penalized for the accident regardless if someone gets hurt or not. Safety is better than it’s ever been, and yet this year and last year are the worst ever for deaths! Did you read that? The worst for death rate in the tower industry. So what can we do? Well, I think I have an answer, If you have a story you would like to tall, I can do 2 things. I can write about it, keeping your name confidential, I could record it, but I won’t disguise your voice, or you can email me and let me know what it is. I would like to put a collection of stories together for a post, but only if you want to talk about them.

Sharing near misses in this industry is a lesson for future workers. I think it would be valuable content that should be shared with everyone. However, I know it’s embarrassing or it may be your job. So I think if you would share, I will print it and keep your name, company, and location out of the article. My information is below. I know that you probably don’t want to do this, but it really is a responsibility to share the lessons learned. So if you share a story, then make sure you share what you did wrong and what you did next time to make it right. Got it?

I understand why workers don’t like to report things like this, because the safety manager would want to shut the job down, do drug testing, and make everyone write-up an accident report. That hurts the schedule, creates delays, and is a real inconvenience. I get it, just make a note and the crew on site knows not to do something like that again. That is where the mentoring program comes in handy because the experienced climber can share the story with the newer climber. If you are new, don’t judge, listen and learn.

OK, we covered a lot in this post. Let me know about your favorite and hated trucks! Read up on rope access and learn. It’s more than being well-rounded, it’s being prepared! Read up on heat, hydration, and looking out for your work mates so that you all get home alive. Finally, pay attention to near misses and share those stories with me, let me know what they are so I can share them. This is your chance to share your knowledge with others in the industry. Help a fellow tower worker out. Maybe your story will save someone’s life!

By the way, I am planning to put out some more books, this time on scopes of work, Bill of materials, and other useful information for the workers. Let me know what you think.

Other information!

I am working on 2 new projects, a new book that outlines my different jobs in the industry and a library of reference material that you can access quickly to take to the site. I want to see you make the site safer with quick reference material. If you have any idea of what you need out there let me know. Show me you care, Facebook, wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave a comment or leave a message at 510-516-4283

My Books on Kindle:

My PDF books on Sellfy, Pay with PayPal:

My PDF books on GumRoad, Pay with Credit Card:

Whistle blower information;

http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=330216

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=OSHA-2011-0540-0001

Wade4Wireless BlogCast

OSHA Updates Rules for Tower Workers!

July 25, 2014 Wade

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OK, so OSHA has sent out an update for communication tower workers, https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/communicationtower/index.html for the OSHA site. So what changed? Here is the PDF for the information, https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02-01-056.pdf but let me tell you how I read it. First off, let me tell you that I am happy that OSHA is addressing this and I am happy that NATE and OSHA are working together to make the climbers life safer and easier. I appreciate the attention to the industry.

Apologies for the long post but I just couldn’t stop writing! It’s mostly my interpretation of the release, so make sure that you read it yourself, don’t take my word for it! Read it!

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From the bulletin DIRECTIVE NUMBER: CPL 02-01-056. It covers work using a hoist to lift personnel, (that would be you the climber), from their workstations, (assuming that would be from the ground to somewhere on the tower). The preferred way to access workstations on the tower is to climb a fixed ladder with attached climbing devices, (most tower have something today, but not all). So here is the news, if the climber will be working at one area and making multiple trips, then materials and the worker shall be hoisted to the work level. I am going to give my view here but I highly recommend that you read it, the link is above.

Listen, here is the reality I worked in, when I got on the tower I only got down for 2 reasons, 1) when the job was finished for the day or 2) if it was time to eat and we didn’t bring anything to the site to eat. I often spent 10 hours or more on the tower. There were days where I could spend 2 hours on a tower just to go to the next tower to do maintenance or repair. Time is money. Now, if I was on the tower for that long we would hoist up large items but smaller items we would often pull up by hand. This could address that particular part of the job. That does cause fatigue so why not have the winch do it. I am all for that.

If you are going to hoist employees, better know what winch to use and you had better know what you’re doing. Let’s review the definitions section. 1) Anti-Two block device, read this because this is a safety feature. 2) Maximum load, better know your limits! 3) Competent person on site, do we really have to stress this every time? YES! Because apparently this is still missing from many work sites! 4) Qualified person, again Mr. Obvious, YES! 5) Gin Pole, different rules apply to the Gin Pole and this should be a competent crew and something that is covered separately, 6) Engineered hoist systems, covers the complete hoisting system end to end, do you know and understand this system? Are you competent on the entire end to end system? Are you? Seriously, are you?

Hoisting personnel and training: there is that part again, training, have you been trained properly? No joke, have you been trained properly and do you feel confident using the hoist. I am not asking if you know all hoists or winches, just the one you are working on, that particular hoist. If you are making jokes right now, then maybe you should be looking for a new line of work.

I am not going to cover the equipment in-depth here, that’s your job! This section is very important and you should read it. First off make sure that a professional engineer approved your hoist system by stamping off on it. Check lines and slings. Load capacity should be at least twice what the load will be. Use a guide line to keep employees and loads off the tower. This is something that should not be taken lightly; tagging is critical and is something that a competent person should do if the load is a human. Use a foot block for people, obvious to me. Gin pole is on there, but if you are using a gin pole then your crew should be competent on a gin pole. Post the load capacity near the winch, this is something that is a great idea to keep everyone on the same page.

Trial lift and proof testing, this is something that should be part of the training and testing when you get the equipment. This should apply to more than your hoist or winch, this should apply to most of your equipment and safety gear. This section gives you a good outline of what you should be doing. It would be a good place to start for your testing.

Pre-Lift meeting: this is a great idea that you could add to your daily meetings and on every work site prior to doing the work.

I am not going to go over documentation, this should be obvious.

Hoisting employees to and from the workstation – this section you should read! I am not going to cover it because I feel this should be read direct and you should understand it. I don’t want you thinking that I can cover this at a high level and then you understand the requirements!

Communications between the operator and the hoisted employees. If you work together I would like to think you already have a system. I think it would be better if you had radios to communicate but if you rely on visual, make sure you worked it out ahead of time. I added a crane signals section in my Field Workers Aid book but I highly recommend that you all get on the same page in the Pre-Lift Meeting prior to any work. Also, don’t let the blind guy work the lift. I would also ask that if you have someone who is easily distracted, then maybe they shouldn’t be running the lift either.

OK, you should read the rest, this is long enough and I am sorry I droned on. I will have more in the podcast if you really want to hear more.

Remember this letter in February? https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/communicationtower/Letter_CT_Employers.html that OSHA sent out to companies. Apparently most companies didn’t listen. I guess not everyone follows NATE and OSHA like they should. I will tell you this, most of the climbers I talk to and I communicate with not only follow NATE and OSHA but they respect what they are trying to do. I am not saying they agree with everything, but they understand that this is a process and that we all want the same thing, 0 fatalities if at all possible. Especially 0 fatalities that involve stupidity or lack of experience. We need to educate each other with real world experience to make sure that this becomes reality. Even though we all compete for work we all need to work together and share experience to make sure we make this industry the safest it can be. In the USA we have so many rules and safety processes in place and yet this industry is so dangerous. I know I give the carriers a hard time but I guarantee you that all of the people there want the same thing we do, 0 accidents if at all possible, they have the same goal. We all have the same goal, so let’s start working at it. The best place to start is training and education. That means we have to start with all of the companies and make sure that they care about their employees as a human, a living person, someone with a family. Then we can start to make progress towards a safer industry. It takes responsibility, not just the company but for each of you to look out for your work mate. It seems most people who read this feel that way and yet you read about workers who can’t help each other or companies that send workers out by themselves. It is time for OSHA to seriously look at all of these accidents. Let’s take this discussion away from Facebook and start by talking to each other at the tower sites, face to face. Let’s talk to each other in the field, in a friendly way, to make the newer climbers understand that inexperience and carelessness kills in this business, literally. And with that said, if there is a loss, let us respect the families since we seem to never know what happened until months later.

Remember that the Hubble Foundation needs your support. Show you care for the families of the fallen and the fellow climbers in need. They still have tickets to the car giveaway! Support Hubble, honor the fallen, and maybe win a Mustang!

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OSHA news:

FCC news:

Other tower and broadcast related FCC fines;

Tower fatalities from OSHA;

Dehydration alert!

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In honor of the fallen climber, here are some painting videos:

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Whistle blower information;

Share this:

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Where and when?

Remember to give me your near miss stories, it seems more relevant now that ever, right? Let me know! Email me at wade4wireless@gmail.com or leave the information below. Or call and leave a message at my Google voice mail at 510-516-4283. I cover it here.

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Other information!

Yes, Kelly Hill of RCR did asked me about the new OSHA directive.

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Apologies for the long post but I just couldn’t stop writing! It’s mostly my interpretation of the release, so make sure that you read it yourself, don’t take my word for it! Read it!

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