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August 2009
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When Jeremy Combs fell to his death in Port Angeles, E-mails to the KING 5 Investigators started trickling in. "This could have been avoided if we weren't pushed so hard to complete these sites...," said one writer. We heard from communication tower workers, and their families, who appreciate that they have employment during these tough times but also raise concerns about how the cellular industry has evolved. Combs was performing a "night cut" for ATT's upgrade for iPhone service. He was working with a crew around midnight, when there would be fewer service interruptions for customers, to install 3 antennae for high-speed service. One crew member (who was not present when Combs fell and did not want to be identified for our story) says he knew it would be difficult to complete the job during the five hour service cut and at night, no less. Workers told us that contracts often spell out hard deadlines and terms to have upgrades performed quickly and with as few service interruptions as possible. They say this puts safety and speed at odds. After a string of deaths on ATT projects nationwide, the company denied that the towerhands it sub-contracted were placed at risk and said safety is always the top priority. Many companies often point out that workers need to take personal responsibility for their safety. Combs, for example, was allegedly drinking before he started the AT&T upgrade on a roof-top cell site, and he wasn't wearing a harness. If there's a problem in this industry, Combs' case certainly is not a textbook example. But one could also argue that there's been enough deaths in this small industry that regulators need to do more than launch PR campaigns to convince climbers to tie off. It seems that regulators have kept their heads down, when they should have been looking up -- and looking out - for workers in this perilous industry. 1 Comments |
I am writing on behalf of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), the tower industry's largest and most respected association dedicated to tower safety.
First of all, thank you for your broadcast which draws attention to some of the largest obstacles that must be overcome by the tower, cellular and broadcast industries to ensure that all tower climbers go home safely at the end of the day.
NATE was the first to develop a Tower Climber Fall Protection Training standard, which includes the industry's most up-to-date standards on training and procedures, specific to the tower industry.
On a state level, NATE has acted as a consultant and played a leadership role in both North Carolina and Michigan in the development of their state regulations regarding tower climbing. These states found themselves in circumstances similar to Washington's - lacking a comprehensive tower safety standard to protect its tower climbers. Currently, we are seeking an opportunity to work with regulators in the state of Washington to help develop a comprehensive tower safety standard that encompasses best practices gleaned from regulations across the country.
Additionally, since its formation 13 years ago, NATE has developed educational and safety materials to ensure our members and the industry never forget the importance of safety. Those materials and programs included the Tower Owner and Operator Checklists, Qualified Climber Evaluation Checklists, as well as providing tower climber safety and rescue training at its annual conference. Our Web site contains a wealth of information such as: Safety videos, accident prevention, hoist standards, and more to give those in the industry access to the safety information they need most.
We work relentlessly to communicate and remind our members about the importance of safety to serve as a constant reminder the importance of tying-off 100% of the time. One inaccuracy mentioned in your report is that Washington state tower climbers are not required to tie-off. Free climbing, or climbing without being tied-off using appropriate safety equipment, is illegal in all states. Whether or not the state rules cover this, a state cannot have regulations that provide less safety than those provided by the federal government.
We agree with your comments that additional action is needed more than more talk and rhetoric. Toward that end, NATE launched a campaign to bring the owners and operators of towers, including cellular, wireless and broadcast organizations together to request that they join with us to make substantive changes in the way the industry operates.
NATE is asking tower owners, broadcasters, carriers and general contractors to help us develop solutions to problems affecting the industry and:
- Ensure that only qualified contractors that provide proper training and equipment to do the job safely are hired to work on towers, on the ground and aloft.
- Set reasonable deadlines to complete jobs that are realistic or flexible to ensure that companies working on the tower can complete the work safely and keep their crews working inside safe limits.
Broadcasts like yours will gain the attention of regulators, owner and operators and tower companies motivating them to team with our association to make the changes necessary in the industry. We hope you will continue to follow-up and report on the tower industry's progress to addressing these challenges.
If you need additional information for future broadcasts, please contact NATE with any questions at (888-882-5865).