WASHINGTON-The National Association of Tower Erectors, angered by a government report that raised serious tower safety concerns, has complained to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the report is not balanced.
The report, issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in late April after a slew of tower-related deaths in recent years, said tower workers sustain fatal injuries-mostly from falls-at a substantially greater rate than employees in all other U.S. industries.
Because the wireless industry is growing so fast, NIOSH, a scientific body that makes recommendations to OSHA, said firms may neither be aware of the significant risks of fatal falls nor the federal regulations designed to prevent accidents.
OSHA, with NIOSH input, develops regulations for worker safety.
NATE, based in Watertown, S.D., first was alerted to NIOSH’s findings in a May 8 RCR article. In response, NATE on June 2 wrote to OSHA Assistant Secretary Charles Jeffress to protest the NIOSH report.
“The NIOSH report ignored the significant gains the industry-through NATE-has made in tower safety and how hard we have worked together to improve safety. That leaves out an important part of the story,” NATE Administrator Patrick Howey told RCR.
Virgil Casini, director of trauma investigations in NIOSH’s safety research division, said he was puzzled by NATE’s reaction. He added that NIOSH’s report on tower climbing dangers should not have come as a surprise to the trade group.
Howey, for his part, said NATE is committed to tower safety and will continue to work closely with NIOSH and OSHA to reduce hazards to workers.
“We recognize that working on communication towers presents certain dangers not involved in other jobs, and that is one of the primary reasons NATE was formed,” said Howey. “We want to make sure that tower companies have access to the best information possible to keep their workers safe. Regardless of how tower workers compare statistically to `all other U.S. industries combined,’ NATE maintains the loss of each life is significant. We are steadfast in our determination to reduce those numbers.”
At the same time, NATE is at loggerheads with regulators over a federal rule (OSHA Compliance Directive 2-1.29) forbidding workers to use machines for hoisting workers (a practice known as `riding the line’) at heights below 200 feet on communications towers.
“NATE contends that if riding the line is safe above 200 feet, it is safe at lower elevations as well,” said Howey.
Howey said a repeal of the 200-foot rule would go a long way to reducing repetitive motion injuries of tower climbers, who sustain significant wear and tear on shoulders, knees and elbows.
NIOSH’s Casini said the issue is more complicated. He explained that tower workers sometimes use hoists designed to lift equipment, not people.
Going forward, Howey said NATE has developed techniques and procedures for tower climbers to reduce tower injuries and fatalities. NATE said it provides tower company members with safety materials, including videotapes on climber orientation, personnel hoisting and gin pole procedures; a comprehensive safety and accident prevention program; and a radio-frequency radiation awareness manual.
