OSHA seeks public comment on how to reduce accidents at tower sites
Federal safety regulators are seeking public input on how to best protect the men and women who work on telecommunications towers from injury or incident.
Published on April 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees workplace safety measures, is soliciting comment for the next 60 days.
From the OSHA announcement: “OSHA is aware of employee safety risks in communication tower construction and maintenance activities and is requesting information from the public on these risks. This [request for information] requests information that will assist the Agency in determining what steps, if any, it can take to prevent injuries and fatalities during tower work.”
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Tim Gay, Wireless Infrastructure Association spokesman, told organization members, “Workforce safety and improved network quality are critical issues for PCIA and our members.”
We are actively engaged with the Department of Labor and Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program in working to find ways to ensure that workers are better equipped to perform under the safest conditions possible,” he continued. “We want to help create the wireless workforce of the future with the best training available to those who are deploying wireless infrastructure. PCIA welcomes the opportunity to work with OSHA and other government leaders on this critical effort.”
In July, OSHA updates its communications tower directive, which outlines the proper use of hoist systems used to move workers up and down towers. The directive update came after what OSHA called “an alarming increase in preventable injuries and fatalities at communication tower work sites.”
“This directive ensures that communication tower workers are protected regardless of the type of the work they are doing on communication towers,” David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said at the time.
“Employers and cell tower owners and operators must make sure workers are properly trained and protected,” he said.
Despite the pervasive emphasis on safety in the tower industry, accidents do happen.
Corie Fontenot, a veteran tower climber and safety manager at Tower MRL in Wisconsin, tells a story about what happened to his friend that serves as a sobering reminder of what can happen when a tower crew member loses focus.
Fontenot explained that his friend was installing sector mounts at the 380-foot mark of a 400-foot tower in Rhode Island.
“He was reaching out to grab the mount,” Fontenot said, “out of nowhere the mount sailed to the ground, hit one of the guide wires. Fortunately, it rode the guide wire down instead of sheering it ’cause if he sheered the guide wire, the tower more than likely would have come down.”
But while the tower did not come down, there was trouble below. The sector, fully dressed out and quite heavy, slammed through the equipment shelter building next to the tower killing two tower techs below.
Fontenot continued with a somber and sobering tone, “Two of the techs, one was an older gentleman, seasoned, training his young apprentice. The young apprentice just had babies; twins, three weeks prior to the incident.”
