The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) is taking an important step to keep tower climbers safe by offering training to anyone with access to the Internet. The NATE Exchange includes courses covering topics like RF awareness, fall protection and rescue, ladder scaffolding, gin pole, and CPR. Course curriculum comes from 20 NATE member companies.
Safety training for tower climbers is increasingly important as network operators compete to complete build-outs and get sites on-air ahead of their competition. “The emphasis on getting sites on-air faster has never been greater,” said Trevor Putrah, president of KGP Companies, which offers wireless infrastructure services through its Bluestream subsidiary.
Working quickly and working safely can go hand-in-hand. Planning ahead is the key, according to those in the industry. The industry needs to become “better at managing the outcome and not reacting and rushing,” explained Rick Suarez of MasTec Network Solutions. MasTec has recently made significant investments in safety training, including construction of a dedicated safety center with training towers.
But many tower climbers work for smaller subcontractors and may not have access to training resources offered by big companies like MasTec. That’s where the NATE Exchange comes in. “NATE is proud to promote the courses listed on the Exchange as a valuable resource and benefit to the industry, and we encourage all stakeholders to utilize this website tool to select the courses and training companies that are the best fit for their specific workforce needs,” said NATE safety and education committee chairman Ryan Tracy of Legacy Telecommunications, Inc. in Ritzville, Washington.
The NATE Exchange includes roughly 180 courses, and NATE encourages participants to fill out an evaluation after completing each course. “The NATE Exchange is an industry evolution and will aid immensely in fulfilling NATE’s mission of facilitating effective safety training for the industry,” said NATE Board of Directors member Jim Miller of EasTex Tower, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The website address for the NATE Exchange is http://natehome.com/nate-exchange.
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