Both the National Association of Tower Erectors and the Wireless Infrastructure Association were quick to applaud the FCC and OSHA for issuing the new tower safety guide as was CommScope.
NATE Executive Director Todd Schlekeway said the document will be another valuable resource for the wireless and communications tower industry to reference and use to ensure that work is conducted in a safe and quality manner. NATE played a vital role in helping the federal agencies craft the document “by providing access to our subject matter experts, existing safety resources and through our active participation speaking at two joint FCC-OSHA workshops on tower climber safety. The association believes it’s paramount that the agencies continue to collaborate to host additional workshops and stay engaged with all layers of the wireless infrastructure chain to ensure that workforce safety and quality remain the top priorities,” added Schlekeway.
“The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) played a vital role in providing these agencies with the most relevant and useful information from the private sector,” said WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “The safety of all workers in the wireless telecommunications industry is extremely important to WIA members and critical to the continued growth and evolution of our mobile networks. WIA is proud to have worked with TIRAP, OSHA and the FCC as the agencies developed this new publication.”
“CommScope applauds the FCC and OSHA for taking the lead in tower climber safety,” said Darin Piburn, vice president, CommScope. “Many organizations in the industry—NATE, WIA, TIRAP and others–are focused on the important goal of protecting the lives and limbs of tower climbers. CommScope supports this goal by promoting and implementing quality and testing standards for network equipment on towers. Everyone in the industry needs to remain committed to this effort until no climbers tragically lose lives or suffer grave injuries due to preventable causes.”
June 2, 2017
