Far-Reaching Guide Aids Tower Workers' Safety
The National Association of Tower Erectors worked with tower owners and operators to develop the content, which will guide on-site employees of owners, carriers, broadcasters, and general contractors.
The National Association of Tower Erectors unveiled a new safety guide on Wednesday to help on-site employees of communication tower owners, carriers, broadcasters, and general contractors. Developed with help from tower owners and operators, including SBA Communications Corp. of Boca Raton, Fla., and Cellular South of Ridgeland, Miss., the Hazard Recognition Guide was announced at NATE's annual convention in Buena Vista, Fla.
The goal was to empower everyone on a tower site with a knowledge of how to work safely, use the right equipment, and avoid hazards. "Every responsible person on a tower site should have a working knowledge of safe operating procedures and be able to recognize hazardous situations," said Jim Coleman, NATE's board chairman. "The employees of cellular, broadcast, and other contractors have a role to play in the safety of the tower technicians working on and around the tower. The Hazard Recognition Guide provides them a resource to help them play that important role."
The guide is available free at www.hazardrecognition.com.
"Improving safety in the tower industry should be paramount for tower companies, wireless companies, broadcasters, owners, and operators," said David Sams, director of risk management for SBA Communications Corp., a large independent owner and operator of wireless communications towers across North America. The company leases antenna space on towers and other structures that it owns or manages. Its site development business, SBA Network Services, Inc., helps wireless service providers and operators develop their own networks, and SBA has a construction group that builds towers, installs antennas, and performs other services. A map of the company's site locations is available here.