NATE and NATE Member Companies Featured in
US Developers Journal
NATE and NATE member companies, Green Mountain Communications, JBL Electric, Amchel Communications and JFC Construction, were recently featured in the US Developers Journal. The articles may be found by opening the following PDF’s:
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MIOSHA Safety Regulations Adopted With the Support and Guidance of NATE Members
On April 10, 2009, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, MIOSHA, approved new safety requirements to protect workers on broadcast and communication towers. Michigan is the second state to specifically address broadcast and communication tower safety, following North Carolina’s introduction of tower regulations in 2005.
Terry Sharp, President of Grant Tower, Inc., Grant, Michigan, and who also served on the NATE Board of Directors for the past 14 years, helped guide the efforts to develop up-to-date safety laws that ensure tower workers arrive home safe every day. As co-chairman of the tower safety advisory committee, Sharp contributed his industry knowledge throughout the decision-making process and helped drive home NATE’s key safety requirements.
NATE members working on this committee from the state of Michigan also included Terry Martin of Northern Tower Erection Co. in Traverse City, Michigan and Vincent Palazzolo from Northern Tower Connection in White Lake, MI.
The MIOSHA requirements provide the minimum protection for Michigan tower workers when working at heights over six feet during construction, altering, repairing, operating, inspecting, maintaining, and demolishing broadcast and communication towers.
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Comments from NATE to FCC on Public Notice of Inquiry on Rural Broadband Strategy
NATE submitted a public comment strongly urging the FCC to prioritize safety over politics and select experienced individuals and organizations to complete the rural broadband projects. Following is the full document that NATE submitted to the FCC:
March 2009
Comments from
The National Association of Tower Erectors
to
the Federal Communications Commission
on
Public Notice of Inquiry on Rural Broadband Strategy:
GN Docket No. 09-29
______________________________________________________________________________
I. Introduction
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) is a non-profit organization serving as the unified voice of the tower erection, service, and maintenance industry. Formed in 1995 with 62 founding member companies, NATE is now comprised of approximately 575 member companies, representing thousands of employees who are ultimately responsible for the erection of the communications towers that serve as the support structures of the Rural Broadband Strategy.
NATE’s mission is focused primarily on tower climber safety. The Association strongly urges the use of qualified contractors to ensure both safety and professionalism in the expansion of broadband to rural and underserved areas. I will elaborate further on this matter toward the end of my comments.
NATE has worked on a variety of issues with a number of federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on policy and regulatory matters that affect the safety and effective operations of the tower erection industry nationwide. NATE representatives also have extensive experience in interacting with Members of Congress, congressional staff members, congressional committees and their staff in addition to professional relationships with a significant number of special interest groups.
NATE strongly supports the national goal of enhancing communications capabilities across the United States, including the expansion of broadband services to rural and hard-to-serve areas, which will promote the nation’s competitiveness and economic well-being while advancing the security, health and safety of its citizens.
II. Overview
NATE has reviewed the Public Notice of Inquiry as well as both provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill that addressed the development of a comprehensive rural broadband strategy and the sections in Public Law 111-5, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that will provide significant funding for the expansion of broadband coverage.
III. Comments on the “Public Notice of Inquiry on Rural Broadband Strategy: GN Docket No. 09-29"
At the outset, NATE would like to commend the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the Federal Communications Commission, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration – as well as the United States Congress – for recognizing the urgency of upgrading the nation’s communications capabilities and the vital link between accelerating broadband deployment and stimulating the nation’s economy.
IV. Comments on the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”
While not technically within the scope of this public notice, it is nonetheless incumbent upon us to briefly comment on the provisions in ARRA which directly affect broadband and those who can facilitate its expansion.
We believe that it is entirely appropriate for the act to have authorized a significant amount of funding for broadband expansion efforts undertaken by such servers as wireless carriers, backhaul providers, and tower companies. The fact that so many of such “shovel-ready” projects offer immediate dividends both in the numbers of jobs created and the numbers of people and regions that will benefit from the expansion of broadband, unquestionably justify the funding.
To that end, we are most grateful for the leadership of PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association on the various broadband initiatives.
We have conveyed to PCIA, and are emphasizing herein, our concerns about unconfirmed reports on possible limitations in eligibility for that funding. For example, we are aware of a suggestion that economic stimulus money should only be available to union businesses. While some might view such a provision as a sort of safeguard, we believe strongly that it would be anticompetitive, discriminatory, and contrary to the best interests of the country. First and foremost, the goal should be the responsible, efficient, and timely expansion of broadband, with the assurance that the work would be performed by experienced individuals and organizations, regardless of political views.
NATE is overwhelmingly composed of small, non-union companies, but, both individually and collectively, NATE company employees are widely recognized for their experience and ability to get the job done safely.
NATE members believe, that since the stimulus money should be helping to create or maintain jobs, the funding should be available to whoever is ready, willing, and able to work on shovel-ready projects.
Should such an unfair and shortsighted limitation in eligibility exist, we advocate its immediate elimination. At a minimum, however, we recommend an exemption for small businesses, since the vast majority of the broadband work will ultimately be undertaken by small businesses.
V. Conclusion
One of the goals upon which NATE was formed was the pursuit of safety for the men and women who make their living erecting, servicing and maintaining broadcast and telecommunications towers. NATE has diligently pursued this goal through facilitating training; the development of industry best practices, writing standards and providing education for its members.
NATE firmly believes that safety must be the preeminent consideration when conducting work on tower sites, and therefore strongly urges the Federal Communications Commission to require that only qualified contractors be allowed to perform work on the projects related to the expansion of broadband in rural and underserved areas as outlined in this inquiry. Attached to this document is the NATE Qualified Contractor Evaluation Checklist to help define the practices that should be expected of a qualified – and therefore professional – contractor. NATE strongly urges the use of this language as a requirement for any contractor who will be conducting communication tower work supported by federal funds.
Furthermore, NATE has partnered with the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to enhance tower climber safety. The second year of that Partnership is currently underway. NATE and OSHA have developed a site safety audit to ensure best practices for safety are being followed. That document is also attached. NATE again strongly urges the FCC to require that on the sites where funding from the economic stimulus package is being utilized, companies performing work adhere to this safety audit, or be directly involved in the NATE/OSHA Partnership.
The expansion of broadband communications will hopefully result in job creation for small businesses nationwide. NATE looks forward to this potential growth, but also emphasizes that tower climber safety must be a guiding factor in any such program. The use of qualified contractors and site safety audits will play a major role in ensuring the safety of the men and women in the tower industry.
Your consideration of these comments is greatly appreciated.
Patrick Howey
Executive Director
National Association of Tower Erectors
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October 2008
Green Mountain Communications, Inc.
Honored as one of America's Safest Companies
Green Mountain Communications, Inc., provider of telecommunication services for the wireless industry and 12-year member of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), has been announced as one of America’s Safest Companies for 2008 by EHS Today, formerly Occupational Hazards magazine. Green Mountain Communications, Inc. is the first tower industry company to be honored with the title of one of America’s Safest Companies. This esteemed award was granted to only a handful of companies.
“We are honored to be the first company in the tower industry to receive this prestigious award by EHS Today,” said Catherine Drouin, vice president Green Mountain Communications Inc. “Our employees value the importance of working safely and have worked hard to adhere to all of the safety training and policies that we have implemented. We have been a NATE member since 1996, and over the past 12 years we have seen many changes in the wireless industry, but programs like the NATE/OSHA partnership help underscore the importance of a daily commitment to safety and help push others to develop their own programs so that safety becomes the only way of operating in our industry.”
In order to be considered for the America’s Safest Companies award, Green Mountain Communications, Inc. had to demonstrate: support from management and employee involvement in safety, innovative solutions to safety challenges, injury and illness rates lower than the average for their industry; comprehensive training programs, evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process, good communication about the value of safety, and a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.
”The 2008 America's Safest Companies honorees represent not only outstanding achievement domestically, but prove that one of our most valuable exports is the knowledge and will to conduct safe operations globally. If there were an Olympics held for safety, these companies would all deserve gold medals," said Stephen Minter, publisher of EHS Today.
Green Mountain Communications, Inc. has on staff a safety manager who holds weekly employee safety meetings and assists in the coordination of safety training such as OSHA-approved CPR and first-aid training, RF awareness and fall protection safety classes. Green Mountain Communications, Inc. also requires employees to actively engage in tower climbing safety and rescue sessions taught by professional certified trainers. The company conducts pre-hire drug screenings for all new employees. Before work on a job site begins each day, the company’s field employees are required to fill out a job hazard assessment outlining site-specific safety procedures. Green Mountain Communications, Inc., a company of 49 employees, prides itself on keeping safety top-of-mind 100% of the time and has a safety incentive policy which rewards its workers for putting safety first.
“As a NATE member company, Green Mountain Communications is a leader in tower safety,” said Patrick Howey, NATE Executive Director. “The America’s Safest Companies award is verification that Green Mountain believes the only way to do a job right is to do it safely each and every day.”
Green Mountain Communications, Inc. is also a member of the NATE/OSHA National Partnership, a program designed for companies to voluntarily adhere to higher standards of tower safety.
About the America’s Safest Companies Award
America's Safest Companies, founded in 2002 by Occupational Hazards, a Penton Media Inc. publication, is a corporate award honoring the safest companies in the United States. This year’s list of America’s Safest Companies includes Blythe Construction Inc., The Boldt Company, D&E Communications Inc., Green Mountain Communications, Inc., Herman Miller Inc., Koch Pipeline Company, Marous Brothers Construction Inc., Monroe Litho Inc., The Mundy Companies, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, OMG Electronic Chemicals, Raytheon Company, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Strick Corporation, Sunbelt Rentals Inc., Textron Inc., The Washington Division of the URS Corporation and Worthington Industries. For additional information on the America’s Safest Companies Award, please visit ehstoday.com.
About Green Mountain Communications, Inc.
Founded in 1993, Green Mountain Communications, Inc. formerly Drouin Communications, provides telecommunication services for the wireless industry throughout New England. Green Mountain Communications, Inc. is headquartered in Wolfeboro, NH and employs nearly 50 individuals. A NATE member company since 1996, Green Mountain Communications, Inc. continues to expand their safety program to ensure their employees, their best asset, are safe. For additional information on Green Mountain Communications, Inc., please visit www.greenmountaincommunications.com.
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An article describing NATE's Tower Owner Safety checklist recently had first page recognition on the RadioMagOnline.com site and remained on the page archive for several days, even as other relevant news headlines appeared. The site averages 54,742 visitors per month. To view this story or download the checklist click on the Radiomagonline.com website link below.
www.RadioMagOnline.com
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OSHA Releases Cranes and Derricks Draft Rule
On the heels of several recent high-profile fatal construction site incidents, OSHA announced the first major overhaul of its cranes and derricks standard since the rule's inception more than 30 years ago.
A 1,110-page draft (.pdf file) of the proposed rule was made available on the Department of Labor's Website Sept. 18, and was expected to be published in the Oct. 3 Federal Register.
The proposed rule addresses the erection, dismantling and operation of tower cranes, and sets the options for which crane operators can obtain required certification. If enacted, it would affect some 96,000 construction cranes, including 2,000 tower cranes, according to a DOL news release.
Numerous recent deaths and incidents involving cranes have pushed the issue of crane and derrick safety to the forefront of construction safety and led to calls for OSHA to complete the update. The original rule was promulgated in 1971 and has since received only two slight updates, most recently in 1993. Work on a substantial revision of the rule was completed in 2004 by a special OSHA panel, but the rule's publication was slowed by a series of required rulemaking steps.
LINK: www.OSHA.govdoc/proposedrule/Cranes_Derricks_Proposed_Rule.pdf
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The webcast that was present June 2, 2008 was linked to Radio Magazines website. It is still on their archived story list.
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