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10/01/2006
From the NATE Office
NATE held its annual Summer Conference in Watertown, South Dakota in August. As you know, NATE’s headquarters is located in Watertown. Holding the Summer Conference here gave NATE’s leadership an opportunity to visit the Association office and view the NATE Administrative Staff in our “natural habitat.” Reactions were very positive from the Board and Committee Members. I want to thank Tower Systems, Inc. for hosting the Wednesday night reception, and Talley Communications Corp. for sponsoring the Thursday luncheon. Your support of the Association is greatly appreciated.
The Summer Conference is set up primarily for the Board of Directors and Committees to conduct business. Each committee spent hours in meetings covering a lengthy list of topics. For details, I encourage you to review each committee update article in this issue of Tower Times.
The Board of Directors covered substantial ground in their meetings. Among the top issues was the review of a draft partnership agreement from OSHA. The Board approved proceeding with a national partnership. At the time of writing this article, subsequent revisions are being reviewed, but I am hopeful that the signing of the Partnership Agreement will take place in the very near future. I will keep you advised.
NATE also had an opportunity to meet with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc. to discuss the NATE Insurance Program. The meeting consisted of new and old faces from both Arthur J. Gallagher and AIG. We are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with Sarah Barton and her team.
The Board spent substantial time discussing industry safety and the additional steps the Association can take to promote and encourage the use of best practices. NATE will continue to develop safety resources, provide educational sessions, and work to find additional methods of promoting tower climber safety.
NATE also discussed how best to utilize the NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard to ensure tower climber safety. At the request of NATE Members, the Association is looking into ways to make tower climber training available by regions, utilizing companies who meet or exceed the training standards of the NATE CTS.
The NATE Legislative & Regulatory Committee also conducted business in Watertown. The Committee covered numerous issues facing the Association on Capitol Hill, including a negotiated rulemaking for tower erection, service and maintenance, and the ongoing issues regarding migratory birds.
These are only a few of the important topics covered during this year’s Summer Conference. My sincere thanks go out to each member of the Board of Directors and NATE Committees for your continued dedication to the Association and its mission.
Until next month, remember, “Safety First...Safety Always!”
Patrick Howey is the NATE Executive Director. He can be reached at 888-882-5865 or patrick@natehome.com
Patrick Howey
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