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01/03/2002
From the NATE Office
Happy New Year!
By the time this article is printed, the Legislative Committee of NATE’s Board of Directors will have visited with John Henshaw, the Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Washington, D.C. There are a number of issues on which NATE and OSHA have made substantial progress over the past year. We are looking forward to continuing that momentum on behalf of the tower erection, service and maintenance industry.
Those of you who read Tower Times regularly know that NATE has been developing a partnership with OSHA. A substantial step toward that goal was taken with the recent signing of a Partnering Agreement between NATE and OSHA for OSHA Region V. OSHA Region V includes Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin as federal states. Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan are the state plans within Region V.
Any NATE company meeting the criteria for the partnership will be allowed to voluntarily participate while doing work in Region V. So even if your company is based outside that geographic area, you can participate in the partnership while conducting business there. NATE/ OSHA partners will receive special recognition from OSHA for their superior safety practices in the form of focused inspections, reduced penalties, technical assistance and compliance assistance.
But there is something else that the partnership will afford NATE members. Being a NATE/OSHA partner will provide an opportunity for companies to show that they have taken their company to the highest level of safety practices in the industry. It will provide further recognition for the outstanding commitment to safety so many NATE members bring to this industry.
While in Washington, D.C., Kevin Hayden, Don Doty, Terry Sharp, William Gathright, Dave Anthony and I will discuss the future of a national partnership between NATE and OSHA. We are hopeful that the regional partnership will be a significant step toward establishing the national program.
Other issues, such as the directive on riding the line, will also be discussed during our meeting. Also, work now begins on the logistics of implementing the partnership. I will address those issues in my column in the coming months.
Once again, on behalf of the entire staff at NATE, have a happy and safe New Year!
By: Patrick Howey, NATE Administrator
Patrick Howey
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