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02/01/2002
NATE Representatives Meet New OSHA Director
On December 7th, members of the NATE Board of Directors – Kevin Hayden, Don Doty, Terry Sharp, William H. Gathright, Sr. and Dave Anthony – and myself traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet officials regarding issues facing the tower service and construction industry. Jim Goldwater, NATE’s Marketing Representative in Washington, D.C, arranged the meetings and accompanied the NATE group on the day’s activities.
The initial part of the day was spent meeting with committee staff for both House and Senate Committees who have authority over OSHA and employee safety issues. The purpose of these meetings continues to be establishing relationships with Congressional officials and educating them on the issues facing NATE.
The main objective of the trip, however, was accomplished during the last meeting of the day. The Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, John Henshaw, took the time to meet with us to discuss issues of concern to NATE.
At the top of the list was the 200-foot exclusion to the riding the line regulations contained in CPL 2-1.29. NATE members went to great lengths last year to gather information to present to OSHA to demonstrate the success of the directive and the level of compliance that has been reached.
OSHA was grateful for those efforts. In fact, OSHA officials praised the work NATE is doing and recognized NATE as the leader in establishing safety practices in our industry. The support for NATE demonstrated by OSHA was very gratifying.
Even more gratifying, however, was Assistant Secretary Henshaw’s support for NATE’s position on eliminating the 200-foot exclusion. While NATE is still waiting for the final answer on our request to modify the personnel hoisting directive along these lines, Mr. Henshaw’s comments left us very hopeful that the 200-foot exclusion will be eliminated.
Mr. Henshaw also made clear, however, that he would like to see measureable indications of NATE’s impact on safety. That comment led to further discussions of the NATE and OSHA Regional Partnership. OSHA officials indicated their support for extending the partnership to the National Level.
Another positive aspect of the trip was a call I received from OSHA upon my return from Washington, D.C. An OSHA official advised me that the most impressive part of NATE’s presentation was that the people who have worked on towers actually did the talking. He stated that the information presented by NATE was genuine and credible and contrasted our association with groups who let their attorneys do the talking for them. The NATE Board Members, he concluded, made a real impact during the meeting.
I want to thank Kevin, Don, Terry, Willie and Dave for their efforts in Washington, D.C. They all took time away from their businesses to make sure NATE’s needs were met. My thanks also go out to Jim Goldwater for the work he does for NATE all year long in our nation’s capitol. Finally, and most importantly, thank you to all NATE members who took the time to provide information regarding your safety procedures. Your direct involvement clearly made a difference in affecting federal policy.
Patrick Howey is the Adminstrator for the National Association of Tower Erectors. He can be reached at 888-882-5865 or patrick@ natehome.com
For more information regarding NATE’s latest trip to Washington, D.C., see Jim Goldwater’s Washington Wire article and Don Doty’s OSHA Relations Committee Update.
Patrick Howey
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