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03/01/2004
Safety & Education Committee Update
It’s all about respect; if the owner of a company treats his employees with respect, they will have better morale, safety and quality in their work and in their respect for the company. When the customer sees trade mechanics performing their duties with safety, quality and efficiency, they are being delivered the respect they deserve by hiring your company to perform the task requested of them. In return, the customer respects the owner of the company for doing such a good job for a good value. It is a cycle we can all live with; actually it is a cycle we should all live with.
The trick is to get the cycle started. It should be incorporated into the lifestyle of the company from the top management to the first day apprentice.
Training of new employees on safety and quality in their work practices will enhance the ability of the company to start the cycle. The continued training of all employees in safety, quality and efficiency will only help to keep the cycle rolling. Employees who are well educated in their required tasks will perform with the confidence of that which is required of them. When the customer sees the confidence, performance and actions of the mechanic, the cycle is in effect.
I emphasize safety and quality to the entry level apprentice because I feel that they are the two most important "lifestyles" we can incorporate into their abilities. Efficiency and the ability to perform their duties as orchestrated by the lead man or foreman will naturally follow.
For journeymen mechanics a review of safety standards, quality standards and how to perform them efficiently need to be addressed on a daily basis, and not just reviewed by management but also by their peers.
The tower industry is a unique industry, a tough industry, a challenging industry and above all, a SUPER FUN industry. Where else do you get to wake up in the morning, hookup on a pill (of course after following all of the CPL requirements) and get to ride into the sky and not just see it but smell it, taste it and feel it; to see the sun rise across the curvature of the earth. It’s hot in the summer, its cold in the winter,"Oh! I can’t feel my toes", "My fingers are numb," but we keep coming back because the tower business is just so much fun. The professional level we have risen to with the ability to partake in so many exciting things can only be matched in a few professions.
We, the tower workers of North America, through the use of NATE can bring the respect our industry deserves by practicing the recommended procedures that we have developed and by placing safety and quality above all things.
Respect, we do not deserve it, we earn it! We earn it when we do the right thing! When we tell the customer we cannot make the pick due to the weather, we earn respect! When we request and implement an RF plan before a climb, we earn respect! When we implement and review a rigging plan, we earn respect! When we follow vendors’ minimum requirements for installation of their products, we earn respect! When we follow the EIA-TIA and OSHA requirements and encourage our customers to do the same, we earn respect! We are the future of this industry; the way we respect each other in our work ethics and procedures says it all. WE ARE NATE, OR ARE WE?
Respect, to get it you have to give it!
Tom Bunk is a member of the NATE Safety & Education Committee and is the Director of Operations for United States Tower Services, LTD of Frederick, Maryland. He can be reached at 301-874-5885 or tombunk@ustowerservices. com
Tom Bunk
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