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| NATE/OSHA National Partnership |
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To Apply, Click here.
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NATE encourages all eligible members to take part in this program and show their continued dedication to tower climber safety. Here is a quick look at the requirements of the program.
Eligibility
The NATE/OSHA National Partnership is open to all NATE members who employ tower climbers, including:
• tower erection, service and maintenance companies;
• other NATE member companies whose work involves employees climbing towers.
The Partnership is also open to NATE member companies who subcontract their tower work to tower service companies. Such companies include:
• Tower owners;
• Carriers; and
• General contractors.
NATE Member Requirements
Partnering members who employ tower erectors must agree to:
• Requisite Levels of Training – Tower related OSHA 10-Hour Training, or its equivalent, is required for all personnel who will be working on a tower site. OSHA 30-Hour Training, or its equivalent, is required for anyone operating in a supervisory capacity.
• Implementation of a Safety & Health Program – All applicants must have a safety and health program in place that meets or exceeds the standard established by the NATE Accident Prevention, Safety & Health Program Guide.
• Presence of a Competent Person – A competent person for safety and health must be on site at all times.
• Conduct and Submit Site Safety Audits – The site safety audit form provides a comprehensive checklist to enhance safety in ten specific areas as defined by the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety & Health (ACCSH) under NATE’s guidance. Site safety audits must be conducted by all participating employers of tower climbers and submitted quarterly to the NATE office. All audits must be filed online. Audits must be submitted for 10% of a company’s projects, or 2 audits per month, whichever is less.
Tower Owners, Carriers, and General Contractors who participate in the program must agree to:
• Requisite Levels of Training - Tower related OSHA 10-Hour Training, or its equivalent, is required for all personnel who will be working on a tower site. OSHA 30-Hour Training, or its equivalent, is required for anyone operating in a supervisory capacity.
• Implementation of a Safety & Health Program - All applicants must have a safety and health program in place that meets or exceeds the standard established by the NATE Accident Prevention, Safety & Health Program Guide.
• Presence of a Competent Person - A competent Person for safety and health must be on site at all times.
• Follow the NATE Tower Owner Safety Checklist; and
• Require that all contractors working on their sites meet the NATE Qualified Contractors Evaluation Checklist.
Complete list of Requirements - For a complete list of requirements for all participating members, please see the application forms.
OSHA Requirements
In return for NATE members’ efforts to improve industry safety, OSHA agrees to:
• limit inspections of Partner worksites to the items found on the Telecommunications and Broadcast Tower Inspection Checklist;
• provide a 10% reduction in penalties beyond the reductions outlined in the Field Inspection Reference Manual, where applicable;
• no citations for other-than-serious violations when violations are immediately abated;
• authority for Regional Administrators to negotiate penalty reductions as part of the informal conference settlement agreement;
• priority consideration for compliance assistance and off-site technical assistance; and
• recognition of participants.
It should be noted that Partnering companies must adhere to the Telecommunications and Broadcast Tower Inspection Checklist. If any item on that checklist is not being followed, then OSHA compliance officers can expand the inspection at their discretion.
Penalty reductions will not be applied to high-gravity offenses such as serious, willful, failure to abate or repeat citations.
Program Enrollment
The application process for the NATE/OSHA National Partnership program is currently underway. The enrollment period is open from May 1 to July 1st. At that time, NATE members who would like to participate in the program, as well as current partners, are required to fill out an application form and submit it to the NATE office.
The applications will then be reviewed, processed and approved by both NATE and OSHA. In early September NATE will send cards and certificates to approved companies and the Partnership year officially begins on October 1 and runs through September 30 of the following year.
The first quarterly audits will be due from all partnering companies (excluding tower owners and carriers) on December 31, 2009.
Available Partnership Documents
The following Partnership documents are available on the "National Partnership Forms" page from the menu on the upper left side of this page:
• Telecommunications and Broadcast Tower Inspection Checklist;
• Site Safety Audit form;
• Checklist for Evaluating Qualified Contractors; and
• Tower Owner Safety Checklist.
Conclusion
The NATE/OSHA National Partnership offers NATE members an opportunity to demonstrate their dedication to a higher level of safety. I encourage all eligible members to consider participating in this process. Together we can continue to pursue our most important mutual goal -- to ensure that tower climbers go home safely at the end of the day.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact NATE Project Manager, Shelly Trego at shelly@natehome.com or tel: 888-882-5865 (U.S.)
To Apply, Click here.
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