 |
|
|
|
|
03/01/2002
Safety & Education Committee Update
I have been told it is effective to "begin with the end in mind". So just what is it we are after in the realm of safety and training? What does it mean to say our company is safe? Zero accidents of course. Total safety. We all desire to never ever see another tower hand get hurt or killed. We never want to see a vehicle or piece of equipment damaged or destroyed. We never want to get that call from the field that makes your blood run cold. Is this possible? I have come to the conclusion that "total safety" is achievable, but three questions arise that must be addressed: Will OSHA compliance alone achieve this lofty goal? Can we achieve "total safety" when human beings are involved? Can we achieve "total safety" and still be profitable?
Answering these questions is beyond the scope of this column, but in an attempt to cause some thought I would like to give some observations of my own. Are there tower hands in existence who have never been involved in an accident? Yes. Are there tower companies in existence who have never experienced an accident? Yes. There are some master tower hands in existence, men who have been in the business for many years, who learned the tower hand’s trade from some other old master tower hand. There are also some who have been self-taught, possessing the inherent talents required to become a master tower hand. Many of these master tower hands also have the ability to go out and run a successful business because some of the traits that make a master tower hand also make for a savvy businessman. Of this type of owner-operator tower hand there are at least two divisions: those who decide to go big and those who want to keep the company small and intimate. The nature of safety and training in these two divisions is very different and it is instructive to take a look at the differences. I look at it by considering that one of the purposes of any tower company is to produce more tower hands. I won’t go into the details, but take a moment and write down a profile of the "ultimate tower hand". Imagine all of the traits, knowledge and skills that this person would possess.
In the typical small company there is the master-owner-operator and as many employees as needed to run a crew. Each one of these employees has been intimately trained by the master, works under his supervision each day, and is only turned loose to work solo after meeting the master’s standards. They are students of the master and become tower hands in his own image. These small companies are out there working each day, many as yet not fully aware of all OSHA compliance issues, and they have impeccable safety records and very loyal clientele. These companies, so to speak, turn out some fine, hand crafted tower hands as needed.
Many of today’s "big" companies started out as small companies. During the tower boom we have all been a part of over the last decade and a half, some one-crew-owner-operator companies grew into multiple-crew outfits employing tens and some even hundreds of tower hands. The master tower hand withdrew into the business office and someone in the company was eventually given the responsibility of safety or training manager, or a professional was hired. These companies must mass-produce tower hands through a system to keep up with demands. These systems sometimes lack the effectiveness of a new hand being mentored by a master. It is not uncommon to hear old masters say that their crew leaders have been put into supervisory positions too quickly, that it takes at least two years to produce a good tower hand, but many have been put in charge of crews after only a few months of experience. Some of them have risen to the challenge, others have not. I believe that many accidents have occurred because of the lack of good solid experience in mass-produced tower hands.
Of course, these are generalities. There are small companies that go out and kill themselves from lack of good sense and big companies that have developed great training and safety plans that turn out fine tower hands. But during this time of slow- down in our industry, we have a good opportunity to consider the traits of the ultimate tower hand and put procedures into place in order to effectively produce more of them. The more ultimate tower hands we can put out there, the more likely we are to achieve total safety. If your company has been reduced to a "core group" now is a good time to inject some of the old master’s expertise into the group to prepare for the next boom time. Safety and education have obviously become major issues in our industry. Supporting the production of smart and safe tower hands is the purpose of the NATE Safety & Education Committee. This committee should become an important resource for those of you who have been thrust into the safety/training manager position at your company, as well as to the small owner-operators who want to keep abreast of the latest safety and training issues we all face as our industry moves into the 21st century. We invite your involvement.
Todd Thorin is a member of the NATE Safety & Education Committee and serves as the Director of Safety and Training for Sioux Falls Tower and Communications of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He can be reached at 605-331-6972 or todd@siouxfallstower.com
Todd Thorin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
