Dear NATE Member, 

The ballots have been counted and the results are in! Thank you to all Voting Members who cast their ballot in this election. 

Dave Anthony, President of Shenandoah Tower Services, Ltd. in Staunton, Virginia; Pat Cipov, President of Cipov Enterprises, Inc. in Sumter, South Carolina; Jim Coleman, President of Southern Broadcast Services, Inc. in Pelham, Alabama; and Ron Romano, President of Installation Services, Inc. in Genoa, Illinois will retain their seats on the NATE Board of Directors. 

A new Board Member, Bryan Lee, President of Lee Antenna & Line Service, Inc. in Hellertown, Pennsylvania was also elected. 

These members of the NATE Board of Directors will take their place in the board room at the NATE 2012 Conference & Exposition in San Antonio, Texas and begin their two-year terms on February 6, 2012. 

NATE would like to congratulate these members and offer a sincere “Thank You” for their involvement in the Association and willingness to dedicate countless hours of their time for the betterment of NATE and the industry as a whole. 

Paula Nurnberg

NATE Operations Director

Cast Your Vote – NATE Board of Directors Election

Shortly, you will be receiving your ballot to elect five Board Members. Below is a list of your fellow members who are making themselves available to serve the Association. NATE is fortunate to have enough candidates to allow our members to make a choice. I am including each candidates’ telephone number to allow you the opportunity to contact them, if so desired. I hope you will take the time to speak with each one regarding how they propose to help NATE improve, if elected.

After you have conducted your due diligence, mark your ballot and return to the NATE office by Friday, November 4, 2011. Make this the time for your voice to be heard as you select the candidate(s) of your choice. Exercise your right as a NATE Voting Member – we want to hear from ALL of you!

Thank you,

Jim Coleman
NATE Chairman

Anthony, Dave      540-887-8000
Cipov, Pat             803-499-5660
Coleman, Jim        205-903-6111
Lee, Bryan            610-838-6683
Miller, Jimmy         228-832-3352
Moore, Bob           918-683-4304
Romano, Ron        815-784-5133

By Patrick Howey

http://www.wirelessweek.com/articles/2011/08/policy-and-industry-tower-technician-fatalities-impact-safety-and-security/

August 1, 2011

Dear NATE Members,

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a statement regarding workers being exposed to high heat this summer.  As part of NATE’s dedication to the health and safety of all NATE members and their employees, and as a supplement to the July Tower Times article highlighting how to protect employees from heat related health concerns, the Association wants you to be aware of this information.

Stay Safe!

Patrick Howey

NATE Executive Director

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis

on Continued Heat Waves Sweeping the Country

WASHINGTON – ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding continued record temperatures:

“Four weeks into the summer, the nation continues to experience record heat.  For outdoor workers, this means being at risk for heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Employers must take the precautions needed to protect outdoor workers:

• Have a work site plan to prevent heat-related illnesses and make sure that medical services are available to respond to an emergency should one occur.

• Provide plenty of water at the job site and remind workers to drink small amounts of water frequently – every 15 minutes.

• Schedule rest breaks throughout the work shift and provide shaded or air conditioned rest areas near the work site.

• Let new workers get used to the extreme heat, gradually increasing the work load over a week.

• When possible, schedule heavy tasks for earlier in the day.

Tell workers what to look for to spot the signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke in themselves and their co-workers, and make sure they know what to do in an emergency.  OSHA has fact sheets and posters that illustrate the signs of heat-related illnesses, and the steps that you can take to prevent them at your work site. Remember: water, rest, shade – the three keys to preventing heat-related illnesses in this extreme heat.”

Editor’s note: OSHA has posted educational materials about heat-related illnesses, including a curriculum for workplace training, at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html. 

Dear NATE Members,

Below is a press release from Petzl America Inc. about a recall for Scorpio and Absorbica shock-absorbing lanyards.

Petzl America Inc. of Clearfield, Utah, has voluntarily recalled about 375,000 Scorpio and Absorbica shock-absorbing lanyards that have been sold since 2002, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced July 12, 2011. Some of the lanyards are missing a safety stitch on the attachment loop, which could cause the lanyard to separate from the climbing harness, the posted announcement states.

It says no U.S. fall injuries involving one of the lanyards have been reported, but one fall injury in France has been. Consumers should stop using them immediately; CPSC notes that it is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

The lanyards were made in France. All Scorpio and Absorbica lanyards manufactured before May 2011 are included. Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2002 and 2005 with model numbers L60 and L60 CK, which are yellow and blue, Y-shaped lanyards with yellow stitching on both ends, connected by a metal O-ring to one end of a blue pouch containing the tear-webbing shock absorber, are included. The pouch has a tag on it with the word “PETZL” in white letters, and the other end of the blue pouch has a blue and yellow webbing attachment loop that connects to the climbing harness. Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2005 and 2011 are model numbers L60 2, L60 2CK, L60 H, and L60 WL. They are red, Y-shaped lanyards connected by a black metal O-ring to one end of a gray zippered pouch containing the tear-webbing shock absorber. The other end of the pouch has a black webbing attachment loop that connects to the climber's harness. Absorbica lanyards included in the recall have model numbers L70150 I, L70150 IM, L70150 Y, L70150 YM, L57, L58, L58 MGO, L59, and L59 MGO. They have a black zippered pouch with yellow trim and the Petzl logo on the side and a tear-webbing shock absorber accessible through the zippered pouch. The pouch has a connector attachment on one end and a connector attachment, a single lanyard, or a Y-shaped lanyard on the other end. Authorized Petzl dealers in the United States and Canada sold them from January 2002 through May 2011 for $75 to $220, the notice states.

For a free inspection and replacement of any non-conforming product, contact Petzl America Inc. at 877-740-3826 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain time weekdays or visit www.petzl.com.

The NATE CTS was developed to establish the minimum requirements to which all tower climbers should be trained. The NATE CTS outlines individual standards for varying levels of tower climber expertise: Authorized Climber, Competent Climber and Competent Rescuer.

NATE is proud to offer this document to the industry to better facilitate training and improve safety. The 82 pages of educational objectives, learning conditions, and performance standards for each individual component of training bring consistency to the training process, whether climbers are trained in-house or via commercial training organizations. The document also contains a Course Training Program to demonstrate how to implement and utilize the NATE CTS.

NATE members may obtain a free copy through the members only section of the site

To find out more information on how to join NATE click here or contact Carol Coughlin at carol@natehome.com or call the NATE office at 1-605-882-5865 or 1-888-882-5865 (U.S.).

Non Members may download the following order form to purchase a copy of the Standard.

NATE CTS Non-member Order Form PDF

CTS Letter to Owners, Carriers and Broadcasters Available for Member Use

NATE has developed the NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard (NATE CTS). We are working to have this standard recognized as the minimum standard to which all tower climbers should be trained.

In order to help achieve this goal, NATE has contacted the nation’s leading owners, carriers and broadcasters, advising them of the NATE CTS and the impact the standard can have on tower climber safety. We are encouraging those companies to assist NATE in the implementation of this standard.

Here, is a copy of the letter that was sent to owners, carriers, and broadcasters. We are making this letter available to members to send to their customers. We are hopeful this letter will serve two purposes.

First, the letter will help inform the industry on the strides that NATE is making toward greater safety. Second, if your climbers have been trained to the NATE CTS requirements, you will be able to tell your customers that your climbers are already meeting this standard.

Currently NATE is working on methods to facilitate training for this standard. As this process unfolds, the NATE office will keep members advised of our progress.

Your involvement in this process, as always, is greatly appreciated.

Dear NATE Members,

As you all know, my home state of Alabama plus neighboring states in the South were devastated last week by tornadoes. Recovery from these storms will take months and even years. Our hearts go out to all those who suffered losses during these violent storms. While we assist one another in the struggles that are sure to follow, I want to remind all NATE members to keep safety at the top of your mind as you conduct your work.

The magnitude of the tragedy facing so many lives makes it even more challenging to focus on our day-to-day activities, but with calls going out for emergency repairs on tower sites, we realize the need to do what we can to help restore communications to those areas that sustained the brunt of the storm’s impact.

We all know from experience that situations of this nature lend themselves to rushing through jobs. With seemingly endless and immediate demands facing us, the urge to work more quickly than is realistic seems only natural. At the same time, many of our customers are faced with a combination of cost and functionality issues they could not have foreseen, driving them to push tower erectors to do more in a shorter time frame.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking urgency is an excuse for short-cutting safety.

Despite the realities at hand, we still need to prevent circumstances from dictating how we will perform our jobs. NATE’s ongoing success toward establishing a culture of safety requires members to operate safely regardless of pressures being placed on them to work faster or do jobs cheaper than safety allows.

Whether working in areas reeling from the destructive forces of nature, or conducting our regular tower work for owners, carriers, broadcasters and general contractors, I want to remind all NATE members that Safety Is Up To You! Your behavior must reflect the ideals we have established together. Take the time to do the job safely and to do the job right.

These are the times when tower technicians may be tempted to take short cuts. Talk with your crews today, remind them that Safety First, Safety Always remains the unbreakable rule you require them to follow. Together, we will continue changing the way the industry works, one decision at a time.

Stay Safe.

Jim Coleman
NATE Chairman

NATE 2013 Exhibit Hall Map

The NATE STAR Initiative was designed to help companies operate safely while recognizing tower erectors who voluntarily adhere to higher standards.  The NATE STAR Initiative emphasizes Safety, Training, Accountability and Reliability by asking participants to commit to requisite levels of training, site safety audits and the implementation of safety programs while adhering to industry best practices.

The STAR Initiative is now up and running for the 2011 program year.  Additional NATE members will be able to apply for the second year of the program beginning in June 2011.

NATE also released the updated NATE Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide with new content and expanded features. The Guide now includes "Top 10 Violations for 2010 by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)”, chapter summaries and safety “red flags” for anyone working on a tower site. Launched in 2010, the Guide provides a safety resource for not only tower erectors, but also for project managers, site superintendents and any other responsible personnel on a tower site, to help them recognize hazardous situations. The Guide was initially aimed at providing an educational resource to assist carriers, broadcasters, tower owners and general contractors in recognizing and addressing hazards on tower sites; a concerted effort was made at this year’s NATE show to further encourage all companies who place personnel on tower sties to utilize the Guide. You can access the Guide at www.hazardrecognition.com.

To date, the launch of the updated NATE STAR Initiative and the NATE Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide announcement has garnered media coverage in six original articles including features in RCR Wireless, Urgent Communications, Radio World and Television Broadcast.

In addition, RCR Wireless TV joined us on the trade show floor at the NATE 2011 Conference & Exposition. Several members and NATE leaders interviewed with Dan Meyer and the RCR staff, shedding light on NATE initiatives and industry concerns. To view RCR Wireless TV videos from NATE 2011, visit www.rcrwireless.tv.

Full text of the articles can be found by clicking on the links above and to experience the NATE Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide yourself, visit www.hazardrecognition.com.

NATE has launched the first-of-its-kind Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide to continue to improve safety on broadcast and communications tower sites. This program provides guidance to project managers, site superintendents and any other responsible personnel on a tower site, to recognize hazardous situations.

NATE, the unified voice for the tower erection, service and maintenance industry teamed with a cellular carrier to develop the content for the Guide.

The Guide is designed to empower on-site employees of tower owners, carriers, broadcasters and general contractors to recognize hazards on broadcast and communications tower sites and take steps to alleviate those situations quickly and effectively. The Hazard Recognition Guide also provides personnel with additional resources such as OSHA guidelines where further information about specific topics can be gathered.

As part of its mission to increase safety on all broadcast and communications tower sites, NATE is offering the Guide free to anyone in the industry, not just NATE members. To begin please click on the NATE Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide link. This guide can be viewed by using Internet Explorer Only.