Tower Deaths Not Inevitable With Rapid Growth in Wireless, Sherman Says
With two major spectrum auctions in the works, the FCC and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration zeroed in on tower climber safety during a workshop Tuesday. OSHA said in a release 11 tower workers lost their lives in 2014, compared with 13 in 2013 and only two in 2012 (http://1.usa.gov/1trnUGf). FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Roger Sherman opened the event, arguing that worker deaths are not inevitable.
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Industry companies and associations, working with the FCC and the U.S. Department of Labor, announced Tuesday the launch of a public-private partnership that will develop apprenticeship programs so that tower workers have improved training. The program is called the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP).
Kathy Pierce, whose son Chad Weller died in March after falling 140 feet off a tower in Bluffton, South Carolina, said her son was sent up to service an icy tower in the rain, wearing a safety harness that was two sizes too big after his harness had been lost earlier in the day. “We need to make some serious changes in this industry to stop the senseless loss of life,” Pierce said. “This workshop needs to be a place to start real change in the telecommunications industry.”
Sherman said all tower deaths should be considered to be preventable. “There are no inevitable fatalities in this business,” he said. “Every death is in fact the result of a breakdown in a safety system.”
David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, called the tower death rate “extraordinarily high.” He noted that tower deaths happen at a rate that is 10 times higher than construction deaths. In January, three tower workers died on two days in two separate incidents, Michaels said. Every single one of the tower deaths recorded by OSHA “could have been prevented,” he said.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said OSHA got the ball rolling and called for the workshop. “We really appreciate you calling this to our attention,” Wheeler said. “The future is wireless and wireless creates opportunities,” he said. Wheeler said “far too many” tower workers receive virtually no training before they start the job. “Today, the industry and government come together to do something about that,” he said.
"The cellphones in our pockets can't come at the cost of a worker's life,” said Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who also spoke Tuesday. “The cell tower industry might be small, with 10,000 to 15,000 workers, but it's quickly proving to be one of the most dangerous. If we don't do something now, the number of fatalities is going to grow as fast as the industry does.”
Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Mike O’Rielly also stressed the importance of tower safety. No other families should have to suffer as Weller’s family has, Clyburn said. “One tower worker fatality is one too many,” she said. “To get to zero will require 100 percent of the effort, from 100 percent of those in the room, to build the safety systems we need.”
“It’s about compliance, it’s about following protocols and it’s about making sure that the employees are well trained in the first place,” O’Rielly said.
Tower deaths are a problem “no one in this room can avoid,” said John Johnson of Black & Veatch, a construction company, speaking on an industry panel. Falls have always been a leading cause of death for the entire construction industry, he said. “What do we do about it?” Black asked. “We can train, we can educate, we can enforce. We can work collaboratively.” There has been a “lack of consistency” across the industry on best practices, he said.
This year will be seen as the year the U.S. said “enough -- enough fatalities, enough injuries,” said Craig Lekutis of WirelessEstimator.com, which provides information on the tower industry.
“The wireless industry is working proactively to address workforce safety,” said PCIA President Jonathan Adelstein, a former FCC commissioner. Training can start in the classroom, but it has to continue in the field, he said. “TIRAP apprenticeships will improve worker safety,” he said. “They’ll address the industry’s need for broadband deployment.”
Supporters of TIRAP include tower companies American Tower, CommScope, Crown Castle International, SBA Communications; construction and service companies Midwest Underground Technology and Shenandoah Tower Services; safety equipment manufacturer and outfitter GME Supply Company; and trade groups PCIA and the National Association of Tower Erectors’ Safety Task Force.