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| National Association of Tower Erectors (#363) |
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Partner:
National Association of Tower Erectors
Partnership Overview:
Advances in telecommunications and an increasing dependence on wireless
communications and broadcast services have fueled the construction, service, and
maintenance of telecommunication and broadcast towers throughout the country.
With this unprecedented growth, stakeholders from the industry and the
occupational safety and health community have expressed concerns about work
practices and the health and safety of tower workers.
NATE, headquartered in Watertown, South Dakota, is a non-profit trade
association that represents employers in the tower erection, service, and
maintenance industry. The association was founded in March of 1995 and has more
than 500 member companies located throughout the United States and abroad.
Members range in size from five to 300 employees, with 99% having fewer than 200
employees and 85% having 15 or fewer employees. Since 2001, NATE and OSHA’s
Region V Cleveland Area Office have worked closely together to promote safety
and health and best practices in the industry.
On November 8, 2006, NATE and OSHA signed a national OSHA Strategic Partnership
(OSP) agreement to work together to provide a safe and healthy work environment
for employers and employees from the tower erection, service, and maintenance
industry. This will be achieved by preventing serious accidents and fatalities
through increased safety and health training, implementing best industry
practices, enhancing members’ safety and health management systems (SHMS), and
staying in-compliance with applicable OSHA standards and regulations.
The OSP will accomplish its goals by focusing on efforts, skills, knowledge, and
resources of NATE and OSHA to benefit tower erector industry employers and
employees. Another additional benefit expected as a result of the OSP is
increased communication and respect between partners and other stakeholders.
Partnership Goals:
- Reduce the percentage of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities of
participating telecommunication and broadcast tower erection employers, and
their subcontractors, to an aggregate rate that is below the Bureau of Labor
Statistics’ average, based on most recently published data.
- Recognize participants that successfully achieve reductions in illnesses,
injuries, and fatalities.
- Improve awareness of OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) on
the hazards/issues associated with the tower erection industry.
Partnership Objectives:
- Analyze participant data to identify causal factors and corrective actions
and share corrective actions.
- Identify best practices for the development and implementation of
successful ergonomics programs and guidelines.
- Develop, implement, and share best practices with participants. Establish a
website or tool to communicate best practices among participating NATE members.
- Develop a recognition system to recognize participants for reductions in
injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the telecommunications and broadcast
tower erection industry.
- Increase the number of employees that attend the OSHA 3150 Tower Safety
course.
Progress:
The OSP completed its first annual evaluation in December 2007. During the first
year, 85 employers covering over 1,600 employees participated. Findings from the
evaluation showed that the OSP developed industry-specific training courses and
provided 20,500 hours of training to more than 1,200 employees, supervisors, and
managers. All 85 of the participants’ SHMS were implemented and/or improved
using OSHA’s 1989 Guidelines as a model. Close to 600 self-inspections were
performed resulting in over 230 hazards and/or violations identified and
corrected/abated.
During the first year, the OSP collected baseline injury and illness data to be
used to measure progress and for purposes of comparative analysis in future
evaluations. Collected data showed that the participants’ aggregated Total Case
Incident Rate (TCIR) was 29 percent below the 2006 BLS national average rate of
5.8 for this respective industry. The OSP’s overall baseline Days Away,
Restricted, and Transfer (DART) rate was 5.2, 38 percent above the 2006 BLS
national average rate of 3.2. In addition to collecting TCIR and DART averages,
the OSP is also collecting the Insurance Experience Modifier Rate (EMR) data
from participants. At the time of the evaluation, the OSP’s EMR average was .91
(.09 percent below the 1.0 standard).
Also during the first year, the OSP continued to work towards promoting safe
industry practices. NATE issued a letter to major owners, carriers, and general
contractors, asking qualified contractors to adopt 100 percent fall protection
at all worksites. The OSHA Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health
(ACCSH) formed a tower workgroup to help gather industry perspective and input
on standards development. Additional benefits experienced as a result of the OSP
include increased safety and health awareness, improved relationships with
various stakeholders, and increased interest from additional companies.
Since the evaluation, NATE and OSHA have developed a Public Service Announcement
(PSA) promoting safe practices within the industry. Many industry and safety
leaders, including OSHA Assistant Secretary Edwin F. Foulke, made appearances in
the PSA. Over the next year, the OSP plans to conduct additional safety training
and continually improve their data collection efforts.
Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate
of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing OSHA
PDF materials.
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