NATE is the Industry Leader in Safety, Standards and Education

By Todd Schlekeway, Executive Director, NATE

The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), a non-profit trade association in the wireless infrastructure industry, is the global leader in promoting safety, standards and education across the diverse landscape of the tower industry. Today, the Association boasts over 740 member companies from the United States, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Ghana, India, Italy, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Trinidad and the United Arab Emirates. NATE member companies consist of tower construction firms, general contractors, tower owners, wireless carriers, manufacturers, distributors and training companies.

NATE and TowerXchange are currently in our second year of a collaborative marketing agreement that has been beneficial to both organizations during this current cycle of rapid expansion of wireless infrastructure deployments around the world.  In May of 2014, NATE Chairwoman Pat Cipov and I had the opportunity to participate in the TowerXchange Meetup Americas 2014 event in Orlando, Florida. During this event, we had the unique experience of engaging in several roundtable discussions with top decision makers and stakeholders in the Latin American tower industry. The TowerXchange Meetup Americas 2014 event afforded us the opportunity to learn about the unique challenges associated with the tower industry in these international markets, as well as inform our friends about the professional resources and best practice materials that is associated with a NATE membership.

One of NATE’s top priorities is leading the Wireless Industry Safety Task Force initiative. The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force consists of top safety and operations executives representing wireless carriers, tower owners, OEM’s, turnkey/construction management firms and National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE). The mission statement of the Task Force is to collaborate on best practice solutions to achieve sustainable safety improvements in the industry.

The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force consists of the following participating companies and organizations:

Alcatel-Lucent, American Tower, AT&T, Bechtel, Black & Veatch, Crown Castle, Ericsson, General Dynamics, Goodman Networks, Jacobs, MasTec Network Solutions, Motorola Solutions, National Association of Tower Erectors, Nexius, Nokia Solutions and Networks, SAI  Communications, Samsung, SBA Communications Inc., Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Velocitel, Verizon Wireless and WesTower Communications.

A major early initiative of the Wireless Industry Safety Task Force is the 100% Tie-Off 24/7 Awareness Campaign. One of the primary issues identified as a result of the Task Force’s collaborative efforts is the fact that many of the tower-site accidents that compromise safety involve situations where the tower technician was not properly tied-off to the structure. In order to educate industry stakeholders, the 100% Tie-Off 24/7 Awareness Campaign  involves a comprehensive grassroots approach that involves the unveiling of public service announcements, paid advertising in industry and mainstream publications, earned media efforts, a social media component and collaboration with other industry organizations.

NATE has created a special section on our website devoted specifically to the 100% Tie-Off 24/7 Awareness Campaign. I would encourage TowerXchange readers to visit http://natehome.com/100-tie-off-24-7 to watch the public service announcements and access information designed to make tower industry personnel and stakeholders aware of the standards and compliance directives that govern fall protection.

The growth in the industry has stimulated safety and quality issues resulting in accidents, and tragically, some fatalities during the construction of wireless sites. The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force is currently making significant progress on establishing an industry-embraced National Wireless Training Standard that will ultimately create a more qualified, skilled and safe tower technician.  The training certifications for each worker will be reviewed and verified with documentation and updated accordingly as the technician goes through each level of certification outlined in the National Wireless Training Standard. Our vision is that ALL of the wireless tower workforce will eventually be trained to this new National Wireless Training Standard that is currently under development.

As part of the Wireless Industry Safety Task Force, a Manufacturing and Engineering Solutions Working Group was established to explore manufacturing and engineering solutions to some of the safety hazards of which the workforce currently is confronted. This working group is engaging with industry manufacturers and engineers to discuss what advancements can be made to fall protection equipment and tower structures to help make the industry safer for the challenges elevated workers are confronted with on a daily basis.

One example of this effort includes the goal of working with manufacturers to develop a “smart-lanyard device” which would incorporate new “smart” technology in order to ensure that if one carabineer hook is disconnected, the other hook is in “manual lock” so that the technician is tied-off at all times when working at elevated heights.

I would like to personally invite all international tower industry stakeholders to attend the 20th Annual NATE UNITE 2015 Conference & Exposition which will be held February 23-26, 2015 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This is the place to be if you are involved in our diverse industry as a tower owner, carrier, general contractor, tower construction firm, tower climber, manufacturer, training company, media member or an industry enthusiast! Visit NATE’s website at www.natehome.com to download the NATE UNITE 2015 Sponsor & Exhibitor Prospectus; view the Pre Show Planner; or to register to attend.

NATE values our partnership with TowerXchange and appreciates the vital role the TowerXchange community plays in providing a forum for thought leaders in the emerging market tower industry.  NATE is excited about the potential the future holds to continue enhance the awareness of the Association across borders in the international tower market

To contact a NATE representative, call (888) 882-5865 (U.S.), 605-882-5865, e-mail nate@natehome.com or visit the NATE website at www.natehome.com