By Todd Schlekeway, Executive Director, National Association of Tower Erectors
2015 has been a milestone year for the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) as we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary. Twenty years after NATE was founded, the Association is once again demonstrating our leadership by collaborating with prominent companies and stakeholders from throughout the wireless industry ecosystem to establish the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA). The NWSA is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization that is under development by the wireless industry in the United States. The mission statement of the NWSA is to provide thorough, independent assessments of knowledge and skills and provide verifiable worker certification in order to enhance safety, reduce workplace risk, improve quality, encourage training, and recognize the skilled professionals who work on towers and other non-standard structures.
The NWSA organization is a by-product of collaboration between a broad coalition of the industry’s leading subject matter experts, companies and stakeholders representing wireless carriers, tower owners/vertical realtors, OEM’s, turnkey management firms, engineering firms, public safety entities, small contractors, tower technicians and industry associations. A Board of Governors representing a broad cross-section of companies in the industry has been selected to provide leadership and oversight for the organization.
A national assessment and certification organization has been needed in the wireless industry for quite some time. The NWSA will standardize the assessment and certification process and provide a greater degree of confidence to the industry that an employee who is trained in Massachusetts and an employee trained in California (at the same level of worker category), are qualified to perform the scope of work required of them. Workers, regardless of their training pathway, will be required to take a standardized NWSA assessment. An NWSA certification card will be a source of pride for industry workers and will ultimately raise the bar on safety and quality.
The NWSA plans to offer a variety of assessments leading to certification based on defined categories of workers within the industry. The NWSA is planning a gradual, progressive roll out of these respective programs to the marketplace It is anticipated that the Signal Person and Rigger programs will be the first to launch. The Telecommunications Tower Technician I (TTTI – Authorized Climber/Rescuer) and Telecommunications Tower Technician (TTTII – Competent Climber/Rescuer) programs will likely be the next programs to launch. Other assessment and certification programs the NWSA will likely develop include Antenna & Line Foreman, Tower (Stacking) Foreman, Structural Modifications, Foreman, DAS Systems, Small Cell Systems, Broadcast Structures and Outside Plant/Fiber to the Home and Business.
You may be asking yourself, who will benefit from the National Wireless Safety Alliance? There will be tremendous benefits associated with the NWSA for the entire industry. Consider the following:
Tower technicians and other industry workers will ultimately benefit through a safer working environment, opportunities to enhance/diversify their skill-sets and by receiving the recognition and national credentialing that these skilled professionals deserve.
Contractor companies will ultimately benefit through a safe and qualified employee base and by leveling the playing field for these companies. Simply put, NWSA’s national certification program will reward the contractor companies who do things the right way when it comes to safety and quality while at the same time forcing the “fly-by-night” contractors to raise their game (through an investment in safety and quality) or to get out of the game.
Tower Owners/Vertical Realtors will ultimately benefit through diminished liability exposure and by receiving greater assurance that the men and women working on their tower sites are adequately trained and prepared to perform the scope of work required to work on their valuable property.
Wireless carriers will benefit by receiving a better quality network build-out from a reliable, safe and qualified contractor company. The carriers know that there is a direct correlation between their network performance quality and the qualifications of the contractor. NWSA will provide wireless carriers with a national certification that they may place as a requirement within their contracts. This step will provide greater assurances that the men and women working on their network build-outs will perform quality work.
Equipment manufacturers will benefit by receiving greater assurance that their PPE equipment is being utilized properly and safely by more of the industry’s workforce.
Industry training providers will benefit through the consistency of the uniform vernacular, worker categories, knowledge-based skills and field-based skills outlined in the NWSA’s National Wireless Skills-Based Matrix.
There is a direct correlation between safety and quality – if you hire a safe worker who’s certified, there’s going to be a direct correlation to the quality and performance of the network. The NWSA will provide the wireless carriers with a mechanism to require NWSA worker credentials in their contracts in order to complete work on their projects. It will give carriers clarity and confidence, because it’s based on a nationwide, standardized approach.
Every sector of our smartphone economy depends on lightning-speed connectivity and this is made possible by the men and women who deploy wireless infrastructure on communication sites. The NWSA’s professional certification can be compared to those that apply to other occupations in the United States that demand high-level skills from their workers. If you’re a truck driver, you need to get your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). If you are a nurse, you have to take nursing boards to get your license. The same concept applies with the NWSA and the wireless industry workforce.
