In 2009, 531 workers, managers, and supervisors covered by the OSP received safety training. Also, NATE:

• Developed the NATE Hoist Operator Educational Requirements and initiated programming for the online training course.
• Began designing the Hazard Recognition online safety resource.
• Began developing the Tower Climber Orientation online training course.

• OSHA Outreach Training Program 10-hour course (74 attendees)
• Safety/Quality Awareness on Tower Mounting Components (140 attendees)
• Protecting Climbers from Falls (192 attendees)
• Structural Standards for Installation, Alteration and Maintenance of Antenna Supporting Structures & Antennas - Part 1/Engineering (200 attendees)
• RF Safety: It's a Game You Can Win (124 attendees)
• Structural Standards for Installation, Alteration and Maintenance of Antenna Supporting Structures & Antennas - Part 2/Rigging (167 attendees)
• Guy Anchor Galvanic Corrosion: Causes, Risk Evaluation, Detection, Prevention (161 attendees)
• Radio Frequency Personal Protective Equipment (RF PPE) Use and Training (152 attendees)
• Grounding Systems: Why Important and Why Testing is Invalid 95% of the Time (193 attendees)
• Where Does The Time Go? (64 attendees)
• Rigging Safety (154 attendees)
• Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program (132 attendees)
• Crane Safety (114 attendees)
• Building High Spirited Teams (45 attendees)
• Hazcom: Communication is Key (39 attendees)
• Insurance 101/Workers Compensation and General Liability Basics (28 attendees)
• Authorized Climber Training (40 attendees)

*Interpretation/Explanation of Standards or OSHA Policy:

• Throughout the year on an as-needed basis, NATE responded to inquiries from the tower industry regarding how to interpret tower-related OSHA standards and directives. If additional specific technical information was needed, the inquiry was forwarded to OSHA for assistance.
• Throughout the year on an as-needed basis, OSHA provided technical assistance to the tower industry regarding how to interpret tower-related OSHA regulations and directives (e.g., the use of controlled decent devices with back-up lifelines and proper attachment points).

**Abatement Assistance:

• Throughout the year on an as-needed basis, NATE responded to questions and provided assistance to the tower industry regarding abatement assistance. If additional information was needed, NATE referred the inquiry to OSHA.
• Throughout the year on an as-needed basis, OSHA provided assistance to the tower industry regarding abatement issues and topics (e.g., fall protection systems, hoisting, and rigging).

1. Safety and Health Outreach and Promotion

   NATE's Executive Director authored or was interviewed for numerous safety articles featured in magazines and on industry stakeholders' websites, including:

   • US Developers Journal
   • EHS Today
   • Above Ground Level
   • ASSE
   • Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, Inc.
   • Industrial Safety & Hygiene News
   • Microwave Journal
   • Mission Critical
   • RCR Wireless News
   • Modern Contractor Solutions
   • US Developer's Journal
   • Urgent Communications
   • Wireless Week
   • Wirelessestimator.com

   Monthly Publication:

   NATE also developed and disseminated its monthly publication, Tower Times, which is available to members as well as non-members. Tower Times provides safety resources in every edition and member companies who provide training to the NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard (NATE CTS) are listed in each issue.

   Safety Updates and Preventive Response Notices ("NATE News"):

   During the reporting period, safety updates and notices known as "NATE News" were disseminated to members via email which are later posted on NATE's website. Some of the topics of these updates included.

   • "Avoid Unrealistic Expectations to Complete Work"
   • "NATE Resources to Help Improve Industry Safety"
   • "The Importance of Safety During Peak Work Season"
   • "MIOSHA Safety Regulations Adopted With the Support and Guidance of NATE Members"

   Public Speaking Events:

   During the reporting period, NATE and NATE members continued to attend and deliver speeches at various industry meetings, conferences, and other events to promote tower safety. For example:

   • The Chairman of NATE's Board of Directors served as a panelist for the Tennessee Wireless Association's conference ("Safety is Our Life Saver").
   • NATE's Executive Director served as a speaker at the MoKan (Missouri/Kansas) State Wireless Association conference and discussed how to build a culture of safety for carriers and tower owners.
   • NATE member company representatives made a presentation at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on "New Consensus Standards for Construction Rigging and Protocol".
   • NATE's Executive Director served as a presenter at American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) Safety 2009 Conference.
   • NATE's Executive Director served as a panel moderator at the 12th Annual Tower Technology Summit.
   • NATE's Executive Director delivered a presentation on tower climber safety at the National Telecommunications Safety Panel's annual International Telecommunications Safety Conference.
   • NATE's Executive Director and NATE member company representatives made numerous safety presentations to State Wireless Associations in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas.

   Website:
   During the reporting period, NATE developed and posted safety information on its website which is accessible to all NATE members, including:

   • Safety and health videos covering topics such as radio frequency (RF) awareness, personnel hoisting, and gin pole operations
   • The Accident Prevention Safety and Health Program Guide
   • The NATE Hoist Standard
   • Hoist Operators Educational Requirements Manual and RF Awareness Manual
   NATE also made the following safety information available to the public on its website:
   • NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard (NATE CTS)
   • Links to OSHA and other safety and health organizations
   • Qualified Contractor Evaluation Checklist
   • Tower Owner Safety Checklist
   • Free download access to safety posters that address critical safety issues for tower climbers
   • Replay and download of NATE's safety and health webinars
   • Archived copies of the Tower Times magazine which include safety articles, tailgate talk topics, health information, OSHA reports, regulatory news, and legal guidance

   Tower Safety and Health Webinars:
   During the reporting period, NATE offered two safety and health webinars to the tower industry:

   • The "Tower Company Safety Program Best Practices" webcast in March 2009 which was posted on the NATE website in early April 2009 and is accessible for public viewing on the NATE home page. The webcast featured NATE member company representatives discussing best practices in the tower industry regarding developing and integrating safety compliance programs into a company's overall operation, maintaining safety communication, and training. The moderators of the discussion were Victor Drouin, President of Green Mountain Communications, Inc. and winner of EHS Today's "America's Safest Company" award; and Raphaella Garrett, Safety Coordinator of MidAmerica Tower Service, Inc. and former VPP participant.
   • The "Multi-Employer Worksite Liability Issues" webcast in September 2009 which was sponsored by Stainless LLC. The webcast focused on OSHA enforcement initiatives and trends at both the national and state level and the Multi-Employer Workplace Doctrine. The webcast is available on the NATE website.
2. Educating Industry

   During the reporting period, NATE continued to reach out to owners and operators in the industry and to educate them on the value of operating safely. These efforts resulted in:

   • Meetings, telephone calls, and other correspondence with American Tower, AT&T, Crown Castle, Cell South, US Cellular, SBA, and Black and Veatch to discuss further ways to work together to promote tower industry safety.
   • Working with NATE members to develop future case studies to promote the value of qualified tower climbers working in the tower industry.
3. Tower Safety Standards Development

   During the reporting period, NATE continued to focus efforts on assisting State Plan states to develop tower industry safety standards, as well as provided input to OSHA on the development of its federal directives. For example:

   • NATE provided input to OSHA during the development of the federal directives CPL 2-1.29 and CPL 2-1.36 which outlines the prerequisite practices for personnel hoisting (a third version of the Directive is currently under consideration).
   • NATE worked with the state of Washington's Department of Labor and Industry to develop a tower safety standard for the state. (NATE helped the state of Michigan's Department of Labor with the development of its tower safety standards in 2008.)
   • NATE began work to develop the new ANSI A10.48 Tower Safety Standard.
4. Collaboration between Industry Stakeholders

   Due to the public's increasing demand for wireless communication and broadcast services and tower jobs often being short-term and mobile, in 2009 NATE continued to collaborate with industry stakeholders in hopes of building relationships with industry stakeholders, changing industry culture, and reducing tower worker fatalities and injuries. For example:

   • NATE worked with the Federal Communications Commission and other federal agencies.
   • NATE collaborated with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).
   • NATE served as a representative on the ANSI Fall Protection Standard Committee.
   • NATE coordinated with representatives of the state of Washington's Department of Labor and Industry.
   • NATE coordinated with representatives of American Tower, AT&T, Crown Castle, Cell South, US Cellular, SBA, and Black and Veatch to discuss ways to promote tower industry safety.
   • NATE collaborated with ASSE.
   • NATE collaborated with PCIA - The Wireless Infrastructure Association.
   • NATE, PCIA, NAB, and CTIA - The Wireless Association developed the regulatory issue coalition.
5. 2008 Communication Tower Accident Survey and Draft Report of Findings

   In the spring 2008, OSHA developed and administered a communication tower accident survey to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) investigating tower worker fatalities that occurred in 2008. OSHA developed a draft report and a PowerPoint presentation of the results and shared them with the NATE Board of Directors during the 2009 annual conference and exposition.

The OSP achieved lower injury and illness rates than the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) national average for the tower industry by reducing its Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) and Days, Away, Restricted, and Transferred (DART) rate each year. In 2008, the OSP reduced its DART rate by an average of 37 percent while the national average for the industry's DART rate doubled. In 2009, the OSP's DART rate was 1.3 - a 68 percent decrease from the rate in 2007 and a 50 percent reduction from 2008. (The DART rate is a more comprehensive measure of severity because it reflects the total time away from work.) The OSP's 2009 DART rate is also 46 percent below the 2008 BLS national average of 2.4. Over the three years of the OSP, participants averaged a 44 percent decrease in their DART rate.

In 2009, the OSP's TCIR was 4.2 - a 19 percent reduction from the initial baseline of 5.2. The OSP's three-year TCIR average of 4.2 was slightly above the 2008 BLS national average of 4.0. Over the three years of the OSP, participants averaged a 10 percent decrease in their TCIR.

During 2008, the tower industry experienced 13 fatalities of which three were at OSP participants' worksites; however, in 2009, the number of fatalities in the industry decreased 62 percent to five, with 0 being OSP participants.

*Notes:

1. Each year the participants change, with some dropping out of the OSP and some being added; therefore, there will be variation regarding injury and illness rates.
2. Data collected during the first year of the OSP is the established baseline.
3. A three-year comparison between BLS and the OSP is not possible due to BLS not yet releasing its 2009 national data. This is expected to be released in the fall of 2010.

Increased Safety and Health Awareness:
The OSP participants continued to hold their companies to higher safety standards by conducting the OSP required site safety audits, as well as other OSP requirements such as enforcing 100 percent fall protection at six feet and ensuring the presence of a competent person on the worksite at all times. Increasing safety and health awareness was also accomplished by requiring the participants to meet requisite levels of training, developing and implementing a safety and health management system, and ensuring the presence of a competent person on the worksite at all times. Furthermore, NATE has been very proactive in promoting the OSP and re-enforcing the value of safety in the tower industry.

Improved Relationship with OSHA:
Over the past three years, the Partnership Management Team (PMT), consisting of NATE and OSHA representatives, increased communication and strengthened the relationship between the organizations. The OSP became a forum for OSHA and NATE to discuss issues and concerns with an emphasis on improving overall safety within the tower industry. The OSP provided participants and NATE members the opportunity to meet and talk with OSHA officials during the NATE 2009 Annual Conference and Exposition in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as through various technical assistance efforts. It also leveraged resources.

Improved Relationship with Employers:
Through the OSP, OSHA has been able to work closely with NATE to discuss, address, and resolve issues relating to safety in the tower industry. The OSP helped foster an open forum of communication where companies no longer fear OSHA but rather look to the agency for help and guidance.

Improved Relationship with Workers:
According to NATE, workers of the OSP participants understand that by their employers participating in the OSP, they are taking the necessary steps to promote safety and health in the tower industry and helping to ensure their safe return home.

The OSP expired on November 8, 2009. Over the past three years, this first national OSP between NATE and OSHA impacted the tower industry by saving the lives of tower workers and reducing the number of injuries and illnesses. In 2009, the number of tower climber fatalities decreased 62 percent to five from 2008, with 0 being OSP participants. The OSP created the opportunity to improve the health and safety of over 4,000 workers which represented almost half of the industry and facilitated mentoring and networking opportunities.

During the first year that the OSP was implemented, and each year following, the OSP attained lower injury and illness rates than the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) national average for this specific industry. For example, OSP participants' 2009 DART rate was 46 percent below the 2008 BLS national average and reflected a 50 percent reduction from the 2008 rate for OSP participants. In 2008 the OSP reduced its DART rate by 37 percent while the national average doubled. Over the three years of the OSP, participants averaged a 44 percent decrease in their DART rate and a 10 percent decrease in their TCIR.

The OSP also promoted the development of best industry practices which addressed hazards not currently covered by OSHA standards, facilitated open communication lines between workers and the industry, and expanded safety and health outreach and awareness to tower owners and operators.

Due to the many accomplishments achieved over the past three years, NATE and OSHA plan to develop a new 2010-2013 OSP. This new proposed OSP would include new goals, measures, and strategies to continue promoting safety and health in the tower industry, change industry culture, and reduce tower worker fatalities and injuries. Although the number of participants increased during the first two years of the OSP, in 2009 the number dropped to 89 due to reasons such as companies going out of business and other hardships of the current economy. However, should a new OSP agreement be signed, close to 130 tower companies have applied and been approved by OSHA to participate. This figure represents a 43 percent increase in OSP participation from 2009.