WASHINGTON—Eliminating injuries and fatalities in tower work is the aim of a new partnership of OSHA, NATE and the FCC.

 “The goal of the three-year partnership is to eliminate worker injuries and fatalities while performing wireless and telecommunications, tower erection and maintenance operations,” they said in an announcement.

“The partnership will address some of the industry’s frequently encountered hazards, including falls from height, electric, falling objects, tower collapses and inclement weather.”

The agreement was signed in an online ceremony involving officials of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Federal Communications Commission.

They included Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Loren Sweatt, NATE Chairman Jimmy Miller and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

Sweatt said demand for wireless communications and broadcast services has increased the need for construction, service and maintenance of towers around the country.

The effort is being done under OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program.

This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication Radio World.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluded that contractors were to blame for the collapse of the tower of KOZK-TV Fordland, Mo,(Ozarks Public Television) back in April. That is according to Current, which covers noncommercial TV and radio issues, per an OSHA report it obtained via a FOIA request.

The accident killed the head of one of the two engineering firms hired to reinforce the tower, Tower Consultants Inc. and Steve Lemay LLC. Lemay, who was contracted by TCI to do the structural reinforcements, was killed and three of his workers injured when the 1,891 ft. tower collapsed. 

[Read: 'The Most Dangerous Job in America']

OSHA concluded that removing bolts on diagonal braces during the reinforcing process compromised the structure, that Lemay used undersized equipment, and that TCI failed to approve the design of a temporary frame prior to replacing a diagonal, as it was required to do.

The station was being repacked from channel 23 to channel 16, according to the National Association of Broadcasters, and was in the FCC's first phase of stations needing to move to new channels, which must be completed by the end of November.

The reinforcement was required for the tower to comply with wind and ice loads.

NAB has expressed concerns about safety with so much tower work needed to meet the repack deadlines.

Editor’s note: In May, I wrote an editorial about the recent Missouri TV tower collapse, with the headline “The Most Dangerous Job in America.” TV Technology reader Mike Pappas of Parker, Colo. disagreed with my assertion with the following response:

Tower climbing isn’t “the most dangerous occupation in the U.S.” It’s not even close. Over the last six years major strides in tower climbing safety training and improved best practices by the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) have substantially reduced the number of accidents and deaths. The biggest change has been the adoption of 100 percent tie-off at all times.

On the 2016 BLS listing of civilian occupations with high fatal work injury rates, tower climbing doesn’t even make the list.

My 21-year-old son Miles is a newly NATE-certified tower climber. He is working with an experienced crew that has a spotless safety record on a 1,000-foot TV tower as part of the repack. I can tell you as a parent I am confident that the company and crew he is working with are adhering to all OSHA and NATE requirements and best practices. I know he is safe and will be starting his junior year at The Citadel in August where he is working on his Mechanical Engineering degree.

Tower work isn’t the most dangerous occupation it’s not even close.

FORDLAND, MO.—The Occupational and Safety Hazard Agency says it will examine the cause of the tower collapse in Fordland, Mo. yesterday that took the life of a 56-year old owner of a Washington-state tower company, according to KY3.com.

Steve J. Lemay was identified as the victim in the accident, which also injured three other crew members. Lemay had 25 years of experience and formed Steve Lemay LLC in 2013.  

 The tower hosted Ozarks Public Television 's KOZK-TV, a PBS affiliate owned by Missouri State University.

OSHA said it would investigate what caused the accident and if workers were complying with OSHA standards. The agency said workers had climbed approximately 100 feet up the nearly 2,000 foot tall tower when it collapsed.   

According to Ozarks Public Radio station KSMU, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an investigation and that other stations in the region are assisting in getting the station back on the air.   

WASHINGTON—The FCC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have released the “Communications Tower Best Practice Guide,” a book that is meant to promote safety procedures for tower workers and hopefully reduce tower work fatalities.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Dorothy Dougherty issued a joint statement with the Guide’s release:

“The guide is a result of the long-standing commitment of both agencies to ensuring the safety of tower workers. In the spirit of good government and cooperation, our agencies have hosted workshops with input from industry stakeholders to identify and establish accepted practices for performing communication tower work safely. The guide is an important step to reduce the tragic number of fatalities involved in communications tower work. We thank the staffers of both agencies for their work and look forward to our continued partnership as we continue to meet the demand for mobile broadband.”

The “Communications Tower Best Practice Guide” can be accessed here.

This article first appeared in TV Technology's sister publication, Radio Magazine.

WATERTOWN, S.D.­—The National Association of Tower Erectors wants members to #StandDown4Safety this week.

From May 2-6, members are encouraged to participate in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction by having frank discussions with employees about fall risks and how to prevent accidents. According to OSHA, falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry.

“The OSHA Safety Stand-Down Week serves as a nice complement to some of the association’s top current initiatives to enhance worker safety, such as the NATE Susan Harwood Grant Fall Prevention Worker Training Course offerings and the NATE Climber Connection Campaign,” said NATE Executive Director Todd Schlekeway.

Register online to participate in one of NATE’s 2016 Fall Prevention Worker Training Courses.

The 2015 National Safety Stand-Down reached more than 2.5 million workers. OSHA’s 2016 goal is to reach 5 million workers.