WATERTOWN, S.D.: The second most common violation of federal safety standards last year involved incidents near and dear to the National Association of Tower Erectors. Among the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s top 10 violations for 2010, No. 2 involved fall protection or the lack thereof. NATE, which is gearing up for its annual conference, incorporated OSHA’s top 10 into its latest industry safety guide.
“Creating a culture of safety requires that everyone understand the hazards and utilize appropriate authority to ensure the only acceptable way to conduct work on a tower site is to do it safely,” NATE Executive Director Patrick Howey said.
NATE’s “Tower Site Hazard Recognition Guide” now includes references to last year’s top 10 list:
1. Scaffolding, General
2. Fall Protection
3. Hazard Communication
4. Respiratory Protection
5. Ladders
6. Lockout/Tagout
7. Electrical, Wiring Methods
8. Powered Industrial Trucks
9. Electrical, General
10. Machine Guarding
Another feature of the guide, launched at last year’s NATE conference, is new list of 10 items that should be recognized as safety “red flags” for tower crews:
1. Lack of proper training
2. Failure to develop a site safety plan outlining potential hazards
3. Failure to conduct a tailgate session to review site concerns
4. Failure to use proper fall protection
5. Failure to use additional PPE
6. Failure to recognize proper anchorages on the tower
7. Lace of proper hoist operator training
8. Rigging errors
9. Failure to recognize and address electrical hazards
10. Failure to use required practices for hoisting personnel
NATE will showcase the updated Hazard Recognition Guide at NATE 2011, its annual trade show being held in Oklahoma City, Feb. 21-24. The document is also available online for free at the group’s website.
(Image by Jaslyn Gilbert/HTRJuly 8, 2009 Cleveland)
