Communication tower association committee tests worker safety gear

Dayton, OH — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association highlights the efforts of its Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee to “test equipment the way it’s being used in the field.”

In cooperation with the University of Dayton’s Structures and Materials Assessment, Research, and Test (SMART) Laboratory, SEMC members test equipment – under real-world conditions – that meet the standards of the American National Standards Institute.

SEMC Chair Jeremy Buckles says in the video that the committee so far has developed five tests that simulate tasks during a tower climber’s workday.

“We wanted to show the climbers how their equipment functions under their everyday use. We want to make sure that we show the climbers if it’s supposed to function under motion, we’re going to test it for motion. There isn’t a standard test for that, so that’s what we’re here for.”

Buckles calls the committee a “group of friends” who share “a common goal of protecting the climbers, because our passion is for the industry.”

The video is the most recent installment in NATE’s Climber Connection series, which promotes safe work practices for communication tower workers. The association asks climbers and other industry stakeholders to use the hashtag #ClimberConnection when posting the video on social media platforms.