Communication tower association receives grant to develop electrical safety training

Watertown, SD — Increasing electrical safety awareness among workers in the communications infrastructure industry will be the focus of new training curriculum to be developed by the National Association of Tower Erectors, the nonprofit organization has announced.

NATE received a $160,000 Targeted Topic Training grant from OSHA as part of the agency’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.

The curriculum will include “detailed instruction on electrical safety awareness that telecom workers need to know,” such as:

• Overhead transmission and distribution
• Equipment
• Basic electrical theory
• Lockout/tagout procedures and standards
• Installation of electrical telecom equipment
• Grounding and bonding
• Tower lighting and capacitors
• Job hazard analysis documentation specific to telecom electrical awareness

NATE said it plans to conduct a series of complimentary training courses on electrical safety awareness for telecom workers.

“Based on certain trends we are currently seeing in the field, there is a need for more industry-specific electrical safety awareness training geared specifically to telecom employees and employers,” Ken Hill, a member of NATE’s Curriculum Development Committee, said in a press release. “I am excited to roll up my sleeves and collaborate with other NATE subject matter experts to develop the training curriculum and materials for this important program.”

NATE projects manager Kimberly Elliott added that the organization is “thrilled” to have been selected as part of the grant program, which “continues to be an invaluable resource for the association to develop high-quality industry curriculum and facilitate free training opportunities for workers throughout the United States.”