March 07, 2010

KITCHENER, Ontario, Canada – A 40-foot communications tower on the roof of a Kitchener business was accidentally pulled down Saturday when a tow motor hit a guy wire supporting it.

A former city buildings inspector was busted Friday for selling fake safety training certificates required to work on high-rises, the Daily News has learned.

"This case is a clear and grave example of the human cost incurred when required fall protection safeguards are absent, ignored or inadequate,” said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA’s New Hampshire area director. “The loss of a worker’s life could have been prevented if these protective measures had been in place and in use."

A Perry company was one of two cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations in an August incident where a worker fell to his death in New Hampshire.

Perry’s Utility Services Co. faces $93,000 in fines after a man working for Eden, N.C., subcontractor Bullins Painting fell 90 feet from a water tower Aug. 9. The contractors were responsible for rehabilitation and painting of the municipal water tower in Epping, N.H.

OSHA investigators determined both companies failed to inspect fall protection equipment before each use, protect vertical lines against cuts and abrasions and provide a ladder cage or similar equipment to secure tower access ladders.  Bullins Painting alledgedly failed to provide the proper fall protection equipment and the GC failed to inspect it.

OSHA inspectors also identified more safety and health hazards for Bullins’ workers that posed potential threats to workers’ safety in their workplace environment. Bullins Painting was given three willful, 16 serious and one miscellaneous violation, totaling $187,800 in fines. Utility Services Company was issued one willful citation, two serious and three other violations, along with $93,000 in proposed fines.

Each company has 15 days from when it receives its citations to contest the findings with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, independent from OSHA.

Little Rock, AR., Feb: 3

Terry Thompson, 51, of Lucedale, MS, lost his life as the result of a 100' fall off a cell tower on Old 88 Road near Highway 70, at around 10:30 a.m.

The Saline Cty. Sheriff's office and OSHA officials are investigating his death which occurred on impact. 

The tower is owned by Stafford, a Texas-based American Tower.  It was being dismantled by a Little Rock company, Dynamic Wireless, and Mr. Thompson was a sub-contractor for them.

Mr. Thompson reportedly had almost 40 yrs. of tower climbing experience.

Recently, Monticello, Arkansas, Police Dept’s Michael Sharp was photographed hanging decorative owls on the top portions of the police radio tower, in an effort to reduce the number of birds that land in the tower, and the number of ”decorations from overhead”.

Sharp, a local officer, used proper safety equimpemt, and is an experienced, trained climber for  projects as cell phone towers.