Business View Magazine - September 2015

28 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 29 National Association of Tower Erectors Playing a vital role advancing safety in the wireless industry The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) is the global leader in safety, standards and education for the wireless telecommunications and broadcast industries. NATE is dedicated to ensuring that its 735- plus member companies and all industry stakeholders have the necessary resources to be safe and produc- tive. The work that the tower construction and main- tenance industry carries out on a daily basis allows for enjoyment of modern conveniences and ensures citizens in rural and urban regions can access commu- nication services in an efficient, timely and convenient manner. This deployment of broadband and wireless infrastructure technologies plays an invaluable role in the nation’s economic well-being and global competi- tiveness, and for upgrading vital services such as util- ity and public safety communication networks. This robust growth cycle in the industry has not been without its challenges, however. Constructing and maintaining communications networks has resulted in accidents and, tragically, some fatalities. NATE is play- ing a leading role on the Wireless Industry Safety Task Force to achieve sustainable improvements in the in- dustry and help solve the safety, quality and workforce development challenges that confront the industry. The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force consists of top safety and operations executives representing wire- less carriers, tower owners, OEMs, turnkey/construc- tion management firms and NATE. The task force includes Alcatel-Lucent, American Tow- er, AT&T, Bechtel, Black & Veatch, Crown Castle, Erics- son, General Dynamics, Goodman Networks, Jacobs, MasTec Network Solutions, Motorola Solutions, Na- tional Association of Tower Erectors, Nexius, Nokia So- lutions and Networks, SAI Communications, Samsung, SBA Communications Inc., Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cel- lular, Velocitel, Verizon Wireless and WesTower Com- munications. To organize the task force in an efficient manner, par- ticipants have been assigned to a Skills-Based Training Subcommittee, a Standardization Requirements Sub- committee, a Governance Working Group and a Manu- facturing and Engineering Solutions Working Group. The Skills-Based Training Subcommittee recently un- veiled a comprehensive Skills-Based Training Compe- tencies Matrix resource that the group has been work- ing on for more than four months. The Skills-Based Training Competencies Matrix is a document that out- lines the minimum competencies and skills required for five categories of workers in the industry: 1) Help Construction Construction