Falling not only risk faced by climbers

Not only must tower climbers deal with the treacherous conditions associated with working several hundred feet in the air, but radio-frequency emissions from towers can make them ill, according to Stan Tucker, national sales director with Radiofrequency Safety International Corp., a safety training company.

Personal protection units can tell climbers when they are too close to a dangerous area, but improper use of the equipment can give workers a false sense of security, said Tucker.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all workers exposed to radio frequency waves to undergo RF safety training. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandates that all wireless and RF-generating sites be fully compliant with its environmental rules for evaluating the potential for human exposure. That can be difficult at times, as most municipalities require wireless operators to co-locate their towers as much as possible, which can result in total RF radiation exceeding legal standards.

The FCC has aggressively enforced its rules for more than three years. The commission established a Sept. 1, 2000 deadline for compliance with its RF guidelines, which regulate human exposure. The first FCC Notice of Violation for RF exposure was issued on July 12, 2001, and others have followed. Last fall, for example, the commission held individual FM licensees liable because the total RF radiation metered at their site, a telecommunications and antenna farm, exceeded the guidelines by 50%. As a result, four broadcasters were fined $10,000 each.

The FCC also has established a 24-hour toll-free number for complaints about RF safety. OSHA also has a role in the enforcement effort; the agency is called to sites when an accident occurs or if the FCC makes a site visit.

For liability reasons, Tucker suggests that tower owners employ a third party to inventory the site to show areas of danger concerning RF or other site hazards.

A Towering Problem