In the Telecom industry, the biggest hazards come from the construction and maintenance activities of the tall towers supporting antennas for mobile phone networks and broadcast transmissions. A survey by the Communications Workers of America found that more than 65% of technicians have seen a coworker injured or killed on the job.

We must stop this trend! This articles aims to review a small sample of the incidents in the telecom industry with the purpose of identifying the most significant lessons learned and thereby contributing to the prevention of their recurrence, in order to save lives!

Case Studies From the Incidents in Telecom Industry

1. AT&T: Fatality From a 250-foot fall (2023)

Incident Overview: Founded in 1983, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company or AT&T, as it is better known today, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is currently number 32 on the list of Fortune 500. It serves almost 300 million U.S. consumers and nearly 2.5 million business by employing approximately 150,000 workers and contracting with more than 700 companies, in order to build and maintain its network. AT&T, like many other hiring clients, can control its own safety management systems easier than those of its contractors. So, on September 25, 2023, Darren Bishop, a 28-year-old tower technician, died after falling 250 feet from a 300-foot tower during an AT&T installation in Huntsburg Township, Ohio. Bishop was a 9-year-veteran of Telecom industry, employed by an AT&T contractor.  OSHA investigation revealed issues with fall protection practices, including multiple attachments on the same anchor point and improper application of the anchor hook. No citation was issued but the incident resulted in the following learnings.

Lessons Learned:

• Risk Assessment: The incident highlighted the need for comprehensive assessment of risks inherent in tower climbing, inclusive of planning for anchor points, their capacities, and proper ways of utilizing personal fall arrest systems.
• Improper PPE Use: OSHA’s investigation found temporary anchorages using “girth hitch” knots, which can reportedly cause a sling to lose 50% of its strength. The knot was found in multiple fall protection components and fall positioning devices on the tower.

2. T-Mobile: Construction Site Incident (2022)

Incident Overview: A subsidiary of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG, founded in December of 1999, T-Mobile is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It serves 260 million users nationwide by employing 67,000 employees. In 2022, a contractor working on a T-Mobile tower site suffered severe injuries due to a fall while not using proper safety harness.

Lessons Learned:

• Training and Certification: T-Mobile reinforced the importance of safety training for contractors. They implemented mandatory safety workshops focusing on fall protection and equipment handling.
• Standardized Procedures: The incident prompted T-Mobile to update its SOPs for construction sites, ensuring all personnel adhered to strict safety protocols before commencing work.

3. Verizon: Fiber Optic Installation Incident (2023)

Incident Overview: Number 31 on the Fortune 500 list, Verizon Communications is the world’s second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the United States. It is headquartered in New York City, serving 114 million subscribers by employing 105,400 workers. In 2023, during a routine fiber optic installation in New York City, a crew inadvertently damaged a gas line, leading to an evacuation of nearby businesses and a hazardous situation.

Lessons Learned:

• Permit-to-Work System: Verizon enhanced its dig permit protocols, particularly in the urban areas. They now conduct more comprehensive surveys before beginning any installation work.
• Collaboration and Sharing: Following the incident, Verizon initiated collaboration with local utility companies to share information and improve coordination during installation projects, aiming to prevent future accidents.

Conclusion

Although the case studies presented above represent only a small portion of the numerous incidents and near misses in the telecom industry, the lessons that originated from them are a good sampling of the important elements which must be corrected and implemented, in order to save lives of the personnel engaged in constructing and maintaining the infrastructure. No project and no new workday should ever be started without proper consideration of the risks inherent in the tasks involved and their mitigations. When the risks are properly assessed, many of the other puzzle pieces will fall into their right places, like correct application of the PPE. Training and certification is also essential in this industry, as the high risk of work involved must be approached intelligently and correctly. Of course, the standardization of procedures is critical in any industry where one wrong move can cost a life. The same goes for the permit-to-work systems, as they ensure that appropriate preparations and precautions have been utilized for the safe operations. Finally, no industry will succeed without the synergy that is accomplished by collaboration and sharing among the teams. Although this process may be a little more complicated when it has to be performed between the hiring client’s employees and those of the contractors, lives depend on it.

References:

Tommy Clift (2024). ‘Nobody Knows We Exist’ – The Overlooked Workers Impacted by Cell Tower Safety Failures. Broadband Nation. https://www.broadbandnation.org/cell-tower/nobody-knows-we-exist-dark-history-cell-tower-climber-safety

CWA – Communication Workers of America (2020). AT&T’s Web of Subcontractors: Building Next Generation Networks With Low-Wage Labor. CWA Union. https://cwa-union.org/sites/default/files/20201005attsubcontractorreport.pdf

Yang Rae Kim, Myoung Hwan Park, Byung Yong Jeong (2016). Hazardous Factors and Accident Severity of Cabling Work in Telecommunications Industry. Journal of Ergonomic Society of Korea, 35 (3). https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO201620853201145.pdf

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Simon Goncharenko, PhD, CSP, CSHO is the Director of Implementation at Veriforce, LLC, member of the Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board, avid researcher, and an engaging speaker. Having been born and raised in Eastern Europe, Simon’s 30 years of professional experience have seen him lead teams on three continents and in various industries, including oil and gas, construction, and data center sectors. His most recent employment prior to Veriforce was with Meta Platforms, Inc. former Facebook, where he supported the EHS on the construction of AI hyperscale data centers. Dr. Goncharenko has authored or contributed to the creation of over 80 articles and six books, the latest of which, Save Lives: Pushing Boundaries in Human Factors, provides ideas for human-centric operations and processes that will improve safety and organizational performance, while increasing employee engagement and job satisfaction. The companion training to the book, entitled Save Lives Global Human & Organizational Factors©, the world’s first and only human factors program designed specifically for the operators, builders, and contractors of mission critical facilities, has been widely popular with hundreds of participants around the globe. Simon is an animated and engaging professor and Master Trainer, charismatic keynote speaker, and podcaster of the Save Lives Global Podcast.