OSHA Cites Cell Tower Company For Safety Violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited an Oklahoma-based cellphone tower company last month for two safety violations after a tower collapsed and killed two of its workers and a volunteer firefighter.

Back in February, the Harrison County cell tower collapsed while two employees from S and S Communication Specialists' were performing routine maintenance on it. The collapse killed 32-year-old Kyle Kirkpatrick of Hulbert, Oklahoma,  27-year-old Terry Lee Richard Jr. of Bokoshe, and 28-year-old volunteer firefighter Michael Dale Garrett of Clarksburg. S and S Communication Specialists were hired as subcontractors to perform the work.

The deaths of Kirkpatrick, Lee and Garret should serve as a wakeup call to the cell tower industry. According to OSHA, 13 cell tower workers lost their lives in 2013 -- more than 2011 and 2012 combined.

During the incident, Kirkpatrick and Lee were making routine repairs on an existing cellphone tower in Harrison County when it collapsed, killing the two S and S Communication Specialists' workers. The main tower's collapse stressed a nearby secondary tower, which then collapsed when Garret was responding to the incident. The collapse of the secondary tower killed Garret and injured another firefighter at the scene.

Following this deadly cellphone tower collapse, OSHA immediately launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident and whether or not it could have been prevented. Inspectors cited S and S Communication Specialists for removing key structural members on the tower without using temporary braces -- a move that weakened the tower's support system and may have contributed to the workers' deaths.

OSHA also cited S and S Communication Specialists for allowing its workers to tie themselves to bracing that was unable to support 5,000 pounds. Current cellphone tower rules state that workers must be connected to a support system that's capable of holding a minimum of $5,000. The two violations were deemed "serious," and each one comes with $7,000 fine.

"These deaths are a painful reminder of the dangers associated with communication towers, and are at the root of OSHA's directive on communication tower construction activities," said OSHA Charleston director Prentice Cline. "OSHA is concerned about the alarming increase in preventable injuries and fatalities at communication tower work sites. The agency is collaborating with the National Association of Tower Erectors and other industry stakeholders to ensure that every communication tower employer understands how to protect workers performing this high-hazard work."