APRIL/MAY 2017 3
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Cancer coverage
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Moving on up
I
t's not until you are writing an article about tower climbers that you start to notice how many towers there
actually are. They're everywhere. What previously blended into the background the same as buildings, clouds
and electrical poles now stand out to me everywhere I go. I can't help but see them and wonder if the work-
ers are wearing fall protection, using RF monitors or adorned with glow sticks at night (learn more on page 16).
Here in Canada, it's likely tower climbers are behaving safely; a marked difference from their colleagues in the
United States. I watched the PBS Frontline documentary Cell Tower Deaths in research for this month's cover story
and it was devastating to see how dangerous this job is south of the border. Tower climbing has been called the
most dangerous job in America, with the number of communication tower fatalities peaking at 13 in 2013. This
remained fairly consistent at 12 fatalities for 2014 but dropped to eight in 2015, according to the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
I assumed this high number of fatalities would be the case in Canada as well, but I was pleasantly proven
wrong. Only two tower climbers have died in the past decade, according to the Structure, Tower and Antenna
Council (STAC) in Ottawa. But I can't help but contemplate the pressures on these workers as telecommunica-
tions companies have been operating at breakneck speed to erect towers over the past decade or so. It must be
hugely competitive and workers have to be feeling the pinch to get jobs done. In industries that are crunched
like this, the ability to keep workplace safety at the forefront is certainly an accomplishment and a testament to
hard-working safety professionals.
When it comes to hiring practices, safety managers need to get comfortable working with human resources
professionals to ensure they are choosing candidates who are physically fi t for the job (see page 24). The research
is overwhelmingly in favour of functional fi tness evaluations in preventing workplace injuries. Completed on a
conditional offer of employment, these tests evaluate a candidate's ability to complete the necessary tasks of a
job. If an individual is unfi t to work in your company, you not only want to save the company from all the costs
associated with an injury, but, of course, the candidate doesn't want to get injured either. It's a win-win and
something all employers with heavy jobs should consider.
It's that time of year again. We are searching far and wide for the most exemplary companies for our Canada's
Safest Employers awards. No matter what industry you're in, if you think your company is raising the bar for
health and safety, nominate it at www.safestemployers.com. You have until June 1 to tell us why your organiza-
tion deserves to win.
I am also looking for the next Safety Leader of the Year. This is one of my favourite awards because I love having
the ability to showcase outstanding safety professionals. You can nominate anyone at all who is a safety profes-
sional — within your own company or not. Visit www.cos-mag.com/safety-leader to nominate a deserving
individual by July 6.
We are also excited to announce the second year of our Readers' Choice awards. Head to
www.cos-mag.com/
readerschoice2017 by April 28 to vote for your favourite PPE suppliers, educational institutions, consultants, train-
ers, safety technologies and more. We want to hear what companies help you keep your workers safe on the job.
Amanda Silliker, Editor
amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com
