MATS Conference 2018
MATS Group • April 25, 2018
The second annual Mast and Tower Safety Group (MATS) Conference was held at the Headingley Stadium, Leeds on the 11 th April building after a good first innings at the 2017 inaugural event. The event was attended by over 140 telecoms/broadcast colleagues and supported by 14 exhibitors/suppliers showcasing a number of innovative products and services relating to work at height/rigging safety.
The batting order was as follows:
- Mark Arthur, Chief Executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club opened the conference and welcomed everyone to historic Headingley, a world class venue that is home to YCCC, Leeds Rhinos Rugby League side and Yorkshire Carnegie Rugby Union side.
- Alan Trueman (Arqiva) introduced himself as the new chair of MATS, having taken over from Tony Taylor (EE) at the beginning of the year. The membership, aims and objectives, and group strategy were outlined.
- Teresa Mullen (Founder & Director of Paradigm Human Performance Ltd) gave a presentation on “interrupting the launch sequence” to reduce the consequences of unwanted outcomes triggered by human errors. Slides are available here but for anyone requiring more narrative around them please contact Teresa Mullen on teresa@paradigmhp.com
- Tony Taylor (EE) gave an update on the MATS Group ownership of climbing and mast rescue training content. The initial and revalidation climbing and mast rescue course content has been agreed and launched on 2 nd April so all Arqiva accepted training providers should now be delivering this course content. Rooftop and Radio-Frequency Awareness course content is currently being worked on and will be launched later in 2018. MATS will be looking to onboard an independent approval and quality assurance provider and indicative costs to MATS, the training providers and to employers was given. Tony reminded delegates of the need to ensure a high level of competence (including training standards) amongst climbers and showed the Nokia/8Point8 video which powerfully shows the human impacts of a serious fall from height.
- Jenny Atkinson and Jason Varley (8Point8) complimented Tony’s training presentation with an update on the Trailblazer Wireless Communications Rigger Apprenticeship scheme that they have developed with the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA), Dael Telecom, Principal Telecom, Huawei, Nokia, ARCC, IRIS and Telefonica. The formalised standard will deliver a number of benefits including the delivery of safe, skilled individuals into the industry.
- Allen Smith from the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme gave the conference an insight into how the oil and gas sector manage the risk of dropped objects. The scheme works to raise awareness of consequences and controls around both ‘dynamic’ and ‘static’ dropped objects, and the sector is now relatively mature in terms of understanding and control. With clear synergies between activities that take place aloft in both Oil and Gas, and Telecoms & Broadcast sectors, Allens presentation will impact upon MATS strategy in future.
- Paul Roddis, Training Manager for IPAF , gave an update on what the federation is doing to promote understanding of risks associated with working on or around telecommunications equipment, by operators of powered access equipment. Paul clarified the situation regarding the use of lanyards in boom type platforms and vertical lifts as well as introducing the rescue hierarchy flowchart.
- Finally, a Question Time panel answered questions from the floor and MATS took the opportunity to ask the delegates questions in the interests of collaboration which will inform future direction of group
The conference was supported by the following exhibitors and further information can be found at their websites here:
Feedback from the conference delegates is being collated and will be shared in due course on the website. The MATS Group would like to thank all delegates and exhibitors for attending the conference which we hope everyone beneficial. If you have any specific ideas or suggestions for future events please email conference@matsgroup.info
We are excited to announce that 8point8 Training has recently joined the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF)! This significant milestone marks a new chapter for 8point8 Training as it joins a network of leading organisations committed to promoting safety and ethical trading within the UK safety industry.
New Qualification Offer for 2023
Download the MATS Spring 2022 Newsletter
8point8 Training Signs Mental Health at Work Commitment To Improve and Support the Mental Health of their Employees and Learners
Download the latest MATS Newsletter featuring a look at the challenges Covid-19 has caused at Mitie, Tim Lord’s retirement and KCOM’s ICT business sale to Nasstar. Download the Newsletter by clicking here.
MATS have now drafted a new Guidance Note GN-014 – Structural Inspections of Masts and Towers and is now inviting comments / suggestions from the industry and other stakeholders to this draft document. The Ask – Please reply with any feedback to: enquiries@matsgroup.info by 20th October 2021.
In order to work at height on MATS Group telecommunication structures during the pandemic the Group allowed extensions to expired certificates to 31st July 21 on the following qualifications: MATS Basic Climber and Rescue Flat roof / Rooftop Access Climbers Medical Please note these extensions have now expired and workers will only be allowed to work at height with in-date certification. The MATS Group continues to monitor the situation, advises caution and recommends following the latest Government and HSE advice to maintain a safe working environment: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/index.htm Keep safe Stewart Mardle – MATS Chairman
We would like to thank everybody who purchased tickets and who agreed to exhibit at our 4th MATS Annual Conference which was originally due to take place in 2020 and then October 2021 due to the Covid-19 situation. Leading up to the event our top priority remains the safety, health and well-being of you all. After consulting with stakeholders, we have decided we have no option but to postpone the conference again to next year. This has not been an easy decision for the group but we felt that in the current uncertainty around the increasing COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths, it is the safest thing to do for all exhibitors and attendees. We have secured a revised date from the Coventry Building Society Arena (formerly Ricoh arena) on Tuesday 26th April 2022. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this third postponement may have caused but having consulted with all key stakeholders we believe a gathering of around 300 people this year simply would not be appropriate. We would like to place on record our thanks to sponsors and exhibitors who have all been very supportive and we look forward to a fantastic event next year when the...
In light of the latest advice by the UK Government on the planned roadmap of easing of lockdown restrictions across the UK, the MATS group has again reviewed the options available to us in order to support our industry in maintaining the infrastructure that enables key services to be provided In order to work at height on MATS Group telecommunications structures, a worker is currently required to have the following in date certificates as a minimum: – MATS Basic Climber and Rescue Flat roof / Rooftop Access Emergency 1st Aid Climbers Medical RF Safety Awareness Whilst the MATS Group acknowledges that some training providers are now offering face to face courses, there may be some challenges still with reduced delegate numbers on a course and overnight accommodation. The MATS Group will allow conditional extensions as outlined below though please note the following statement: – “In all cases, Employers have a responsibility to ensure that a full risk assessment is carried out on every individual to ensure that the organisation is satisfied they still have the necessary skills and competency to carry out their activities”. MATS Basic Tower Climbing & Rescue- Revised Extension to 31st July 2021 The full revalidation course...
The MATS Group Spring Newsletter 2021 is available now. The newsletter features a look at this year’s National Register of RF Workers, an update on the groups industry wide Roof Worker Scheme consultation and some top tips from Mental Health awareness week.
