New Saftey Standards - EIA/TIA 222-Revision G:  It’s Official

The question of tower safety has been nagging insurance companies for several years.  Things like antennas keep falling off towers during high winds, and some towers have fallen in hurricanes and tornadoes.  With the advent of the hurricane season of 2005, and a rash of deadly tornadoes, a new ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard was adopted and called:

·       EIA (Electronics Industry Association)

·       TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association)

·       222 (having to do with tower structural strength)

·       Revision G (a radical increase in design requirements for towers and attachments thereto)

When a tower owner (assignee or agent) presents plans for attachments or change-outs to the local government (and they often don’t bother to present plans), the basic tower may no longer be able to accommodate its present (forget about future) loads. 

Many building officials don’t look at the newly-adopted standards and may just check to see if the new loads are acceptable under the old standards (EIA/TIA 222-Revision F).  A zoning officer may think to examine the original plans to find the following were designed to EIA/TIA 222-Revision F standards: wind loads, ice loads, soil conditions, antennas and arrays, and other attachments.

WARNING:  those standards have changed.

Check the State Building Code: Revision F should no longer be acceptable to local governments. 

What Revision G foretells is the problem all towers find themselves in:

·       If a tower was designed to EIA/TIA 222-Revision F standards, it may not meet EIA/TIA 222-Revision G standards as the tower stands today, even without additional loading.

·       When an applicant seeks to attach or change out any equipment on the tower, the Building Official should get involved.  He or she is often not consulted because the project is considered “de minimis,” or under the radar of zoning and building.

·       Even a change on the ground (off the tower) should prompt a review of the entire cell site.

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Kreines & Kreines, Inc.
58 Paseo Mirasol, Tiburon, CA 94920
Phone: (415) 435-9214
Fax: (415) 435-1522
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