The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) will release a new standard to facilitate improved communication between engineers and contractors planning and assessing wireless tower construction. The standard—ANSI/TIA-322 Loading Criteria, Analysis, and Design Related to the Installation, Alteration and Maintenance of Communication Structures—will become available on August 31. It revises and redacts TIA’s 1019-A standard (Standard for Installation, Alteration and Maintenance of Antenna Supporting Structures and Antennas), which was published in 2012.
Through a coordinated effort, TIA and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) evolved the original TIA-1019-A standard for two distinct audiences in construction planning and implementation. Portions of TIA-1019-A were brought into the existing standardization efforts underway in ASSE and drove the completion of the ANSI/ASSE A10.48 standard.
Scott Belcher, chief executive officer of the TIA, said, “I am extremely proud of the way our member volunteers worked together to develop and release this standard in less than a year. The revisions have been anticipated for over a decade, so it was due to extraordinary work and focus by TIA’s TR-14 Engineering Committee to step up and move this forward.”
The ANSI/TIA-322 standard addresses construction-related loading, analysis and design requirements while the ANSI/ASSE A10.48 standard addresses construction means and methods. The development of both of these standards as a collective revision to TIA-1019-A was a joint effort between TIA and ASSE to ensure the standards are synchronized, the TIA explained when it announced the forthcoming availability of TIA-322. TIA-322 and ASSE A10.48 “each represent important roles required to complete the planning and construction process,” the TIA added. Both standards go into effect January 1, 2017.
James Ruedlinger, chair of the task group that developed ANSI/TIA-322, commented, “I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to all TIA members who served on the TR-14 Task Group 7 responsible for the ANSI/TIA-322. Tremendous time and effort has been expended to produce this industry-leading standard as it relates to loading, analysis, and design of communication structures under construction as well as specialized design criteria for tower lifting devices. I would also like to sincerely thank my mentor, colleague, and dear friend Ernie Jones for his vision, integrity, and passion, which served as the stimulus in the formation and ongoing development for this standard to promote construction awareness for the entire communications industry.”
The TIA actively seeks participation in tower industry projects from the user and general-interest communities. More information about TIA TR-14 and participation in standards development with TIA is available from Marianna Kramarikova: [email protected].
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