The institute of Engineering and Technology feels there has been an “infodemic” of misleading and false information about 5G and alleged health effects. Some of it is pure fantasy, but there have also been sincere concerns expressed by some people, including scientists, who are not up to date with how 5G has evolved in the UK. You can read the full article here. ...
In March 2020, due to the restrictions imposed by the UK Government due to COVID-19, the MATS Group proposed an interim extension to certain certifications required for working at height. This original training extension is due to expire on the 20th June 2020. The MATS group has 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 AidClimbers MedicalRF Safety Awareness Whilst the MATS Group acknowledges that some training providers are now offering face to face courses, there are still different rules from the UKs devolved Parliaments in terms of what business is ‘allowed’ and after risk assessment, some Employers will still not allow their people to travel extensively, stay in overnight accommodation or attend face to face training courses. With this in mind, the MATS Group will allow conditional extensions in accordance with the following:- MATS Basic Tower Climbing & Rescue- Extended to 20th September 2020 Conditions:- The full revalidation course and registration with EUSR should...
The MATS Group Summer Newsletter 2020 is available now. The newsletter features the groups reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak, an update on the 2020 MATS Group Conference as well as a article on the recent attacks on telecommunications and broadcast structures by 5G protesters. Download - The MATS Group Summer Newsletter 2020 ...
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 April and then October 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. We have secured a revised date from the Ricoh Arena of Tuesday 5th October 2021. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this second 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 implications caused by the pandemic should be over. More information will be issued in due course but if anyone has any urgent queries please email conference@matsgroup.info and we will do our best to reply to you as soon as we can. ...
We are pleased to welcome WPD Telecoms as new members of the MATS Group....
As we approach the end of 2019 here is an update regarding the Basic Tower Climbing & Rescue scheme. EUSR have carried out a number of approval visits of training providers and overall this appears to have flowed quite smoothly. One area where we have noted common issues is around the formal IQA qualification required to achieve scheme approval. Consequently, we have applied logic and are providing a temporary addendum. The temporary addendum will be offered where you have evidenced that you meet all of the other requirements for both Provider and Scheme approval, but do not have a qualified IQA in place. Signing the temporary addendum will allow you to gain approval for the scheme for a period of 6 months whilst your appointed IQA trainee is registered for, and successfully gains the formal IQA qualification. It will be a big step forward for the industry when we can say that all persons accessing our infrastructures have all attended an approved course and have an assured process to ensure standards are maintained. So far, we have around 18 applications either completed or being progressed. EUSR has commented on how helpful and professional our industry training providers have been during this project...
The Mast and Tower Safety Group would like to clarify its position on the recently published MBNL mandatory training requirements for Safe Lifting and Lowering in the telecommunications sector. Whilst we actively encourage safety improvements within our industry the group is not connected with this initiative and there has been no direct consultation with all its members in accordance with our terms of reference. ...
The MATS Group are pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for our next annual conference which will take place at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on Wednesday 22nd April 2020. Thanks to our headline sponsor Virtua who have agreed to support the event once again. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here We have had an excellent response from over 25 exhibitors and confirm Nationwide Platforms, Petzl, Arco, Commhoist, Never Let Go will all be attending along with a host of others including: XI Training, Safety at Height, Abaris, Ridgegear, Harken, P2ML, Tracked Access, Heightec, Link Microtek, Maser Comms, Spanset, Data Structures, FLI Structurers, Straightpoint, and Swann Engineering. The conference committee is putting together another interesting and varied range of speakers for the event but is also keen to see if any stakeholders or interested parties have any particular issues or subjects you would like to be covered at the conference? If you have any particular relevant topic suggestions please email your suggestions to conference@matsgroup.info If you have a question or query about the work of MATS please email conference@matsgroup.info prior to the event and we will endeavour to answer your question at the conference. Please limit your question to around 30 words. We look forward...
The MATS Group Winter 2019 newsletter is now available. Click here to download your copy....
The MATS Group Summer 2019 newsletter is now available. Click here to download your copy....