“If we’re going to profess that we are the best, we have to ensure we’re providing the contractors with the best that there is out there,” said Painters International Union President James Williams. “The evaluations of the local councils are very, very important to determining where the problem is. Our contractors, we can’t live without them, and they can’t live without us and the earlier we figure that out the better we all are going to be.”
Labour leaders are also grappling with the reality of replenishing huge numbers of craft workers who will be retiring in the years to come.
“Forty-seven percent of our members are either eligible to retire today, or will be in the next 10 years, and that 47 percent comes out to roughly 40,000 members,” Ironworkers International Union President Joe Hunt said. “So, for us to just maintain our present membership, we have a yeoman’s task on our hands. And you can’t grow market share if you can’t supply trained Ironworkers, or trained Bricklayers, or whichever trade you are. You can’t grow if you don’t have the manpower to supply and grow with.”
Since maintaining a drug free workforce has taken on enormous significance in recent years, union contractors and labour organizations also discussed the issue.
“When the owners decide on their property they want a drug free workforce, the international unions will follow suit and provide it. That’s our job, to provide employees, and we provide a workforce so contractors can do their work,” said IBEW International Union President Ed Hill.
At the same time as the unions and contractors met, US crane association the SC&RA announced the formation of a tower crane task force to review recent tower crane incidents and put forward a set of industry best practices. It will be headed up by Frank Bardonaro, AmQuip president and COO.
“Tower cranes are a proven, reliable technology that have been used successfully in construction projects since the 1940s,” said executive vice president Joel Dandrea. According to industry statistics, about 2,100 are in use in North America on any given day. Using a conservative estimate of 50 lifts daily per crane, Dandrea estimated more than 105,000 lifts are executed safely every day.”
Bill Smith, president of NationsBuilders Insurance Services, Claims and Risk Management Services, called training and standards the two most important issues facing the crane industry today. He indicated that his organization’s data showed that the largest percentage of crane accidents occur as a result of human factors and not as a result of any inherent flaw associated with the equipment or technology.
“The planning, placement, assembly and operation of cranes – especially tower cranes – requires a complete and comprehensive approach to risk management that encompasses factors as diverse as a thorough analysis of underground features where cranes are located, to pre-assembly inspection, to proper use of the equipment within its design specifications. When a professional risk management approach is applied, the potential for accidents is significantly reduced. This is especially the case when that risk management approach incorporates up to date training and education for crane operators, riggers, signalmen, contractors, subcontractors and others.
“An example of this is the newest ASME ANSI B30.5 2007 Volume for mobile cranes. In this volume the delineation and lines of responsibility are clearly defined in the operation of mobile cranes. The committees decided that it needed to define the roles of individuals working with cranes and take away the existing ambiguity that was left up to interpretation.
“It cannot be overemphasized that the time for action is now. Quite frankly, there are companies currently operating that either do not know or are confused about current standards. The larger companies strive to adhere to the latest knowledge and apply best practices and the kind of comprehensive risk management systems I have described. But national uniformity of standards is essential and government must expedite the process.”
