Several ABC members attended Safety Day and connected with partners at ABC National and MIOSHA
One year ago, ABC Southeastern Michigan brought on a new director of safety, Drew Maltese and he celebrated by providing the ultimate safety training on March 3 at the ABC SEMI office.
Drew has provided basic safety training services like First Aid/CPR/AED training, and OSHA 10 and 30 training to ABC members either at the ABC office or member’s office. However, Drew felt it was necessary to dig below the surface and provide more resources to member companies’ safety professionals.
“It’s very important that we all use every resource in our toolbox to make sure everyone works safe,” Maltese said. “With that, I wanted to break down the myth that members can’t reach out to organizations for help without the fear that they’re going to be put on a ‘watch list.’ That’s why I reached out to MIOSHA to share their expertise and to make connections with our members.”
Brian Roulier, an industrial hygiene consultant at MIOSHA, shared the accident prevention program details, which provides consultation and training to Michigan employers about the general industry safety and health practices, but they do not issue citations.
“We’re not out to ‘get’ anyone who is looking to improve their safety practices and keep up with industry expectations,” Roulier said. “Anyone actively working to protect their employees is a winner in my book and I want to make sure I can be the best resource possible for them so they continue to reach out with any questions.”
The day also included safety demonstrations showcasing required PPE for jobs and virtual reality training provided by Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati, the director of construction safety at Lawrence Technological University.
The VR training utilized an immersive 360-degree panorama environment training to represent several distinct safety-related challenges on real projects. This new method is anticipated to increase trainees’ motivation and engagement.
ABC National’s senior director of safety, Joe Xavier, wrapped up the day highlighting the STEP program, a safety benchmarking and improvement tool.
“STEP dramatically improves safety performance regardless of company size and the type of work performed,” Xavier said. “This program allows companies to be proactive with their safety and not reactive. It saves time and allows companies to stay current with safety techniques.”
For safety trainings, get involved with ABC STEP or to take action to improve your safety resources, get in touch with ABC SEMI director of safety, Drew Maltese at dmaltese@abcsemi.org or call (248) 298-3600.
