SMOHIT Safety Conference reminds attendees ‘It’s OK to be…” whoever they are
The ninth annual Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) Safety Champions Conference took on a persona, for the third consecutive year, meant to welcome attendees into comfortable spaces to discuss often uncomfortable topics. The theme — “It’s OK to be…” — encouraged attendees to feel like whatever they brought with them, whether wounded, healing or in process, was welcomed, because SMART members, signatory contractors and partners share a common purpose.
“It’s packed with meaning,” said opening speaker Scott Vidimos, secretary/treasurer for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA). “It’s an open-ended statement for a reason. We all bring experiences, challenges and states of mind to the table. You belong here. This is one of the best things about our industry.”
The conference’s goal every year is to raise awareness of physical and mental health safety on and off the jobsite for SMART members, creating a strong safety culture. One way to do that is to honor those who have made strides to make the industry healthier and safer. This year’s Safety Matters Awards winners were honored during dinner on the first night of the conference. Read more about them here.
The event took place Sept. 17-18, just prior to the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference in Chicago, and due to the back-to-back scheduling, SMOHIT offered scholarships to some Tradeswomen Build Nations attendees, so they could attend both.
“We now have more tools than ever to help our members and their families,” said Aldo Zambetti, SMOHIT administrator. “And it was important to make sure as many members as possible not only learn this information, but take it back to their home locals and tell their members.”
Shantel Staton, a SMART-TD member from Local 149 in New York, said she was invigorated by everything she heard, from mental health training to ergonomics on the jobsite — even laser welder safety, which isn’t in her expertise. As the only woman in her local, and someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, she felt the mental health aspect was much needed.
“I learned things I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else,” she said. “You never know what people are going through. It’s a special message. You do matter, and we do want you here. People don’t talk about suicide like they should be.”
As a second-year apprentice, McKenna Stewart attended with sisters from Local 66 in Western Washington. Although some of the subject matter, such as a session on menopause, didn’t apply to her, she felt this conference was about learning not only what is going on with you but what is going on with the people around you, so you can take it all into consideration on a daily basis.
“This gave me a lot of time to think about things I didn’t know were a problem until now,” she said. “This taught me to look past the words to how people are feeling.”
Stewart also learned techniques to make her a better apprentice, such as how to ask questions and communicate her job needs more effectively.
“Everyone took this to heart, you know. We’re all women and more in touch with how we feel and how this conference made us feel,” she added. “Everyone felt the weight of what was being said.”
Part of safety is knowing what resources you have at your disposal. The resources offered by SMART, including the SMART Member Assistance Program (MAP), Helpline, Peer-to-Peer programming and website, as well as industry partners such as Union EAP, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and OSHA allow members to have more access to information, guidance and resources than ever before.
Union EAP has stepped in to make employment assistance programs functional, providing resources and guidance members actually use. It can be hired by individual locals to provide a number of services: helping members with insurance; finding care, including for substance use disorder; financial planning, legal consultation, and meeting needs for disabled and special needs family members; positive screens and return-to-work assessments; and anything in regards to a family’s physical and mental well-being
“We have a problem with resources. People aren’t using them,” said Chris Carlough, SMART director of wellness and mental health support. “[Union EAP] is doing so many good things. They built it in a way that is pushing utilization first.”
Care coordinators help members navigate the system, and a person will answer the phone when they call, an important part of the process, said Melissa Burke, CEO of Union EAP.
“When you need to make that call, the phone gets so heavy. Sometimes, it’s really hard to pick it up,” Carlough said. “We have places and spaces for people. We have a lot of work to do, but we have an infrastructure that’s pretty sound to build upon.”
Part of SMOHIT’s resource infrastructure is the Workplace Exposure Research Program, formerly known as the health screening program. Instead of members traveling to their union hall to receive a screening, now, when they’re eligible, they can receive care wherever they are, regardless of whether they live in the same city as their local or not.
The program connects those who have been in the union for more than 20 years with health care providers who will screen them for conditions related to asbestos exposure. Part of the program is also raising awareness to prevent workplace exposures, said Diane Blackburn, who works with SMOHIT as the Workplace Exposure Research Program care coordinator.
She works with SMART members to get them screened and then walks them through the next steps if a positive result is found.
“We’re going to make sure support is there,” she said. “If you know where you’re working, the age of the building you’re working in and what you’re working with, you can protect yourself from a potentially life-threatening exposure.”
Part of creating a strong safety culture is strong leadership, and Brandon Anderson, vice president of safety for Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO), focused on legacy leadership during his keynote speech.
“The key to your legacy is truly how you make people feel,” he said. “They’re not going to remember the school, hospital or system you helped build. That’s not your legacy. It’s how you treat people around you.”
A common denominator is everyone is human, from those in leadership to the helpers in the shop.
“Leadership is the act of influencing and inspiring a group to work toward a shared goal by providing guidance, fostering collaboration and unlocking the collective potential of individuals,” he added. “It’s not limited to formal authority but rather emerges through actions, trust and empathy involved in the ability to adapt to change, make sound decisions and cultivate growth and well-being with the team.
“And there is always room for growth.”
Talking about mental health is more than posters and collateral. Speak to people and listen to what they say. Genuinely say “thank you” and show appreciation. Built trust. Build up people. Support your employees. Follow through. Communicate effectively. Understand, he added.
“Lead the way. Be the light. Plant that seed with your hall, your trustees, your employees,” he said. “You may be surprised what happens. And keep at it.”
Jeremy Holburn, who helps to operate the SMOHIT Helpline, said the more resources, the more skills people have, the better.
“There’s nothing wrong with having too many tools, too many resources for mental health,” he said. “We don’t have to be alone in any of this, and that’s a terrific aspect of the union.”
Mental and physical jobsite health are linked by decisions that keep workers safe from injury, pain, medications, possible addiction and trauma from accidents.
Otto Tech’s Smart Ladder Technology System was developed by those who found the lack of ladder safety and resulting falls were leading to 3.34 million lost work days annually due to injuries. Using sensors and AI, notifications alert users, and possibly supervisors, when a ladder is being used incorrectly. Data is collected and used to help workers and management correct unsafe behavior.
“What happens is there is an incident, and someone has to be off work. If this technology can reduce some of that by 10%, and I believe we can do better, it’s $100 million per year savings. It’s really amazing, “said Ellen Giutini, founder of Otto Tech and the Smart Ladder Technology System. “We’re interested in getting ahead of it and stopping the traumas you talk about.”
While the Otto Tech is aimed at reducing one hazard of the job site, Milwaukee Tool is using ergonomics to create safer tools that can reduce tool usage injuries. How a worker holds a tool, repetitive motions, awkward postures, the vibrations from that tool and the ergonomics surrounding a tool can all lead to fewer injuries, said Ashley Toll, Milwaukee Tool power tool ergonomics engineer.
“You may not feel it, or it may not feel great the first day, but over the course of a career, it can cause a lot of issues,” she said.
Closing speaker Justin Azbill, who shared his battle with mental health at last year’s conference, continued the conversation. As founder of The Tribal Group LLC and committee member on many safety-related boards and organizations, Azbill speaks to groups to start a positive conversation about mental health in the construction industry. He calls it Mindset Maintenance — a group of professionals who meet on a regular basis to confidently share their current issues and exchange insights that will help each member excel.
“The purpose of these groups is so people can interact with each other and exert influence on each other’s attitudes, emotions and experiences,” Azbill said. “It’s about getting together and connecting with other human beings.”
It was a sentiment Zambetti took into his final remarks, which closed out the conference — “Make sure we’re kind. Make sure we recognize the people we work with are human. Everything we learned in the past two days, keep thinking about it.”