The week of March 4th, Local 15 Business Reps Mark Shaulis and Bernard Robinson attended the first annual IBEW National Safety Conference held in Providence, Rhode Island. The first newly named conference focused on several topics on safety such as: FR clothing, mental health awareness, sobriety, the energy wheel, presentations by Tyndale Co. and Milwaukee tools. Other topics included the IBEW joining the NSC in 1958 and the forming of the IBEW Safety Dept in 1959. The need for such formulation was high due to the fatality rate of 5 out of every 500 IBEW members were having fatalities. One of the most intriguing things discussed at the conference is the suicide rate in the electrical/construction industry.
The use of automation and AI will eventually replace about 4000 plus jobs in the next 5-7 years. The second session of the conference, March 7th-9th, focused on the Safety Labor Division. This forum included breakout sessions on ergonomics, governmental labor and standards, industrial safety and health, etc.
Overall, the experience was enlightening and very helpful from a networking perspective in attempts to resolve some issues across the country and any at home.