National Safety Council Congress and Expo

Safety Concerns Highlighted for IBEW 1837 Members

IBEW 1837 members Ray Boyle, Bill DeMotta, and Assistant Business Manager Bill Dunn represented our union at the 2006 National Safety Council Congress and Expo in San Diego. The November gathering was billed as "the largest annual event in the world of Safety, Health and the Environment."

The National Safety Council was founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953. The Council's mission is to educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death. Many IBEW locals from around the country gathered at the Congress and Expo for seminars and workshops to explore safety issues for utility workers.

The first day included an all-IBEW caucus. Brother Boyle reports that 65% of all workers are unaware of safety rules or where to find them within their place of employment. However, "Union workers are more educated and safer workers," Boyle said. "Most accidents and fatalities are with non-union workers."

There was a variety of training sessions and seminars for those in attendance. One sobering highlight of the convention was a demonstration on Equal Potential. Brother DeMotta said "it's really eye-opening to see how unprotected lineworkers really are with our current practices!"