The Steel Tube Institute (STI), which has a mission of promoting the growth and competitiveness of North America’s steel tubular products industry, is pleased to announce it will be welcoming non-members who are involved in pipe and tube to attend future meetings of the organization’s Safety Committee. Held three times per year, these meetings bring together safety professionals from the steel tube industry to concentrate on common safety opportunities and challenges.
“One of the best aspects of these safety meetings is the conversations that happen due to the wide range of individuals and experiences sitting around the table,” said Bill Wolfe, Executive Director of STI. “Attendees include vice-presidents of safety and compliance, human resources professionals, front-line supervisors who have safety as part of their responsibilities, and many other job titles. What they all have in common is a dedication to safety within the tubing industry.”
It is because of the valuable insights these cross-discipline conversations provide, along with important learnings from expert presentations, that the Committee has decided to open these meetings to individuals from non-member companies who are active in the steel tubing industry.
“Our members are aware of many other companies who can benefit from the programs we sponsor,” said Wolfe. “One of STI’s goals is to increase the safety best practices that are able to be used throughout our industry. Regardless if a company is a member of STI or not, we want these messages and lessons to be shared and adopted.”
As an indication of the benefit of these meetings, Wolfe points to improvements in the safety statistics reported by participating members. For instance, from 2008 to 2012 the Total Recordable Incidence Rate reduced from 8.37 to 6.47 while the Severity Rate improved from 160.88 to 155.80.
STI’s most recent Safety Committee meeting was held in September in Chicago and featured Rob Gaines, MPH, CSP, Director of Health and Safety Services for U.S. Compliance Corporation, who discussed the Confined Space Compliance Certificate program. The U.S. Compliance Corporation is dedicated to helping organizations navigate the compliance process with government agencies such as OSHA.
The next Safety Committee Meeting will be held in Casa Grande, Arizona on February 6 and 7, 2014. The main topic for this meeting will be focused on measures that may be applied to reduce incidents of hand injuries in the tubing industry. To learn more or to inquire about attending the February meeting, please email STINA@steeltubeinstitute.org.