A jobsite that has a safety culture is a well-run site.
Local 13 BM-ST Brad Mickatavage accepts the John F. Erickson NACBE Safety Award on behalf of his local. From l. to r. IP Warren Fairley, Mickatavage, IVP-NE John Fultz and NACBE Executive Director Ron Traxler.
Northeast Area Local 13 (Philadelphia) earned the John F. Erickson NACBE Safety Award, announced Feb. 26, during the 2024 Construction Sector Operations Conference. The National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers recognizes local lodges annually for their members’ dedication to making and keeping workplaces safe. NACBE names one nationwide winner and one winner from each of the remaining U.S. sections. The awards are determined by the lowest injury rates followed by the highest percentage of Boilermaker man-hours worked for NACBE contractors participating in the NACBE safety index.
Top sectional winners were Western States, L-549 (Pittsburg, California); Great Lakes, L-107 (Milwaukee) and Southeast Area, L-433 (Tampa, Florida).
NACBE Executive Director Ron Traxler said that safety is paramount for both contractors and Boilermakers. “A jobsite that has a safety culture is a well-run site. Belief in safety is a core principle that guides everything we do and create,” Traxler said. “When we have everyone looking out for each other, we all reap the benefit to return to our families.”
Since NACBE’s formation in 1975, safety has improved under the organization’s watch, when compensable and OSHA-recordable injuries were much higher than they are today. Across the U.S. every day, NACBE carries out its mission to reduce injuries on job sites and reduce the cost of workers’ compensation claims for NACBE contractors.
Traxler also presented the 2023 safety index with 28 contractors reporting on 32.5% of all Boilermaker work from NACBE contractors. Lost-time injury rates were up from .24 in 2022 to .40 for 2023. Compensable injuries were up from 2.72 in 2022 to 3.22 for 2023. The OSHA recordable injury rates were up slightly from 2022’s .78 to .92 for 2023, with OSHA recordable eye injuries up significantly from one in 2022 to seven in 2023. Compensable eye injuries were nearly unchanged from 30 in 2022 to 31 in 2023.
