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Local 169 takes NACBE safety award 

As well all know, COVID has been a very big issue the last couple of years with CDC requirements and company requirements. It’s been a different challenge to man our work, but we’ve come up with solutions to that.

Ron Traxler, Executive Director, NACBE

Bob Hutsell, BM-ST of Local 169, received the John F. Erickson NACBE Safety Award on behalf of his lodge.

Great Lakes Area Local 169 (Detroit) earned The John F. Erickson NACBE Safety Award. The award was announced during the 2022 Construction Sector Operations conference which convened in person for the first time since 2020 in Marco Island, Florida February 28 through March 3. 

NACBE Executive Director Ron Traxler presented the overall 2021 safety index during the CSO conference. Statistics from 35 NACBE contractor organizations included good news of 2021 incident rates, which were down from previous years. Lost-time injury rates went from 0.32 in 2020 to 0.28 last year, and 28 locals recorded zero compensable injury rates in 2021 compared to 26 locals in 2020. OSHA recordable rates were down to about half in 2021, at .59, from 1 in 2020. However, compensable eye injuries went up from 28 in 2020 to 30 in 2021.

L-169 BM-ST Bob Hutsell accepted the national safety award on the local’s behalf. 

“As well all know, COVID has been a very big issue the last couple of years with CDC requirements and company requirements. It’s been a different challenge to man our work, but we’ve come up with solutions to that,” Traxler said. 

The National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers annually recognizes local lodges for their members’ dedication to making and keeping their 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.

Sectional award winners were: Northeast—Local 13 (Philadelphia); Southeast—Local 455 (Sheffield, Alabama) and Western States—Local 92 (Los Angeles).