SAIA confirms 2012 Committee Week a success

Words: Laurie Weber/Public/News/20120322125500-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="10 councils met to work on current projects during SAIA’s Committee Week." />
10 councils met to work on current projects during SAIA’s Committee Week.
The Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA) Executive Committee, Board of Directors and councils met in Weston, Florida at the 2012 Committee Week event.

Committee Week is SAIA’s mid-year meeting in which 10 councils meet to work on current projects, discuss issues facing their council’s segment in the industry, evaluate their goals and objectives, and prepare for the upcoming year. Over four days, 113 key industry scaffold and access professionals came together to discuss collectively more than 80 agenda items unique to the scaffold and access industry.

“With today’s 24/7 communication tools, our volunteers now work on these projects year-round, but it’s great to see everyone get together and put the finishing touches to the programs face-to-face,” commented Steve Smith, President of SAIA.

Several new projects were completed and forwarded to the SAIA review committee for approval to produce new training tools.

The Plank & Platform Council, under the leadership of Colby Hubler (Mill Direct) submitted Scaffold Plank Identification and Inspection. This new project will be a downloadable PDF to help all users of scaffold plank to identify mandatory and non-mandatory requirements of all types of plank by outlining industry standards, best practices and detailed media. Additionally, the PDF entails a product specific inspection process for used plank along with a SAIA recommended action for each type of damage. All solid sawn, engineered wood, metal and composite planks and decks are included in this project.

Construction Hoist Council chair, Paula Manning (Century Elevators), finalized the Code of Safe Practices for Construction Elevators. This project will expand the SAIA portfolio for its Code of Safe Practices series. These guidelines were designed to promote safety in the erection, dismantle, operation and use of construction hoists. Each Code of Safe Practices is designed for job site posting and as an easy reference guide.

The Aerial Work Platform (AWP) OSHA alliance focus group finalized eight new safety-tip projects that will address industry issues such as selection of proper AWP’s for a job, developing an AWP rescue plan, and implementing an AWP fall-protection system. Additionally the council agreed to move forward with introducing an SAIA booms-and scissors-training program with proper approval.

Additionally, the Executive Committee and Board of Directors agreed to move forward with a relationship with Lift & Access magazine. The SAIA and Lift & Access will develop an agenda to co-locate and unite the 2013 SAIA Annual Convention & Exposition and the Lift & Access SAF-T Symposium to be held in July 2013.

During the Board of Directors meeting the 2012-2014 slate of officers was approved. The new officers will be sworn in at the 2012 Annual Convention & Exposition in Huntington Beach, Calif., in July.

President: Marty Coughlin, Dependable Scaffolding, LLC
President Elect: Mike Russell, Power Climber Wind
Vice President: Jeff Stachowiak, Sunbelt Rentals
Treasurer: Colby Hubler, Mill Direct
Secretary: Paula Manning, Century Elevators
Presidential Appointee: Marc Wilson, Safway Services
Board Appointee: Frank Frietsch, Layher Inc.
Board Appointee: James Gordon, Klimer Platforms

The SAIA would also like to thank all of our 2012 Committee Week Sponsors. Layher, Strong Man Building Products, STVA, Stepup Scaffold, Networx Communication, Direct Scaffold Supply, Edge International, Mdm Scaffolding Service, William and Gail Ayers and Harold and Jo Elen Gidish.

For more information about 2012 Committee Week or other SAIA projects currently in the works, please call SAIA headquarters at 816-595-4860.
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