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IAM CREST recently hosted a hazardous materials training class and simulation at the Winpisinger Center through a partnership with the International Chemical Workers Union Council and its 11 union constituency groups.
“Through our jobs, we all come in contact with hazardous materials in one form or another, whether or not you realize you’re being exposed,” said IAM Safety and Health Project Coordinator Shaun Trude. “So the big takeaway from this class is learning to use the resources, not knowing the answers to questions, but knowing how to find them for yourself when you return to your location.”
The training includes class sessions and a full simulation of a chemical spill where participants learn the proper way to put on a hazmat suit and enact containing a chemical spill.
Afterward, in class, they review the simulation video and review what was done right and where mistakes were made.
“We also get into the OSHA code of regulations and standards so they learn what their rights are in their workplaces when it comes to hazardous materials,” said Trude.
IAM Local 1725 member Frederick Butz worked on the American Airlines ramp and attended the training.
“I’m here to learn more about safety and bring it back to the membership,” said Butz. “I’m trying to get more safety knowledge under my belt since I became Safety Chair of the local, and it’s important to know about dangerous goods that could be transported or in the workplace.”
For questions on the program or to enroll in a future program, please contact Shaun Trude at strude@iamaw.org.
