One of BAC's core missions is fighting for health and safety: protecting union members on the job, providing members with information and tools to work safely, and promoting occupational safety for all trowel trades craftworkers.
BAC Safety Webinar Series
BAC holds regular safety webinars in the evening for members to brush up the latest safety and health guidelines to stay safe at work. Presenters include IMI/IMTEF, industry and BAC experts on the selected topics. Click the links below to watch recordings of these life-saving trainings, or click here to watch all.
What is Silica and Why is it Dangerous?
Upcoming Webinar: OSHA's Top 10 Citations
When: 7:00PM, March 30, 2023
What: Join Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Sullivan, Safety & Health Director Liliana Calderon, and IMTEF as we discuss the top 10 Citations from OSHA of 2022. Learn what the hazards are and how to abate them.
Register HERE.
Contact BAC International Safety and Health Director Liliana Calderon with any suggestions on what trainings / refreshers you would like to see in the future.
March is National Ladder Safety Month. Join Us to Prevent Falls.
March 1st marks the beginning of the seventh annual National Ladder Safety Month - the only program dedicated exclusively to the promotion of ladder safety, at home and at work.
Each year, tens of thousands of injuries, and hundreds of deaths, are caused by ladder misuse. Understanding the different types of ladders as well as safe ladder practices are key to preventing falls and other potential injuries.
We welcome you to join us in learning about critical guidelines of ladder use, raising awareness on safe ladder use, and participating in scheduled events throughout the month. The 2023 National Ladder Safety Month will focus on the following areas:
• Week One: Choosing your ladder
• Week Two: Safety before the first step (inspection and set up)
• Week Three: Safety while climbing
• Week Four: Safety at top
To participate and get resources, please visit the website of National Ladder Safety Month.
The BAC Difference: Training
A major difference between a BAC craftworker and a non-union worker is our training. Safety is no different. During the first weeks of apprenticeship classes, our workers are OSHA 10 or 30 certified. Additional training – including asbestos training, lead abatement, and OSHA 500, 502, and 510 – is available for members, foremen, and union representatives as necessary / desired.
Members are also taught while training in their crafts to perform the work in the safest, most ergonomically-friendly way. For contractors, this leads to projects done with minimal delays due to accidents, and lower costs for insurance and violation fees.
Are you looking to grow your knowledge, or need a refresher for your certification? Click here to find out more about what trainings are currently available through the International Masonry Training and Education Fund.
COVID Resources
Although the pandemic has abated because of vaccines, COVID-19 is still spreading through North America, causing severe illness and death for unvaccinated and immune-compromised people.
BAC members still need access to accurate information about how to protect yourself and your family, both on the job and at home.
Visit our COVID Resources page for more information. Continue to stay safe!
BAC Advocates for Bill to Protect Workers From Heat-Related Illness and Fatality
This article first appeared in the BAC Journal - Issue 3, 2022. Click here to read more articles.
On July 20, BAC officers and members joined US Representative Judy Chu (D-CA), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) in a press conference to advocate for workplace heat stress protections and call for a swift legislative action to speed up the implementation of the first federal heat stress, workplace standards… READ MORE
Other recent articles:
- Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones by Understanding Your Risks and Rights of Asbestos Exposure – Issue 2, 2022
- Help Needed to Evaluate Trunk and Arm Support Exoskeletons in Construction – Issue 1, 2022
- Construction Employment and COVID-19 Vaccinations During the Pandemic – Issue 3, 2021
See Something, Say Something
It is the responsibility of every person at the worksite to work safely: from the contractors providing an environment that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of their workers, to members knowing the hazards and avoiding actions that would compromise their or their coworker’s safety.
Every worker has a right to come home from work everyday in the same physical condition as they left. If you are working in an environment you feel is unsafe, union or non-union, contact your local BAC office or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The life you save could be your own.