A Boilermaker’s job is challenging. But it can also be dangerous. Boilermakers work in tight spaces, at heights and with toxic chemicals that require the use of respirators and other protective equipment.
Through the years, the Boilermakers union has developed the knowledge and experience to provide the best health and safety protection in the industry for our members.
Here’s how we do it:
- We negotiate strong health and safety protection into our collective agreements — stronger than required by the various provincial health and safety laws.
- We ensure there are shop stewards at every job site who enforce our written health and safety requirements.
- We train our members and stewards on how to recognize and respond to threats to their health and safety.
- We research and act on unseen threats to our health in the form of exposure to chemicals and other dangerous environmental factors.
- We work with our employers to promote health and safety at every workplace.
- We have a national health and safety department, headed by a full-time, certified health and safety hygienist.
- We work with our National Training Trust Fund to make sure health and safety is an integral component of every Boilermaker training program.
Our commitment
But that’s only the start of our commitment to our members’ health and safety. Increasingly, risk factors outside of, but related to, the workplace are being recognized as dangers for workers.
Studies have shown that smoking, for example, has a direct correlation to workplace stress. Driving long distances to get to and from a job also contributes to stress.
These are the kinds of issues that are being addressed by Boilermakers Total Health (BtH), a revolutionary new program that looks beyond the workplace to help our members enjoy long and productive careers and lives.
BtH has partnered with the prestigious US-based National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to bring our new perspective to workers’ health and safety.
BtH consists of three components: Occupational Health, Health Arc and Health Benchmark. Occupational Health is our strong everyday program to ensure our workplaces are safe. Health Arc aims to help Boilermakers understand how their life off the job affects their work, and vice-versa. (You can reach the Health Arc website by logging in to the members’ section of this website.) Health Benchmark encourages our members to work with healthcare professionals to stay at the top of their game.
More information
If you want to know more about our commitment to health and safety, you can or, if you’re a member, follow this link to reach the health and safety section of our members’ area.