HAZTEK’S HERB STRONG AND REGGIE VANDERPOOL: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ANN ARBOR, MI, July 17, 2018 — When the Ironworkers – IMPACT Safety and Health Roundtable met in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to discuss issues that affect their industry, HazTek Business Development Manager Herb Strong and Safety Professional Reggie Vanderpool were in attendance as notable speakers at the biannual event.
Strong, a National Safety Consultant / Expert Representative member of the organization and a veteran presenter at their meetings, provided an update on the over 20 assessments that HazTek has performed for the IMPACT member contractors in the Southwest Region of the U.S., as well as an overview on expanding assessments to other areas of the country. Strong also emphasized key points in helping the Ironworkers to achieve their goal of Zero Fatalities through a moving discussion on safety culture and proper mentoring.
Much of the event had a special focus on recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of the Ironworkers Safety Director Training Course, an effort launched in 2016 to bridge the gap to raise the standard of safety performance. The course is one of the programs working in concert with the Zero Fatality-Incident campaign, commissioned by Ironworker General President Eric Dean. As one of nine safety professionals selected by General President Dean and National Safety Director Steve Rank to participate in the ongoing training, Strong instructs on site-specific safety plans and job hazard analysis. He has found the initiative to be a great success after recently completing eight classes throughout North America — with seven in the U.S. and one in Canada.
HazTek’s Reggie Vanderpool is also an advocate for the specialized, multi-day offering after taking the inaugural course back in 2016. “When the opportunity came to take the Safety Director Training, I jumped on it,” says Vanderpool, who later added, “I am very grateful to the Ironworkers [for] all the time and investment that they’ve put into their members [to] make the training accessible to us — by making it travel across the states so that every member has access.”
Vanderpool, distinguished as a one of the “Members Making a Difference,” was interviewed during the event by Steve Rank, Ironworker National Safety Director and Chair of the Roundtable. Vanderpool discussed her experiences from working as an Ironworker to transitioning into safety via the Ironworkers Safety Director Training Course. As a result of taking the course, Vanderpool met Strong who recognized her potential and brought her on board to HazTek where she has been working as a field safety representative — holding safety orientations for hundreds of workers every day and enforcing compliance policies. While she is fully committed to safety oversight, she still remains in Ironworker mode — making suggestions and providing support, “It means a lot to me to go to work every day and see those guys and interact with them — making sure that they know I care. They’re my family still… we all unite. ”To Vanderpool, it’s all about “engaging, educating, and encouraging others.”
HazTek Inc. is grateful for our alliance with IMPACT and the Ironworkers and admire their dedicated mission of safety. We are proud to be able to support General President Eric Dean and National Safety Director Steve Rank’s contributions to the industry and seek to continue to make our resources available to the Zero Fatality-Incident campaign and the Ironworkers Safety Director Training Course.
Several of the Roundtable attendees (including Strong and Vanderpool) were captured on video as they shared their thoughts from the event. The full video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCio0VRNw88&feature=youtu.be
Credit to: Iron Workers International
IMPACT – Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust
Iron Workers IMPACT video: “A Few Thoughts from the S&H Round Table”