On a jobsite, it’s important for every employee to exercise safe work practices every day. The Iron Workers and its labor-management arm, IMPACT, are working toward having more safety-trained supervisors on jobsites to help make sure everyone goes home safely each day. IMPACT sponsors the Safety Trained Supervisor Construction® (STSC®) certification, administered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), which is successfully resulting in a more safety-conscious and skilled team of ironworker supervisors.

In April IMPACT offered the STSC® prep course and exam at Local 136 in Chicago. During the day-long event, 33 ironworkers and contractor personnel took the certifying exam. The overall pass rate for ironworker/IMPACT sponsored participants remains very high.

“We are thrilled to have had a high success rate for the STSC® exam in Chicago,” says Kevin Hilton, IMPACT CEO. “The industry recognizes the need for certification to identify competency in the field of safety…the STSC® certification does that for the Ironworkers and our contractors."

IMPACT Director of Contractor Training and Development, Dr. Cindy Menches, also took and passed the certification exam. She is the second IMPACT staff member to become certified, following the lead of Canadian Safety Director, Jeff Norris, who became certified in February. “It is important for staff members at IMPACT and the Iron Workers to set the example by becoming certified. I will continue to encourage both Ironworkers and contractor representatives to seek the certification,” she says. “There is clear evidence in other organizations, such as AECOM, that the certification will aid ironworkers and contractors in achieving the highest levels of safety on the job. 

Launched in November 2014, the certification is appropriate for personnel who have responsibilities to maintain safe conditions and practices on construction job sites. The STSC® certification requires applicants to meet minimum education and experience requirements and demonstrate knowledge of basic safety and health standards.